Legal help and challenging a protection decision
Find suitable assistance quickly, preserve deadlines and submit the correct signed document through the proper channel.
Find help for this procedure
The Office provides free legal information for the first-instance protection procedure. Ask about the dedicated legal-assistance scheme for appeals and its eligibility formalities, current provider list and representation. Public legal-aid points or specialist organisations may also help; confirm migration expertise and language availability. A booked consultation does not stop a deadline.
Prepare a complete case file
Bring all pages of the decision, delivery notice or envelope, case number, application, interview record and evidence. Prepare a short timeline and explain any detention, transfer, health or family issue. Ask the adviser to identify the applicable framework and exact deadline. Do not count from the printed decision date without checking service rules.
File through the correct channel
Follow the decision instructions for the reviewing body, intermediary authority, language, signature and permitted filing route. Appeals to the Refugee Board are generally filed through the Head of the Office; arrange a Polish submission with legal help rather than relying on an unverified email or foreign-language template. Keep proof of timely filing and answer formal-defect requests.
Check further review and protection against removal
If the next decision is adverse, ask promptly about an administrative-court complaint, legal aid and any separate request to suspend enforcement or secure the right to remain. Review does not automatically have the same effect in every procedure. If a deadline was missed, ask urgently whether restoration is available; another application is not a universal substitute. Keep every document and delivery date.
Editorial summary checked against official sources: 2026-10-26
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