In Poland, monetary benefits related to compensation for the costs of accommodation and food for refugees will probably be abolished.
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Polish media, for example, money. pl, they report that Ukrainian refugees in Poland will face some changes in financial assistance.
In particular, payments of benefits 800+ and “Good Start” assistance will be linked to compulsory schooling.
The law will come into force on July 1, 2024. Temporary protection of Ukrainians was extended until September 30, 2025.
During a government meeting, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Poland, Marcin Kierwiński, presented changes to the current law on assistance to Ukrainians, especially in the field of education. In particular, social assistance in the amount of 800 zlotys (about $200) per child, as well as other assistance, will be available to those families whose children go to Polish schools and this will be officially confirmed.
We will tighten the system and make it more transparent. We will support the citizens of Ukraine who had to flee the war to Poland, but we expect clear and understandable rules that are in the new law that we adopted today,” Ukrinform quotes the Deputy Prime Minister.
According to the proposals of the Polish government, social assistance under the “800+” (monthly child benefit in the amount of 800 zlotys) and “good start” (one-time assistance in the amount of 300 zlotys) will be provided to Ukrainian families if a school-age child attends Polish school.
The government explains this innovation by the fact that Poland is the only country where there is a hybrid education system for Ukrainian children (about 200 thousand Ukrainian children study in Polish schools, and the other part is in the Ukrainian distance education system). Poland has long complained that it cannot check how these children learn, and so introducing such a requirement is seen as equalizing the chances of all children receiving a basic education.
The government of the Republic of Poland believes that thanks to this provision, 80 thousand Ukrainian children will be added to Polish schools from the new school year.
Another important innovation in the bill on assistance to Ukrainians is the possibility of changing the status of stay of Ukrainians in Poland: from the current temporary protection to temporary stay for up to three years. To do this, you will need to update your data in the PESEL UKR database (Polish identification system, UKR – intended for Ukrainians), submit a corresponding request electronically to the voivode at your place of residence, and also meet the PESEL UKR requirement as of March 4, 2024.
At the same time, this law introduces a new rule for confirming the identity of a Ukrainian citizen applying for a PESEL number in Poland. In particular, the only way to confirm identity will be the presentation of a valid travel document of a citizen of Ukraine.
The bill also provides for the abolition of a one-time social benefit in Poland for a Ukrainian war refugee in the amount of 300 zlotys ($75), as well as the abolition of monetary compensation for owners of private housing who provided accommodation and food to war refugees from Ukraine.
The government bill must be approved by both houses of the Polish parliament and signed by the president. It must come into force before July 1 of this year.
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.