Ukrainian refugees currently residing in Poland and holding the status of UKR have started to face unjustified cancellation of their status. Find out more about why this is happening and how to act in this case

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Ukrainians currently residing in Poland with temporary protection status enjoy various benefits and receive payments of PLN 500 for children.

However, it has become known that refugees have begun to face cases of cancellation of their UKR status without any grounds. Why this is happening and what Polish officials recommend is described further in the article with a link to yavp.pl. 

Reasons for the loss of UKR status 

According to Polish law, the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) and other municipal institutions have information about all refugees crossing the country's borders. Control over border crossings by refugees was introduced to prevent illegal receipt of cash benefits by displaced persons who have already left the territory of Poland. 

It is known that refugees who hold the UKR status in Poland have the right to leave the country without losing their temporary protection status for no more than 30 days. However, there are cases when a child's status is cancelled even if he or she has not left Poland. 

The loss of status often occurs without the knowledge of Ukrainians. Refugees often find out about the termination of their UKR status when their income stops or when they are denied free medical care. 

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How to act in case of loss of status: advice from Polish officials 

Due to the increasing number of appeals from Ukrainians regarding the unjustified cancellation of their UKR status, the Polish Ombudsman has had to repeatedly appeal to the government to resolve this issue. 

The institutions responsible for the registration of PESEL UKR have provided Ukrainians with recommendations on how to avoid losing their status and related benefits:

● every time you cross the Polish border, you should make sure that the Polish Border Guard leaves a corresponding entry or exit confirmation in your travel documents;

● upon returning to Poland, you should immediately check whether the status indicated in the public registers is correct; 

● if there are doubts about the status, it is necessary to directly contact the commune office and present documents that can confirm the border crossing. 

It is noted that Polish border guards also recommend providing an electronic document diia.pl every time you cross the border. 

In cases where the ZUS refuses to renew the UKR status even despite the evidence, refugees have the right to appeal this decision to the head of the institution within 14 days of its issuance. 

In turn, the head's decision can also be appealed to the Voivodeship Administrative Court within 30 days. 

How to check the validity of UKR status 

If there are doubts about the validity of the status, refugees can check the information on their UKR status on their own. 

To do this, go to the website gov.pl and select the section "Sprawdź swoje dane w rejestrze PESEL".

After that, you will need to log in to your personal account by entering the details of your trusted profile or bank account. 

After successful login, you will need to sign the relevant consent using a digital signature.

In the next window, you should look at the "Status cudzoziemca" item. If there is a dash opposite this item, the UKR status is valid, but if it shows something else, you should immediately contact your local office to clarify the status. 

Remember! Ukrainian refugees with children in Poland can receive financial assistance under several programmes. Read more about the amounts involved and what is required to receive child benefits here.

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