Nearly 280 Polish employers have already signed up for the government program “Poland. Business Harbour”, which helps to draft in IT specialists from the East.
“This is a breakthrough change – all it takes now is a Polish entrepreneur’s declaration and an IT specialist from the East may come to Poland and start working here without unnecessary formalities,” says Konrad Weiske, Vice President of the IT Services Employers’ Organization (SoDA) and President of Spyrosoft. The latter has hired five IT specialists from Belarus as part of the “Poland. Business Harbour” Program. And it aims higher, all the more so that the PBH Program, launched in September 2020 and initially addressed to specialists and IT companies from Belarus, was extended in July 2021 and currently covers five other countries (Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine). From July on, IT specialists from these countries will also be able to get visas under the Program, which not only allows them to take up a job in Poland without the need to obtain a work permit but also to come here with their immediate family and start a business.
According to data of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) made available to Rzeczpospolita, so far almost 18,300 visas have been issued as part of the Program. “This group includes both IT specialists and their family members,” emphasizes Monika Grzelak, Deputy Director of the Investment Centre at the PAIH.