Employer Did Not Pay and Threatens Deportation: Where to File a Complaint
An employer does not deport anyone — such a decision is made only by a state authority, and loss of employment alone does not automatically mean loss of the right to stay in Poland. Complaints about non-payment of wages should be filed immediately with the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP) — this is the fastest official channel.
International Law Firm "Zahist" supports employees in disputes with employers in Poland. In our practice, a deportation threat is almost always an attempt to intimidate rather than a real legal risk: employers who themselves break the law rely precisely on the employee’s fear and lack of knowledge of procedures.
We explain why a deportation threat usually has no basis, where to complain about non-payment of wages, and how to act step by step.
Deportation threat from an employer — is it real
A deportation threat from a private individual is not a legal fact but a form of pressure: no employer has the authority to decide that a foreigner must leave the country.
Such threats are designed to provoke an emotional reaction: a person frightened by possible deportation agrees to stay silent about non-payment or resigns on their own before documenting the violation.
In practice, employers who resort to such threats most often break the law themselves — lawful employment is rarely accompanied by intimidation instead of timely payment.
Who actually decides on deportation
A decision imposing an obligation to return (potential deportation) is made exclusively by a state authority — the Border Guard (Straż Graniczna) or a voivode — not by an employer or a private company.
Such a decision can be appealed within a short period after receipt, which is why concerns should be checked with a lawyer rather than treating the employer’s words as a final verdict.
Before issuing a decision, the authority is also obliged to consider the individual’s circumstances — family ties, length of stay, and risks upon return — so there is simply no automatic “dismissed — leave” mechanism in the law.
Does your residence status depend on a specific employer
For most Ukrainians under temporary protection, the right to stay in Poland is not tied to a specific employer — loss of a job alone does not make the stay unlawful.
A different situation arises when a residence card was issued specifically for a particular employer; then after dismissal it is advisable to quickly check what steps are needed to preserve status, but even in that case the decision is made by the authority, not the former employer.
In such a situation the main thing is not to delay the check: the law usually allows a certain period to find a new employer or change the basis of stay, and that time should be used rather than spent fearing the words of a former manager.
Where to complain about non-payment of wages
Non-payment of wages is a violation of labour law, and the law provides the employee with several parallel avenues of protection that can be used at the same time.
National Labour Inspectorate (PIP) — the main authority
The National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy, PIP) accepts complaints about labour law violations, including non-payment or delayed wages, and may inspect the employer.
The complainant’s data are protected and are not disclosed during an inspection without written consent — this reduces the risk of retaliation by the employer for filing a complaint.
For Ukrainians there is a dedicated PIP telephone line in Ukrainian with consultations on the legality of employment — a convenient first step if you are unsure where to begin.
In the first months of 2026, Ukrainians filed more than one hundred complaints with PIP specifically about unpaid or overdue wages — this confirms that the inspectorate actually responds to such submissions rather than leaving them unexamined.
Labour court — recovering arrears without a court fee
A labour court allows wage arrears to be recovered by force, not merely to document a violation — this is the main difference from filing with PIP.
An employee seeking payments under an employment contract of up to PLN 50,000 is exempt from paying a court fee — this substantially lowers the barrier to bringing a claim even without significant savings.
A claim in the labour court and a complaint to PIP are not mutually exclusive: you can await inspection results and at the same time file a claim to recover arrears without losing time.
How to file a complaint with PIP
- Gather evidence: employment contract, payslips, correspondence with the employer regarding payment
- Contact the regional PIP office for the employer’s place of registration
- Submit the complaint in writing — in person, by post, or via PIP’s electronic channel
- If needed, use the Ukrainian-language telephone consultation before filing
Even without an employment contract in hand, a complaint makes sense: an oral agreement to work is also covered by labour law protection, and the fact of work can be confirmed by other evidence.
Evidence of actual employment may include screenshots of correspondence about schedules and tasks, colleagues’ statements, dated photos of the workplace, or even bank statements showing partial payments.
When to contact the prosecutor’s office
If systemic non-payment is combined with withholding documents, threats, or forcing a person to work against their will, the situation may fall under the criminal provision on malicious violation of employee rights.
In such cases, a parallel report to the prosecutor’s office does not hinder a PIP complaint or a labour court claim — these avenues complement rather than exclude one another.
Such cases are less common than ordinary payment delays, but it is precisely in them that prompt documentation of evidence matters most — delay gives the employer time to erase traces of the violation.
Typical mistakes of employees who are not paid
Most lost opportunities to protect one’s rights are linked not to the complexity of procedures but to common reactions to stress.
- Silent waiting in the hope that the employer will eventually pay on their own
- Believing a deportation threat without checking with a lawyer
- Lack of preserved evidence — correspondence, work schedules, payslips
- Resigning voluntarily under pressure instead of documenting the violation
- Turning to only one authority instead of using several avenues of protection in parallel
In our experience, it is the last point that costs the most: a “friendly” resignation under pressure often deprives the employee of arguments that would have been strong in the case of forced dismissal with the violation documented.
Legal assistance with non-payment of wages in Poland
Assessing whether there is a real basis for concerns about residence status and at the same time starting recovery of arrears are tasks that should be addressed together, not one after another.
Lawyers at International Law Firm "Zahist" help prepare a complaint to PIP, gather evidence for the labour court, and assess how real the employer’s threats are.
If an employer does not pay and threatens deportation, do not wait — contact International Law Firm "Zahist"; we will review your situation in a consultation.
The earlier a violation is documented and a complaint filed, the greater the chances of recovering the full arrears rather than through years of litigation with an employer who has managed to disappear.
