Krystyna Garbicz OKO.press, Poland /Latvijas Mediji
According to the latest data, temporary protection in Poland has been granted to 963 000 Ukrainian citizens. In the spring of 2022, a few weeks after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this number exceeded one million
For now, on the basis of this status, refugees from Ukraine can legally stay in Poland until 4 March 2026.
Ukrainian citizens who arrived in Poland after February 2022 were granted access to employment, education, healthcare, and social assistance systems (for example, refugee women were eligible for the “800+” family allowance for children). Under a special Act on Assistance for Ukrainian Citizens, a separate Assistance Fund has been set up to provide support to Ukrainian citizens affected by the armed conflict.
Before the third year of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland published a report on Poland’s assistance to Ukraine. It states that in 2022, expenditure on the maintenance of Ukrainian war refugees reached PLN 4.9 billion, the highest among OECD countries. In 2023, this amount was approximately PLN 2.5 billion.
Housing
After the full-scale invasion, people from Ukraine were able to stay in collective accommodation centres in Poland (the individuals or organisations managing these centres received compensation of approximately PLN 70 per day per person; this amount changed in line with amendments to the special Ukrainian Law). Compensation was also provided for apartment owners who accommodated Ukrainians – PLN 40 per day per person (this legal provision has been repealed and has not been in force since July 2024).
The rules on the reception of refugees in collective accommodation centres are regularly amended.
Since January 2023, refugees – with the exception of certain groups, such as seniors, pregnant women, and people with disabilities – have had to pay for accommodation at the centre.
After 120 days from the moment a Ukrainian citizen first entered the territory of the Republic of Poland, the fee is PLN 40 per day, and after 180 days – PLN 60 per day. From July 2024, the fee was also applied to children – PLN 15 per day (this does not apply to mothers with at least three children).
According to information provided to OKO.press by the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, “as of 9 July 2025, 24 500 people are living in collective accommodation centres”. These are usually elderly or ill people who are most in need of assistance.
The Polish government is gradually reducing the amount of assistance. According to the latest amendments, which came into force in mid-September 2025, starting in November, Ukrainian refugees will not be accepted in collective accommodation centres, except for people belonging to vulnerable groups, such as seniors and people with disabilities. However, the list of persons entitled to receive assistance is not complete. Furthermore, no individual assessment of a refugee’s situation is foreseen. This means that young refugees of working age who have arrived in Poland will not receive any support. It is well known, however, that not every young, seemingly healthy woman who has experienced the horrors of war is able to survive in a foreign country and become independent immediately. Previously, such persons were entitled to free accommodation and meals for 120 days after arriving in the country. Many centres also offered free Polish language courses and provided psychological support. This type of assistance is becoming increasingly rare.
Most Ukrainian refugees rent apartments at their own expense.
For some people, this is a significant financial burden. Certain non-governmental organisations help such people enter the rental market and subsidise their rent. However, only a limited number of people can receive this support, and there is a time limit on how long these people can receive assistance.
Education
According to data from the Centre for Citizenship Education (Centrum Edukacji Obywatelskiej), in April 2022, 160 000 Ukrainian refugee children attending Polish schools and kindergartens were registered in the Education Information System. By April 2025, there were 182 000 such children. It should be noted that Ukrainian refugee children in Poland were not immediately subject to compulsory education and were able to continue their education online at Ukrainian schools. It was only in September 2024 that the Polish government introduced compulsory education for these children and linked it to the payment of family benefits (the legal provision has been in force since June 2025). As a result, the number of Ukrainian children in Polish schools increased by 14 000 in the 2024/2025 school year.
Non-governmental organisations, based on PESEL UKR data (i.e., a special personal code assigned to Ukrainian refugees), indicated that there could be up to twice as many children not attending school in Poland. According to the latest analysis by the Centre for Citizenship Education, this is unlikely. The problem is that the Education Information System, the Social Insurance Agency, and the PESEL UKR databases are not integrated. This results in a significant discrepancy. The PESEL UKR register includes 364 500 school-age Ukrainian refugee children. According to data from the Social Insurance Agency, as of May 2025, 144 800 children were receiving the “800+” family allowance. In turn, data available to the Education Information Centre show that 148 500 children attend Polish schools.
The PESEL UKR database data may be overestimated, as Ukrainian refugees are not automatically removed from the register when travelling further west to Schengen countries, as is the case when travelling through border crossing points, for example, with Ukraine or Belarus. According to experts from the Centre for Citizenship Education, it is unlikely that more than 200,000 children from Ukraine are not attending Polish schools and their guardians are not applying for the “800+” allowance (therefore, the total number of Ukrainian war refugees in Poland may be significantly overestimated – experts indicate that the actual number may be as much as 30–40% lower than that provided by the government, which would mean that there isn’t almost a million refugees from Ukraine in Poland, but rather 600 000–700 000).
From the very beginning, some schools had special preparatory classes and additional Polish language lessons for children from Ukraine. During the first years of full-scale war, refugee children from Ukraine had six hours of Polish language lessons per week and were able to use this type of support for 24 months. The children complained that six extra hours a week was too much and that they felt exhausted. In 2024, the number of hours was reduced to four, while the learning period was extended from 24 to 36 months. However, the effectiveness of the lessons has not yet been tested, as their content was not coordinated and much depended on the preparedness of the teachers. Some schools employed so-called intercultural assistants who helped children from Ukraine and their parents settle into Polish schools, and helped Polish teachers work with the new students. The assistants were employed by the school administration. Non-governmental organisations also played an important role, providing schools with support in remunerating and training such employees. Although intercultural assistants are provided for in the Polish Education Law, they are considered a temporary measure and create a great deal of uncertainty for employees, often including refugees.
In the second half of July 2025, the long-awaited programme for equalising educational opportunities for children and young people, “Friendly School”, came into force. It will cost PLN 500 million and will be financed by the European Union. The aim of the programme is to provide support to the entire school community – not only to Ukrainian children and young people affected by migration or refugee experiences, but also to their Polish peers, parents, and teachers.
The programme is designed to support educational institutions in hiring intercultural assistants (administrative institutions can apply for this financial support; half of the funds are allocated to assistants’ salaries), training for teachers who work with children from different cultures and with children who have experienced displacement and war trauma, as well as to provide psychological support to Ukrainian children. The programme will run until 31 August 2027. More than three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, such a project seems long overdue.
Work and healthcare
According to data from the National Bank of Poland, in mid-2024, approximately 68% of Ukrainian refugees (and 93% of pre-war migrants from Ukraine) were working in Poland, which is the highest percentage compared to other countries to which Ukrainians have emigrated.
Ukrainian refugees mostly perform simple jobs, even if they are highly qualified and have a higher professional status in Ukraine. This is due to the language barrier, as well as the fact that it is not always possible to match the skills of Ukrainian citizens with job requirements in Poland (e.g., accountants or lawyers). During the first years of full-scale war, many non-governmental organisations organised CV writing workshops, and in some cities, employment offices also provided advice on employment issues.
The Polish government has introduced simplified access to the labour market (without diploma recognition) for doctors and dentists from Ukraine. They have the right to practice their profession in Poland for up to five years. The rules have also been simplified for nurses and midwives from Ukraine.
Refugees from Ukraine have also gained access to healthcare in Poland. According to the aforementioned report by the Chancellery of the President, between February 2022 and the end of September 2024, 1.3 million refugees received healthcare services financed from the state budget. The total cost of these treatment services was PLN 4.3 billion. Ukrainians not only use medical care services, but also finance medical care by making contributions.
According to estimates by the Ministry of Finance, last year alone, Ukrainian citizens made contributions to the National Health Fund amounting to more than PLN 3.78 billion. This means that they contribute more to the state system than they receive from it.
However, a significant part of Polish society believed the manipulative message that Ukrainians have priority access to medical care and priority in queues to see doctors. Such statements were made by leading politicians, including those on the right side of the political spectrum. Therefore, the latest amendments to the special Ukrainian Law provide for restrictions on access to the healthcare system and family benefits (the aforementioned “800+” for children), and this access will be conditional on the professional activity of refugees.
The “normalisation” of war refugees
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Polish society opened its homes and hearts to people fleeing the war.
Initially, this was a movement initiated by the citizens, which was later joined by state institutions, which introduced appropriate regulations. Over time, emotions subsided and public attitudes changed dramatically. Fewer and fewer people are expressing a willingness to help Ukrainian refugees. The prevailing view in society, propagated by politicians, is that three years was enough time for them to adapt.
(At the end of September, after President Karol Nawrocki signed an amendment to the special Ukrainian Law, the Chancellery of the President announced that this was “the last law signed by the President on this form of support, i.e., special assistance.” “Today, there is no basis or reason to continue such measures,” said Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the Chancellery of the President.
However, this view largely ignores new potential refugees.
Although donations are still being collected and charity concerts are still being held to support refugees or the Ukrainian Army, the number of such events is lower than in the first year after the Russian invasion. It is becoming increasingly difficult for volunteers to raise funds for aid. Ukrainian flags, which were hung on public buildings to show solidarity with the Ukrainian people, are disappearing from facades or being torn down by nationalists. There are also verbal and physical attacks on Ukrainian citizens. Recently published police statistics show that in the last two years, the number of crimes involving threats against Ukrainians in Poland has increased by more than half. During the same period, the number of violent incidents against people of this nationality increased by more than 70%.
However, there are still some Polish citizens and organisations that have not changed their attitude and continue to support war-torn Ukraine and war refugees on a daily basis.
It seems that integration remains the biggest challenge – Poles and Ukrainians live separately. Ukrainians can provide all the services for themselves – Ukrainian doctors, lawyers, Ukrainian shops, and even schools. Many refugees live a lifestyle typical of economic migrants (they work, rent apartments, and send their children to school). But there are still people who cannot cope and cannot return home because their homes are in the occupied territories or have been completely destroyed. In Poland, however, there is a growing lack of understanding that these people are war refugees and need help.
