To: Polish Government, Urząd Wojewódzki in POLAND, and Human Rights Organizations.

We, the undersigned, are foreign residents in Poland, particularly Moroccan nationals and others, who are suffering due to the excessive delays in the processing of karta pobytu (residence card) applications. Many of us have been waiting for over two years, unable to leave Poland to visit our families, work freely, or live without constant legal uncertainty.

While Polish law mandates that residence permit applications be processed within 60 days, in practice, applicants often experience significant delays. For instance, in Gdańsk, the processing time has reached up to 522 days.

Processing times vary across different voivodeships. In regions like Mazowieckie, the average processing time in 2023 was 6 months. However, other offices, such as those in Wrocław, Katowice, Gdańsk, or Bydgoszcz, have processing times extending up to 24 months. 

This situation is a violation of basic human rights, including:
✅ The right to family life – Many of us haven’t seen our families for years due to the inability to leave Poland without valid residency documents.
✅ Freedom of movement – We are trapped in Poland, as leaving would mean losing our legal residence status and restarting the entire process.
✅ The right to a fair and efficient administrative process – The Polish government must respect its own legal deadlinesand provide clear, transparent updates on applications.

Our Demands:
1️⃣ Immediate intervention to resolve the backlog in Urząd Wojewódzki and other affected offices.
2️⃣ Faster processing times for residence cards, ensuring they do not take more than the legally allowed timeframe.
3️⃣ Temporary travel documents or permits allowing applicants to visit their families while waiting for their karta pobytu.
4️⃣ More transparency and better communication from immigration authorities regarding case statuses.

The current situation is unacceptable, and we demand urgent action to protect the rights of foreign residents in Poland. We ask Amnesty International, human rights organizations, and the Polish government to address this injustice immediately.

🔴 If you are affected or support our cause, please sign this petition. Together, we can demand change! 🔴