Polish Embassy in Philippines Accused of Demanding Bribes for Visa Appointments, Mission Denies Allegations

Poland has been accused of allegedly continuing the practice of arranging visa appointments irregularly, with the country’s Embassy in the Philippines facing backlash this time.

In August of last year, a number of nationals of the Philippines warned the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs that large amounts of money were expected from them in order to be able to secure a visa appointment. 

Despite the authorities taking a number of measures to “erase” the visa scandal, Filipinos said that such a practice is continuing and complained about the visa process, Schengen.News reports. 

A number of Filipinos have said that they have been unable to secure an appointment to obtain a Polish long-term visa for months. The same stressed that the Embassy is giving appointments to those paying large amounts of money, stressing that the only possible way to secure a slot is through bribes. 

However, according to a statement from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it appears that officials have no hand in such irregularities and that scammers are the ones who are asking for money to secure appointments on behalf of Filipino nationals. 

Concerned with the situation and fed up with the long waiting times just to secure an appointment, a national of the Philippines said that they had warned the Polish authorities about the irregularities.

Appointments Are Blocked for “Ordinary People”, Another Filipino Said 
Another Filipino, who has already found a job in Poland but is still waiting for an appointment, also commented on the matter. 

The applicant said that some of them have been waiting to secure a visa appointment at the Polish Embassy in Manila for eight months. The same stressed that appointments are being blocked for “ordinary people” and instead are being sold online for large sums of money.

This case was revealed by the largest intervention programme in the Philippines. As Wirtualna Polska explains, the programme features a number of complaints. 

Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Denies Allegations 
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied all claims that officials of the mission are asking for bribes in exchange for visa appointments. 

In its response to the allegations, the Ministry said that some applicants are being unable to secure appointments due to the large demand. According to the Ministry, as soon as the appointments are released, they are booked within minutes, ruling out any irregularities. 

The Ministry further emphasised that the officials are not involved in the irregularities and noted that appointment offers appear on the internet from scammers who falsely claim to help with securing a Polish visa.

The Ministry also suggested that Filipinos are being scammed by intermediaries and not by the officials of the Embassy. At the same time, it recalled that the consular office in Manila and the visa application centre were subject to a detailed inspection at the end of March 2024, during which no negligence or irregularities were found in the visa process.

Source: https://schengen.news/polish-embassy-in-philippines-accused-of-demanding-bribes-for-visa-appointments-mission-denies-allegations/