Starting from 24 February 2022, millions of Ukrainian citizens started leaving for Poland in search of a safe place to live. Many of them never returned to their homeland, but stayed to live in Poland, having obtained the necessary documents for residence. For almost two years, the Polish authorities, as well as a number of other countries, have been providing all kinds of assistance to Ukrainian refugees. However, in the network began to appear information that, starting from 2024, Poland cancels assistance to refugees from Ukraine.
Whether it is true or not, why the Polish authorities made such a decision learn in the material aksis. Make yourselves comfortable, and here we go!
What kind of assistance does Poland currently provide to Ukrainian refugees?
Nowadays, apart from the fact that there are special document-related benefits for Ukrainian refugees, many still receive financial assistance every month. Several financial assistance programs for Ukrainians in Poland are still in action, and payments on average reach 500-600 PLN per person in the family.
Also, it is now possible to stay in refugee status for no more than 180 days, and obtaining a residence card and residence permit is a simplified program.
What is the reason for such a decision of Poland regarding the cancellation of aid to Ukrainian refugees?
Strange as it may seem, the reason for this decision is the political conflict between Ukraine and Poland. It all started with the fact that grain from Polish farmers was more expensive than grain imported from Ukraine, which was constantly imported into Poland. Farmers began to complain about the lack of profit and local authorities began to protect the interests of their citizens and banned the import of Ukrainian grain.
After all this the political conflict between the countries started, and recently the speaker of the Polish government Piotr Muller made a statement that starting from 2024 the financial support to Ukrainian refugees will be significantly reduced and some «favorable conditions» with documents will cease to apply, namely:
waiver of residence and work permit requirements
free access to Polish education (school and kindergarten)
access to medical services
reduced financial payments
What will change in 2024 for Ukrainians in Poland?
If this happens, as Mr Peter Müller said, it will be more difficult for Ukrainians to get a job, they will have to pay for their children's education in Poland and many refugees will not be able to receive any benefits.
We would also like to remind you that Ukrainian licences are valid in Poland until the end of 2023. This means that starting from 1 January 2024 you must have a Polish driving licence. We told more about that in our article.
Tips and advice
The European Commission did not appreciate the Polish authorities' decision to cancel aid to Ukrainian refugees next year, which is why they insist on extending it. And very soon, on 28 September 2023, the European Commission will hold a meeting at which it is planned to extend the temporary protection of Ukrainians until 2025.
As of today, no one can know for sure whether the aid to Ukrainians will be cancelled from 2024. However, we strongly recommend that you take care of the necessary documents now.
Conclusion
Poland urgently wants to cancel the temporary protection of Ukrainian refugees in its country from 2024, but the European Commission believes in the opposite direction. Most importantly, make sure you get the necessary documents in place before the end of this year, and of course keep an eye on our aksis blog to find out very soon whether Ukrainians will be helped in Poland next year.
