- Poland is putting in place a new information technology system to avoid fraud during visa appointments.
- The system’s purpose is to prevent intermediaries from reserving and reselling visa slots for inflated fees.
Poland is putting in place a new information technology system to avoid fraud during visa appointments.
The system’s purpose is to prevent intermediaries from reserving and reselling visa slots for inflated fees.
According to TravelBiz, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has verified the system’s development, but no official launch date has been declared. The system is planned to be available later this year.
According to the article, Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is taking steps to tackle the rising issue of fraud in the visa appointment system.
Intermediaries have taken advantage of the current system, getting visa appointments and reselling them at higher prices, frustrating applicants.
The new approach aims to address this issue by ensuring that visa slots are available to genuine applicants.
How will the new system work?
The new IT system will limit intermediaries’ capacity to arrange and resell visa appointments. The new approach requires applicants to authenticate their identities before scheduling an
appointment. This adjustment is intended to prevent unauthorized individuals from taking up spots that should be reserved for legitimate applicants.
In addition to identification verification, the new system will provide more electronic verification services. While specifics are still unknown, officials have hinted that biometric verification could be part of the procedure.
Applicants would be required to undertake biometric screening, such as fingerprint or facial recognition, before scheduling a visa appointment.
Pilot program for high-demand nations
The new mechanism will initially be tried in nations with high visa demand. The trial phase will allow officials to analyze the system’s performance.
Following the pilot period, the system will be examined and adjusted as needed. Future objectives include linking the system with Poland’s current eKonsulat platform and launching a new consular e-services platform for visas.
Why is Poland changing the visa appointment rules?
According to sources, the decision to implement the new method comes after claims of a visa appointment controversy and numerous complaints from foreign nationals and Polish employers. Visa appointment shortages, especially in the IT sector, have made it impossible for many firms to acquire appointments for their employees.
Reports indicate that some firms were forced to pay intermediaries for appointments that should have been free.
Investigations discovered that, while official systems showed no open slots, intermediaries were
able to schedule appointments immediately. This practice of reselling appointments has resulted in unequal access to visa slots, and Polish authorities are taking steps to stop it.
Impact on visa applications
Once the new system is completely operational, visa applicants will be required to follow tougher appointment scheduling requirements.
- Applicants will need to authenticate their identification, and biometric data may be requested to make meetings.
- They will also be required to book appointments exclusively through official means, removing the ability to employ intermediaries.
- Though the new approach would add stages to the application process, it is intended to guarantee that visa slots are available to people who truly require them.
- Visa applicants are recommended to follow the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ releases to learn about new requirements and system modifications.
This will assist applicants be aware and ready for any new procedures when scheduling visa appointments.
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