The Polish Sejm has adopted amendments to the law on assistance to Ukrainian citizens in connection with the war. Find out how the rules of stay of Ukrainians in Poland will change and what innovations in obtaining and using PESEL UKR await refugees from Ukraine

Legal assistance on migration issues for Ukrainians in Ukraine and abroad

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On April 2, the website of the Office of the President of the Council of Ministers published information on planned amendments to the Special Act on Assistance to Citizens of Ukraine in connection with the Armed Conflict on the Territory of Ukraine. On May 15, amendments to the special law were passed by the Polish Sejm. It will now be submitted to the Senate for consideration.

The law, with the exception of certain provisions, will come into force on July 1. The changes that await Ukrainians in Poland are described in the article below.

Earlier it became known that Poland plans to cancel the one-time cash assistance of PLN 300 and the "40 zlotys per day" program. 

In addition, the government has announced that Ukrainians in Poland will be deprived of payments when traveling to other countries. Details are available here.

Changes for Ukrainians in Poland: length of stay, social support and benefits

❗️ The period of legal residence for Ukrainians who have received a PESEL UKR number will be extended until September 30, 2025.

❗️ Starting from 2025, the receipt of "800 plus" payments will directly depend on the child's compulsory education in Polish educational institutions.

❗️ Students will be able to use additional free Polish language courses only for a certain period of time, the maximum period will be 36 months.

❗️ Starting from July 1, funding for support in the form of accommodation and food for refugees from Ukraine in a particularly difficult situation will be possible only on the basis of a signed agreement with a local competent voivode or a local government body acting on behalf of the voivode. At the same time, owners of private premises will no longer be able to receive benefits related to compensation for refugee accommodation and food costs.

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The main changes regarding PESEL UKR from July 2024

❗️ The application for PESEL UKR will be submitted immediately upon arrival in Poland (previously, Ukrainians were given 30 days to submit documents).

❗️Identity verification for assigning a PESEL UKR number will be possible only on the basis of a foreign passport. Poland explained this measure by the fact that Ukrainians currently have no problems with obtaining documents both in Ukraine and abroad. We have described in detail how to obtain a foreign passport outside Ukraine in 2024 in this article.

❗️Ukrainians who already have a PESEL UKR number will have to update their data in the register and confirm their identity on the basis of a foreign passport in any city/gmina office. This applies primarily to those who received the number on the basis of a Ukrainian passport or an expired passport. Note that you can update your data until July 1, 2024.

❗️A new PESEL status will appear in the register - CUKR, which will be assigned to persons with UKR status who have received a residence card under a simplified procedure. At the same time, Ukrainian citizens with PESEL UKR status who receive a temporary residence card will be required to notify their employer of this fact.

❗️All Ukrainians over the age of 6 who seek temporary protection in Poland or already have the appropriate status will have to be fingerprinted. This procedure will be applied to all newly arrived Ukrainians, and a separate mechanism for submitting data will be launched for those who already have temporary protection but for some reason have not submitted their fingerprints. It should be noted that previously, fingerprints had to be submitted from the age of 12.

❗️Children from 6 years old will be required to be present when applying for PESEL UKR.

In addition, the services of free photography during the assignment of PESEL UKR will become unavailable.

If you need legal assistance on migration issues, please contact Visit Ukraine lawyers. Our experts will answer your questions, help you solve urgent problems with submitting or obtaining the necessary documents, and advise you on the current rules for leaving Ukraine, changing the country of temporary protection or other migration issues.

You can order a specialist consultation on our website at this link.

We remind you! Migration trends among Ukrainians, in particular with the aim of changing the country of temporary protection, are increasing, as the conditions of stay and financial assistance are changing. Read about which countries will provide repeated temporary protection in 2024 and what is needed to move in our previous article.