Amendments to special law on assistance to Ukrainians came into force in Poland

The Sejm and the Senate adopted them on May 15 and 22, respectively, and on June 7, the document was signed by Polish President Andrzej Duda, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The law provides for the extension until September 30, 2025, of the legal stay and assistance to Ukrainians who arrived after the full-scale invasion of Russia.

The document stipulates that social assistance under the "800+" (monthly allowance for a child in the amount of PLN 800) and "Good Start" (one-time allowance of PLN 300) programs will be provided to Ukrainian families if the child attends a Polish school.

The government explains the introduction of such a requirement as equalizing the chances of all children to receive basic education. Poland has a hybrid education system for Ukrainian children (about 200,000 of them attend Polish schools, while the rest study remotely in Ukrainian schools), and the authorities complain that they cannot check how these children are learning. The government believes that due to these measures, 60-80 thousand Ukrainian children will be enrolled in Polish schools in the new school year.

Another important innovation is the possibility of changing the status of Ukrainians in Poland from the current temporary protection to a temporary stay of up to three years. To do this, a person needs to update the data in the PESEL UKR database (identification system), submit a relevant request electronically to the voivode at the place of residence, and meet the requirement of having PESEL UKR as of March 4, 2024.

At the same time, a new rule is introduced to confirm the identity of a Ukrainian citizen applying for a PESEL number. The only way to prove the identity of a citizen of Ukraine will be to present a valid travel document of a citizen of Ukraine.

The law provides for the abolition of a one-time social assistance in Poland for Ukrainian war refugees in the amount of 300 zlotys (USD 75), as well as the abolition of monetary compensation for private housing owners who provided accommodation and food to refugees from Ukraine.

As reported, there are currently about a million Ukrainian refugees in Poland.