USA, Canada / Getting my Polish fiance into the US [16]


Don't do that. :)

She can apply for K-1 visa in US embassy in Poland as your fiance.
She can enter US on K-1 visa . You have to get married in 90 days after her enter.
After marriage you can apply for green card for her and advance parole document, so she can travel abroad.
She will receive an employment authorization card in 3 month and green card in about 1 year.

Don't apply for tourist visa, because she in not eligible for tourist visa if you plan to get married.
You can do unofficial marriage ceremony in Poland after that.

use google and find more information about K-1 visa, advance parole document and adjustment of status. I-131, I-485, G-325, I-765
You don't need a lawyer to fill out all documents. It is not difficult, but you need to spend some time googling and calling DHS. Tell her to take her birth certification and sworn translation of it. All (also expired) passports will be needed.

UK, Ireland / Applying for a visa to US from England being Polish, is is possible ?? [3]


No, you can't apply in England unless you can show that you have any connection to England. i.e. your family live in England etc.

If you can't, you can be send to US embassy in Poland to apply.
It really depends on immigration officer.

Life / Cost of health care in Poland [13]

If one of you get job, entire family will be insured. It gives you right to go to a doctor , hospital, do outpatient lab and you do not have to pay anything more for that.

Sometimes you have to wait days, or even months to do some lab test, so it is better to go to private doctor, but you have to pay for that. Prices are not too expensive.

Remember that all cost of insurance, retirement system, tax etc is about 38% of monthly income. So you will get to your hand only 60% of your money.

If you want to be self-employed, it is about 800 zl per month for social services (ZUS).

if you plan to move to Poland and stay there you have to pay taxes for you worldwide income.
it is 19% if you income is less than 43405 zl ( ~US$15 000) and 30% above that and 40% above US$30K.

I think that you can get tax credit to not pay taxes twice, but you have to pay it in Poland which is much more expensive.

Life / Cost of health care in Poland [13]

There are three parts:

social services (emerytura, renta) , paid to ZUS
health services (ubezpieczenie zdrowotne), paid to ZUS
taxes paid to US (urzad skarbowy) like IRS in the US

if you are an employee, you pay all of them by your employer. It is about 38%. or more.
I assumed that your tax is 19%. If you are paid well your tax increses to 30% or 40%,

If you retired, you pay health insurance and taxes. Both part are normally counted by ZUS and you get your money less tax and insurance.

Let me give you example.
My mom gets 21619 zl per year. Health insurance is 1599 zl, tax is 1790 zl.

If you pension comes from Canada, you have to pay tax (19%, or 30% or 40%) and insurance (9%) every month by yourself and fill-out tax return form (PIT-36) every year in April.


as additions. There is no private health insurance in Poland. It is no allowed by law.

Luxmed and others like it are not health insurance firms. They are private doctors and specialists. Private health care services, but in most cases they are not hospitals or emergency service.

Life / Cost of health care in Poland [13]


Because when you live in Poland more than 183 days in a year you have to declare your worldwide income. It is a law. Not only in Poland. Most countries do that.


It is not taxed twice. You can get tax credit in foreign country, but you have to pay tax in Poland.
If there is no tax in foreign country it doesn't mean that there in no tax in Poland.


Not ZUS. Tax is paid to US (Urzad Skarbowy)
Answer no 1. Because law says that you have to declare it.

Answer no 2. When you buy car, apartment, house first question from US will be how you could buy car if you did not declare any income. Tax for undeclared income is 75%.

They can go 5 years back, which gives you 5 x 75% plus interest (about 12% a year)


it is not tax free. It is not my first year when I help fill out tax return.
Details depends on agreement between Poland and foreign country.
Agreement between Poland and Canada says that it is not tax free.


as continuation.
I found one exception to that but i have to consult that to be sure that nothing has changed in law recently

That exception says that pension paid by one country based on "retirement system law" are tax free in the other country as long as it is tax free in that first country.

It means that if pension is not taxable in Canada it should also be not taxable in Poland.
There are same restrictions which describe what institution must pay pension to be tax free in Poland.
I don't know Canada's law. I must ask somebody who knows something more.
Moses777. If you are still here. Could you write something more about that.
What kind on pensions are in Canada. Are some of them taxed and some of them not.
Can you have pension from more than one source. Is it government institution or private.

Life / Cost of health care in Poland [13]

Bingo.
I confirm.
Pension from Canada is not taxed in Poland.


It is completely different question.
Money you bring in to Poland is not you periodic income. It is your savings. it is money which you received at time when you were not in Poland.

It has nothing to do with regular income tax.
I would have to check it.
I am sure that there is a limit, but I can't exactly say how much you can bring in without tax.
I will try to find it.

USA, Canada / Getting my Polish fiance into the US [16]

He should list you.
No body will believe him, that he has money to stay in hotel in the US.
Listing hotel as a place to stay will end with no visa.

He even should not mention that he is looking for PhD program.
Tourist visa is for tourists and for nobody else. A person looking for school is not a tourist. That person is a potential student and should apply for F-1.

He should be as natural as possible.
"He is going to visit his friend who met in ...... and she invited him for vacation to the US."
Your letter to him with invitation may help.
Just regular letter: Hi, how are you? Are you going to visit US this year. If yes let me know I will accommodate you for that time."

He should keep the envelope with your address on it.

They will also be looking for something else.
Not only who is in the US, but what keeps him in Poland.
Document from his employer that he works full time is really good thing.
Even better would be if he can show that he just started PhD program in Poland.
Being a student is really good help.

His answers in embassy should be short, in topic and natural. He can't think what to say, because it means that he doesn't know answer and prepares it.

One warning.
DS-156 form has a question about family in the US. Fiance is also mentioned there.
If he checks that his fiance is in the US, he is not eligible for tourist visa. They will advice him to apply for K visa.

if he does not checks, he will lay which means 10- year ban if officer discovers that his fiance is in the US.
So. You are his friend and only friend met someday somewhere and nothing more.
And shut up about marriage, girlfriends, PhD programs and any other type of schools.

By the way.
I really encourage him to read everything what is on this page

go2usa.pl/poradnik-turysty/index.html

Some technical information are old, but other information, what to do, how to prepare himself, about body language are perfect.

Life / Cost of health care in Poland [13]

It is not so bad. 3 to 4 weeks.
Because check returns to your bank and your bank must send money to Polish bank.
It takes time.

Wire transfer takes up to 3 days, but is expensive.
The cheapest solution, if you trust the other person, is to send him debit card so he can withdraw money from ATM.
It costs 2% for VISA and a couple of dollars for your bank, but amount is limited to about US$1000 per transaction. You can withdraw US$1000 dollars everyday up to the limit on your bank account.

Life / cheaper international calling from Poland [30]

Does the person who want to call from Poland speak polish?

USA, Canada / Dual Citizenship: American and Polish? [53]


Yes, she does.

here is a link to that: here is a procedure: polish consulate ny/index.php?p=95

USA, Canada / How can a polish person get usa work visa? [15]


How old is she? What is her education? What kind of job is she interested in ?
What city does she prefer? Are you in the US ? Can you sponsor her?

Travel / Air Line Tickets - the best way to buy one to Poland in summer? [13]


lot.com?

Life / cheaper international calling from Poland [30]


easycall.pl/telefon


or if he has internet connection.

ipfon.pl

Life / 6-month contract for internet in Warsaw [3]


If you are thinking of DSL you have to talk to your phone company.
In 99% it will be telekomunikacja polska

Here is a link to their web site (in polish, sorry)
tp.pl/prt/pl/klienci_ind/internet/internet_w_domu/neostrada_tp/

look on the left. "neostrada tp" is a name of service, number shows a download speed.

Here are prices

tp.pl/b/binaries/PL/596835317489/neostrada_tp_cennik_od_dni a_22.05.07_365108841.pdf

Always look at column #5 for price.

Table 1: Installation cost: 112.87 zl (one time payment)

Table 3: Monthly payments
Positions from 1 to 6, depending on speed.
Reasonable speed is 1024 kb. Cost 228,14 zl per month.

Prices are very high.

In table 4, you will find prices if you sign contract for 12 or 24 moths.
price for 1024kb and 12 month contract is 168,36 zl,

Call 9393 from your polish phone to find out details. If you are lucky, you will be connected to a person who speak English. Technical support should also speak English, but not guys who will come to install it in your apartment. :)

If phone line is not on your name, the owner must order internet for you.
You can't do anything. Polish reality.

If you have cable TV talk to them it can be less expensive than internet from TP.
Also ask you neighbors. They can know other companies offering internet connection in your area.
Or if you are lucky, maybe somebody will want to share his connection with you.
or you you are very lucky, maybe somebody uses not secured wireless network.

USA, Canada / Dual Citizenship: American and Polish? [53]


Yes.
Remeber that you have to wait about 8 month to get confirmation of citizenship and about 3-6 month after that to get a passport.
Ask if you can apply for both at the same time.

if you need passport sooner you can apply for 10 year valid passport and at the same time for 1 year temporary passport. You can get temporary passport in about a month.

Remember that she must always have US and Polish passport traveling to Poland.
Even now she should have both, because she has Polish citizenship. You just need a confirmation of that. Funny.

Polish law says that if you have Polish citizenship you must use Polish passport and she must have US, to fly back to the US. Otherwise she must have a US visa. :)

USA, Canada / How can a polish person get usa work visa? [15]


Signing I-134 form if needed.
You did not answer my other questions.
Without that I can't write anything.

USA, Canada / How can a polish person get usa work visa? [15]

She has no chance to get any professional job in the USA.

1. She can apply for a tourist visa and stay with you, but you must give her money to stay.
And no work of course.

2. Read this: cetpoland.pl/en/wat.html

and find more about work & travel program in Google.

Another address which I know is guliwer.com.pl (in Polish).

Be careful because some companies take money and offer nothing.
She must find opinion of other people about that company before paying any money.

Work / is Polish language necessary in all work fields [13]

What is your native language?
You can teach in many private language schools in Wroclaw. They don't pay bad.
You can find schools' web sites on Google. Find phone number and call them. Almost everybody speaks foreign language there. I mean ins school. You will not be first native teacher there. So you can negotiate and sign contract before you go there.

It will be hard to find other job without knowing Polish language or without really good professional education.
Remember that if you are not EU citizen you have to have Polish visa and permission for work. Talk to school officials if they want to hire you.

Language / To sa truskawki , To jest chleb. Difference between the two? [22]


truskawka - single form
to jest truskawka. (Just one fruit).

truskawki - plural form or general meaning. More common, because usually nobody talks about single strawberry fruit.
To są truskawki.

chleb - singular or general meaning. Usually if you think about bread you think about single loaf of bread.

Chleby - plural form (a couple of loafs)

To jest chleb. This is bread. (or) This is a loaf of bread

To są chleby. These are loafs of bread.

Some words which are non count noun in English are countable in Polish and opposite way.


Because bread (chleb) means a single loaf of bread or bread in general.

So you can say;

To jest chleb (This is a loaf of bread) if you point to a single loaf of bread.
or
To jest chleb (This is bread) if you think about bread in general as a noncountable noun. Like water.
Book uses correct word, but intention was to emphasize kind of food and not a loafs of bread.

if you want to emphasize loafs of bread you should say "to są chleby".

Both sentences "to jest chleb" and "to są chleby" under picture are correct, but meaning of them is different.

USA, Canada / Advice for Polish girlfriend getting tourist visa to visit America? [45]


Listen to Krysia.
She knows what she talking about.
I don't want to write the same once again.

Work / is Polish language necessary in all work fields [13]


not true.
The less you know polish the better for you.
You will have advanced classes with people who speak English fluently, but they just want to practice in conversation.
You don't have to sit with them in class, you can go anywhere. just force them to speak English.


less paid and you have to know Polish terminology.


Poland is not US, where everybody goes eat outside.
You will even not find any restaurant where they need to hire somebody.


So start with that. :)
Once you are married you will get temporary permit so you can work everywhere in Poland.
Without that it will be hard to do anything.
As I said. Talk to somebody at school how to get work permit.
Secretary speaks English for sure so you can call them directly.

Language / To sa truskawki , To jest chleb. Difference between the two? [22]


Co to jest za jedzenie.

What kind of food is it.

jedzenie (food) is non-count nounf, so question start with Co to jest .....

za is used in this context as what kind of ...

Co to jest za jedzenie?
Co to SĄ za truskawki? truskawki are plural so, Co to są... instead of Co to jest...

Compare

Co to są za jabłka? What kind of apples are they? Co to jest za rodzaj jabłek?
Co to są jabłka? What are apples ?

Co to jest za jedzenie? What kind of food is it? Co to jest za rodzaj jedzenia?
Co to jest jedzenie? What is food?

Language / To sa truskawki , To jest chleb. Difference between the two? [22]

Yes, I know.
So I explained that before.
I also attached explanation for word 'za' which here has completely different meaning that it is usually, if we started talking about that.

Genealogy / Grabinski family crest - what it means? [22]


To small to read text on it.

Genealogy / Grabinski family crest - what it means? [22]


much better

do you or somebody around you speak Polish?

Here is a little i n Polish.

pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_Krzysztof_Grabi%C5%84ski

I will try to find something more in English for you.

chimtic.netfirms.com/genealogy/fam01082.html

You are from famous polish family. Congratulation

Genealogy / Grabinski family crest - what it means? [22]

Here is the beginning

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomian

It is Polish sign (herb) used by famous families in Poland. This coat of arms is called Pomian.
When you click some links you will find more information.
Try also find something about Pomian in Google.

Feedback / forum new feature request ;) - ignore a member [26]


Registered user should have an option to go to somebody's profile and leave comments about that person. Like on ebay.

Life / Where to live in Wroclaw? [30]

mavasita7
Polish reality is completely different that Australian or US.
There are no apartments/houses for rent as you think about that.
No agencies or managed properties. Usually those apartments are rented by private people who wants to get some extra money. Agency does not manage that apartments. Just connects you and owner, takes money and that is all.

Wroclaw is a student city. 3 bedroom apartment will cost you about 1500 - 2000 zl per month and it is hard to find apartment where owners don't want to see it every week to check if you don't destroy it.

And forget about apartments with swimming pool or gyms. They don't exist.
You can find apartment with or without furniture. It depend on owners if they have furniture which they don't need. Stove is for sure, refrigerator is very common.

I don't know what appliances are in Australia so I have no idea if they match Polish standard. I can send you a picture of Polish connectors so you can see. 230V/50 Hz.

Let me know for how long you want to go to Wroclaw. I will try to refresh some of my connection in Wroclaw. Maybe my friend will help. Do you speak polish a little?

Life / English schools and daycares in Wroclaw? [7]

Check here

wroclaw.pl/m3354/p70537.aspx

Genealogy / how many know their own family histories? [139]

:)

System wants me to put more than 5 characters, so I have write something here.