Polish authorities have initiated an investigation into IT firms within the country that were expected to sponsor foreign specialists on work visas, yet their employees never arrived in Poland. An inspection was initiated following concerns raised by SchengenVisaInfo about the disparity between the high number of work visas issued to foreigners and the low number who actually arrived in Poland to work as IT specialists. Polish companies were permitted to bring in up to 100,000 foreign IT specialists, primarily from Eastern European nations. However, only approximately 15 percent of those granted Polish work visas entered the country, prompting authorities to investigate. According to Rzeczpospolita, the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) has been conducting internal inspections on IT firms participating in the Poland Business Harbour (PBH) Programme from 2020 to 2023. Initially focused on bringing IT specialists from Belarus, the program later expanded to include Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Armenia. Despite aiming to facilitate the hiring of IT specialists for Polish companies, suspicions arose when it became apparent that the number of visas issued exceeded the actual arrivals to the country.

Poland issued 93,046 work visas to Belarusians, but only around 15,000 foreigners from all nationalities entered using these visas. The Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) joined PAIH in investigating the matter. While PAIH is gathering information from companies, only 30 out of 50 have provided details on foreign employees. Discrepancies persist, with some citing tax and family concerns for not relocating, and others whereabouts unknown, raising concerns about misuse of the programme as an EU gateway.