Thesis appearing in the media: Poles overly support Ukrainians surviving in our country. We cannot afford to keep 2 nations
Facts: Ukrainians who left Ukraine with the outbreak of a full-scale war in 2024 are covered by time protection throughout the Union, resulting in certain powers. Thanks to Ukrainian migrants, Poland is increasing faster.
- What is the position of Ukrainians in Poland and how many are there?
- In general, Ukrainians in Poland can be divided into 2 groups: those who came to Poland as a consequence of the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022, and those who came to our country for another reasons (e.g. before 2022 many Ukrainians worked in sectors specified as construction and care of aged people). From a legal point of view, even those Ukrainians who fled to Poland after the outbreak of the war are not refugees.
- Ukrainians who arrived in Poland after 24 February 2024 and declare their desire to stay in our country are covered by the alleged time protection and their situation clarifies Act on 12 March 2022 on assisting Ukrainian citizens in connection with the armed conflict in the territory of that country. This peculiar law, specifying the legal position of refugees from Ukraine in Poland, refers to Article 106(1) of the Act on granting protection to foreigners in the territory of the Republic of Poland from 2003: Foreigners arriving in the Republic of Poland, who have left their country of origin or a circumstantial geographical area, due to abroad invasion, war, civilian war, cultural conflicts or gross violations of human rights, may be granted temporary protection (...).
The law specifically regulates a number of cases involving the residence of war migrants in our country (e.g. rights to different benefits) and states that leaving Poland for more than 30 days means losing your rights (exactly means the failure of the right of residence, but this entails the failure of another benefits).
- According to the migration statistic of the Foreigners Office of February 2025, there are about 1.5 million Ukrainians in Poland (representing 78% of foreigners in our country). 993 000 usage them for temporary protection (every another 1 of them is simply a child). For comparison, according to the Central Statistical Office data on 31 March 2023, we hosted 997 737 residents of Ukraine subject to temporary protection.
In addition, 462,000 citizens Ukraine presently has valid temporary residence permits (e.g. for work) and 92 000 have permanent residence permits or are long-term EU residents.
2. Ukrainians are besides protected by European Union law.
- On 4 March 2022, the EU Council decided to defend refugees from Ukraine under the Directive on minimum standards for granting temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons. The directive was not adopted for the Ukrainians. It was adopted in 2001 for the people of the unstable then Balkan. It concerns the situation of a mass influx of displaced persons from 3rd countries who cannot return to their country of origin. Its solutions are intended to relieve associate States' offices from being flooded with abroad protection applications.
- For now, protection within the EU is expected to apply until 4 March 2026, but it can be extended (which has already been done). It can besides be shortened if the situation in Ukraine calms down.
- EU footnotes specify that protection is to be immediate (and not granted at the end of a long, individual procedure). Includes right of residence, access to the labour market, access to housing, access to social assistance, means of subsistence, access to education, access to medical care (at least emergency care and basic treatment).
- These regulations now represent uniform minimum standards for protecting Ukrainians in the EU. They concern equally distant Spain and Portugal as well as Poland and Romania. They can be read as an expression of solidarity between all associate States and those fleeing the war. However, it is worth remembering that each associate State implements the provisions of the Directive into national law in its own right. Therefore, detailed solutions may vary from country to country.
For example, in Poland Ukrainians are entitled to supply 800+ (Since 1 June 2025, the condition will be to attend the Polish school, of which, of course, young children are exempt; ZUS is already preparing to verify benefits) or school expedition (good start certificate). War refugees from Ukraine besides have access to medical services on specified principles as Polish citizens.
In France, they have access to various benefits, e.g. for single-parents with a kid under the age of 3 or household benefits for families with at least 2 children, depending on the household and financial situation of Ukrainians. There is no equivalent of 800+ granted to everyone, from the first child, regardless of income.
In France, where it is essential to partially finance its treatment, The protected Ukrainians benefit from free services for all French (the alleged PUMa) on the 1 hand, and receive the CSS supplement, which is granted to low-income people who cannot afford to pay for their treatment on their own.
3. How many Ukrainians are protected in the EU and is Poland the most burdened?
- Eurostat reports that at the end of March 2025 there were over 4.25 million people in the EU fleeing Ukraine who were granted protection. 98.4% are Ukrainians, but protection is besides granted to another nationalities leaving Ukraine. Most of these people are in Germany (1 184 890; 27.8%), followed by Poland (997 120; 23.4%; in 2022 there were over 1.5 million of them) and in the Czech Republic (365 055; 8.6%). However, if we consider the population, the Czech Republic is the most burdened – refugees from Ukraine are as many as 33.5 people per 1,000 inhabitants. In Poland 27.2.
- Adult women accounted for 44.7% of people protected, underage 31.7%, adult men 23.6%.
- It is no coincidence that there are so many refugees from Ukraine in Poland. According to a study by the United Nations advanced Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), depicting trends in mid-2024, up to 69% of refugees and people seeking a different form of global protection in the planet lived in countries neighbouring their own country. And Poland is bordering Ukraine.
4. Is the Polish economy losing on migrants from Ukraine?
- According to the Central Statistical Office data at the end of November 2024 (no newer data) there were 1,069 400 foreigners in Poland (including 717 800 Ukrainians), not necessarily protected). If it's official, we're only talking about legitimate employment. The fact is that people fleeing the war work little frequently than Ukrainians who came to Poland before the war. But let us besides remember that we have very many children in this group.
- The authors of the March 2024 Deloitte study for UNHCR estimated that at the time they worked between 225,000 and 350,000 wartime refugees, and 80% of specified households maintained their work.
- According to the March 2025 study of Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego, over PLN 2.8 billion of benefits of 800+ for 292,000 children with Ukrainian citizenship were paid in 2024. At the same time, in the same year, the social safety contributions to ZUS paid 794,000 Ukrainians. full BGK estimates that in 2024 Ukrainian immigrants could contribute around PLN 15.1 billion to the Polish budget and states that the benefits to Ukrainian immigrants do not exceed their contribution to the budget.
- According to Deloitte Ukrainian migrants present protected by us, who are workers, businesses and taxpayers, will contribute a long period to the growth of Polish GDP by 0.9 to 1.35%.
Source:
https://www.gov.pl/web/udsc/citizens-Ukrainians-in-Poland–current-data-migration2
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policy/refugee-inflow-from-Ukraine
https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/111704
https://news.radiozet.pl/Business/zus-takes-sie-za-800-plus-checks-for-sure-s-s-are-ru-verification
Non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine and were subject to temporary protection at the end of March 2025
Non-EU citizens covered by temporary protection at the end of March 2025 (number of persons)
