Duda signs law to extend aid to Ukrainian refugees in Poland
This was reported by the Office of the President of Poland on Monday, Ukrinform reports.
As noted, the head of the Polish state signed a law of 15 May 2024 amending the Law on Assistance to Citizens of Ukraine in connection with the Armed Conflict in the Territory of this Country and some other acts.
Ukrinform previously reported that the Sejm on 15 May and the Senate on 22 May voted in favour of a government law extending the legal stay and assistance to Ukrainians who arrived in Poland after Russia's full-scale invasion until 30 September 2025.
The amendments to the law, adopted in March 2022, stipulate that social assistance under the 800+ (monthly allowance per child of PLN 800) and Good Start (one-time allowance of PLN 300) programmes will be provided to Ukrainian families if a child of school age attends a Polish school.
The Polish government explains this innovation by the fact that Poland is the only country with a hybrid education system for Ukrainian children (about 200,000 Ukrainian children study in Polish schools, while the rest are enrolled in the Ukrainian distance education system). Poland has long complained that they cannot check how these children are learning, and therefore the introduction of such a requirement is seen as equalising the chances of all children to receive basic education. The government of Poland believes that this provision will allow 80,000 Ukrainian children to attend Polish schools in the new school year.
Another important innovation in the draft law on assistance to Ukrainians is the possibility of changing the status of Ukrainians' stay in Poland: from the current temporary protection to a temporary stay of up to three years. To do this, you will need to update your data in the PESEL UKR database (Polish identification system, UKR - intended for Ukrainians), submit a relevant application electronically to the voivode at your place of residence, and meet the requirement of having PESEL UKR as of 4 March 2024.
At the same time, this law introduces a new rule for confirming the identity of a Ukrainian citizen applying for a PESEL number in Poland. In particular, the only way to prove the identity of a Ukrainian citizen will be the presentation of a valid travel document of a Ukrainian citizen.
The law provides for the cancellation of a one-time social allowance in Poland for Ukrainian war refugees in the amount of PLN 300 (USD 75), as well as the cancellation of monetary compensation for private housing owners who provided accommodation and meals to war refugees from Ukraine.
After the law is approved by the Seimas and the Senate, it must be signed by the president. The document should come into force in Poland by 1 July this year.
As of today, Poland has extended the previous version of the law, which expired on 4 March, until 30 June.
The Council of the European Union has extended temporary protection for displaced persons from Ukraine until 30 September 2025.
There are currently about one million Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
Photo: Zuzana Bönisch
