Germany is ahead of Poland in the number of refugees from Ukraine. And although it is difficult to say how many Ukrainians leave Poland for Germany, however, recent studies show that there are about 968 thousand refugees from Ukraine in Poland.
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Almost 1.08 million fugitives from the war with Ukraine are already living in Germany. And more than a third are ready to stay in the country for a long time or even forever.
However, according to the official data of the Ukrainian border guards, our citizens are actively returning home. The share of foreigners entering Ukraine is also growing.
The Polish edition of Business Insider Polska recently published an article about Ukrainian asylum seekers. The material was published under the title “German euros seduce refugees from Ukraine. Poland is no longer number one for them. The author notes that back in February, the government was told that there were 1.3 million refugees from the war with Ukraine in Poland, but now this figure has fallen below 1 million and is steadily decreasing.
WOT Foundation expert Elena Babakova, in an interview with Business Insider, names the main reasons for the great popularity of Poland among Ukrainians in the first months of the great war. And it’s not just the goodwill of the locals.
We are a border country, so some people just wanted to wait out the first moments of the war in our country and see what happens next. Also of great importance was the fact that refugees usually go where they have family or friends. Frankly speaking, only after February 24 Ukrainians of the middle class could easily leave for a long time in Germany or France, – Elena Babakova notes.
However, it should be remembered that not every Ukrainian is a refugee. According to the latest estimates, up to 3 million Ukrainians can now live in Poland.
What does the German statistics say?
At the beginning of this year, almost half of the refugees (44%) intended to stay in Germany for a long time, that is, at least for a few more years or even forever. This is 5% more than at the end of summer. This data is provided by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. The results were published on the BAMF website at the end of July. In the survey, which was attended by about 7 thousand Ukrainians, fugitives from the war were asked about their life situation and progress in socialization.
By the way, of those who definitely do not want to stay in Germany forever, 38% plan to return to Ukraine, another 30% want to maintain close contact with Germany and at least periodically live here.
For comparison, about 19% of refugees want to stay permanently in Poland, writes Amal Berlin Ukraine Amal Berlin Ukraine.
What attracts Ukrainians to Germany?
Business Insider Polska writes: before the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine, Ukrainians were not too eager to settle in Germany. Their number at that time did not even exceed 100 thousand people.
Germany did not seem to be a very welcoming place for Ukrainian citizens. At that time, there were pro-Russian demonstrations in many major cities. However, a lot has changed now. Berlin began to accept sanctions and agree to the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine. And he began to attract more and more refugees.
In Western countries, there is a state system of assistance to refugees. This system is bureaucratic, imperfect, but it exists. In Poland, integration occurs mainly through work reserved for the young and able-bodied. And about other spheres of life, such as education or culture, the state seems to forget. Non-governmental organizations or local governments are very active, but they cannot compensate for all the shortcomings, Elena Babakova explains.
Also, the Polish edition notes that staying in Germany is financially more profitable for refugees. As a rule, adult asylum seekers in Germany are entitled to 410 euros (i.e. more than 1,800) for “basic needs”. The minimum wage in Germany is 12 euros (PLN 53 in Poland) per hour.
In Poland, both payments and salaries are lower. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Poland spends about 5.2 thousand euros per Ukrainian refugee, while Germany spends more than 11 thousand euros.
Babakova also notes that at first Ukrainians were afraid to stay in Germany or other countries because of the large bureaucracy.
However, after going through this bureaucracy, you understand that the immigration system works in Germany.
The state often pays for housing for refugees – sometimes even beds in Berlin or other large cities, sends them to language and vocational courses, and pays unemployment benefits sufficient to cover basic expenses. Poland has a problem with this. Yes, you get more than 500 euros, but can a single mother with two children live on this in Warsaw? the expert in the article asks rhetorically.
She also adds that in Germany or Norway, schools are more open to immigrants. This, finally, is of great importance for mothers. On the other hand, in Polish schools, according to her, young Ukrainians often hear that even outside the classroom, “in Poland they speak Polish.”
By the way, according to BAMF, at the beginning of 2023, the majority of Ukrainian war fugitives in Germany attended or completed language or integration courses, almost four out of five refugees lived in a private apartment or house.
Most Ukrainians in the world are returning home
It should be noted that the general official statistics of Ukrainian border guards show a positive trend in our country. Opendatabot, a digital government data analysis service, reported that only 2.4 million Ukrainians have left and have not returned to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
And even during the Great War, foreigners enter more than they leave Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the difference between those who left and those who entered Ukraine amounted to 2.7 million people. Most of them – 2.4 million – are citizens of Ukraine, the rest are foreigners. Interestingly, in March and April of this year, the number of Ukrainians who returned to their homeland exceeded the number of those who left. But since May 2023, the situation has changed in the opposite direction – just at the beginning of the summer holidays, according to the Opendatabot website.
It is important that in the first six months of 2023, only 3% of citizens left Ukraine and did not return. For comparison, during the first half of 2022, this share was 27.5%, and during the entire last year – 13.6%.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.