As of July 2, Poland-bound Indian students have had to register their study visa applications through the e-consult system. 

The embassy further announced that the interview appointment dates will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis for applicants registering through the Polish Embassy in New Delhi.

The new rules apply to Indian students under the jurisdiction of both the Polish Embassy and the Polish Consulate in Mumbai. 

The Polish embassy in New Delhi will hold interviews for students from Indian states including: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi (NCR), Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.

Also included are Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, and South Asian nations including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka.

The Polish Mumbai Consulate, on the other hand, will hold interviews for students from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, and Goa.

Applicants from Union Territories including Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands also come under its remit.

Over 5,000 Indian students studied in Poland in 2022, as per data released by India’s Ministry of External Affairs. 

With the Ukraine war leading to Indian students fleeing the country while studying medicine, many have chosen to pursue their education in the neighbouring country of Poland. 

But despite Poland’s rising popularity among international students, the country appears to be making significant changes to study and work visas. 

Back in May 2024, the Polish government presented its conclusions to eliminate irregularities in the visa issuance process.

Reports have suggested that Poland will be introducing a mandatory pre-selection requirement, with the country’s universities also having to follow the same. 

Poland is also considering limiting international students’ access to the Polish labour market, and could also increase the minimum funds’ requirement for students applying for a visa or residence permit, according to Schengen News.