Poland plans to tighten the rules of stay for Ukrainian citizens in the near future.
This was reported by the Polish edition Kresy.
According to journalists, the Polish authorities want to extend the temporary protection of refugees from Ukraine until March 5, 2025. However, this decision will imply toughening the rules of stay in the country for Ukrainians.
The authorities want to tighten the rules to prevent fraud with money and benefits, and under certain conditions, even cancel the right to stay in Poland. One of the proposed innovations is to deprive Ukrainian citizens of the right to stay in the country if they return to their homes for even a day. Today, Ukrainians may be left without Polish benefits if they travel outside Poland for more than 30 days.
The heads of local administrations argue that the travel of Ukrainian citizens for recreational, tourist, and business purposes only confirms that Ukrainians are not in a difficult financial situation, so they do not need social benefits. Local voivodes also propose to create a common register that will store information about Ukrainian families receiving money from official Warsaw.
“The voivodes are in favor of abolishing Article 31 of the Special Law, i.e. the provision on a one-time allowance of 300 zlotys per person, which is provided for maintenance, in particular, to cover the costs of food, clothing, footwear, personal hygiene products and housing. The idea behind the law was to support people who suddenly had to leave their country to escape the war. Meanwhile, information provided by social assistance centers shows that the number of new people eligible for benefits is constantly increasing, but these are mainly newcomers who plan to settle in the EU, not cases when someone had to suddenly flee Ukraine,” the publication says.
Local administrations are also proposing to strengthen the system of benefits provided to minors, the sick, and citizens with disabilities. And the provision on providing refugees with food and accommodation is proposed to be excluded from the law altogether.
