Poland releases additional funds for asylum seeker support after surge in numbers

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Poland’s government is releasing almost 20 million zloty (€4.6 million) in additional funds to cover medical care and social support for asylum seekers after a surge in their numbers this year.

Up to the end of September, 12,300 people applied for international protection in Poland, reports the Rzeczpospolita daily, citing data from the state Office for Foreigners (UdSC). That was more than the entire-year figures of 9,500 in 2023, 9,900 in 2022 and 7,700 in 2021.

Among this year’s applicants, the largest number, 4,500, are from Ukraine, followed by Belarus (2,900), Russia (800), Somalia and Eritrea (both 500).

🔴TYLKO U NAS. #Uchodźcy za dużo, pieniędzy za mało. Rząd uruchamia miliony z rezerwy

Kliknij w zdjęcie, by przeczytać więcej🔽https://t.co/8G7hv1Kr0L

— Rzeczpospolita (@rzeczpospolita) October 9, 2024

When someone files a claim for asylum in Poland, they are entitled to receive support from the state, including for accommodation, medical care, food and clothing.

At the end of September, over 6,000 asylum seekers were receiving such social assistance. However, this year’s budget was based on last year’s annual average of 3,900 people receiving such support. That has led to a shortfall.

“The need to increase funds results from the growing number of foreigners applying for international protection in Poland,” UdSC spokesman Jakub Dudziak told Rzeczpospolita. The newspapers suggest a number of reasons for this year’s rise in asylum claims.

 

One is that, since July, the government no longer covers the costs of accommodation and meals in private premises for Ukrainian refugees, most of whom have a different status than asylum seekers. That change may have encouraged some Ukrainians to instead seek asylum.

Likewise, a change in Ukrainian regulations this year intended to prevent draft-age men from avoiding military service means that a new Ukrainian passport can only be obtained by visiting Ukraine itself, rather than at consular offices abroad.

That may have led some Ukrainians to seek international protection in Poland, which grants them Polish travel documents, writes Rzeczpospolita.

Poland has seen a 79% rise in asylum applications this year amid a renewed migration crisis on the Belarus border

Most applications came from Ukrainians and Belarusians but the biggest rises were among people from from African and Middle Eastern countries https://t.co/TjNbjGYRgF

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) August 2, 2024

Meanwhile, another factor may have been tougher controls introduced by Germany on its borders with Poland and other countries, specifically designed to stop the entry of asylum seekers who arrived from other EU countries.

Poland has also this year seen a surge in the number of migrants and asylum seekers – mainly from the Middle East, Asia and Africa – trying to cross its border from Belarus with the encouragement and assistance of the Belarusian authorities.

Earlier this year, Poland’s state audit office reported that mass immigration in recent years has left Poland’s public administration “unable to cope”. In April, the UdSC launched a new app, called “Refugeebook”, to support those who have applied for asylum in the country.

Poland has launched a special app, called Refugeebook, to help those who have applied for asylum.

Available in Polish, English, Russian and Ukrainian, it provides information on their rights and obligations as well as support available to them https://t.co/ZNthLn1YB6

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) April 26, 2024

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Combat Camera Poland/Flickr (under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.