Poland has started to refuse to grant Ukrainians temporary protection status more frequently
This is reported by Gazeta Prawna.
According to the publication, some Polish municipalities have changed their approach to processing applications from Ukrainian citizens.
Local authorities have begun to scrutinise more closely the circumstances of applicants’ stay in Poland and the grounds for granting temporary protection. As a result, the number of refusals to grant special status to Ukrainians has begun to rise.
In some cases, instead of temporary protection status, applicants are granted a different status that classifies them as economic migrants.
Who is most frequently scrutinised
According to Gazeta Prawna, Polish officials are paying particular attention to several categories of applicants.
These are Ukrainian citizens who have arrived from regions where there is no active fighting.
Additional checks are also carried out on people who entered Poland via other safe countries, or those who already held a residence permit or another form of protection in European Union member states.
Why applications are being rejected
As the publication reports, Polish officials are increasingly assessing whether a person has genuinely left Ukraine due to the threat of war, or whether the move is primarily for economic reasons.
Furthermore, compliance with deadlines for processing documents is crucial. If established procedures or deadlines are breached, the applicant may be refused special status.
What is being said about the legal conflict
Journalists point out that current Polish legislation continues to guarantee Ukrainians the right to temporary protection.
At the same time, in practice, individual local authorities may interpret the rules differently and apply their own approach to assessing applications.
It is precisely this, according to the authors of the article, that is leading to an increase in the number of rejections.
What else has changed for Ukrainians in Poland
At the same time, new rules governing labour relations are coming into force in Poland.
The State Labour Inspectorate is being granted extended powers to inspect employers and the conditions under which foreign nationals are employed.
The Polish government has also adopted legislative changes designed to simplify the procedures for foreigners to purchase property and to digitise some administrative processes.
Poland remains one of the EU countries that has taken in the largest number of Ukrainian citizens since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Temporary protection status entitles Ukrainians to legal residence, employment, access to public services and a range of social guarantees.
Follow us on Telegram
