Ukrainians in Poland


The Ukrainian minority in Poland was composed of approximately 51,000 people, according to the Polish census of 2011. Some 38,000 respondents named Ukrainian as their first identity, 13,000 as their second identity, and 21,000 declared Ukrainian identity jointly with Polish nationality.
On 14 September 2018, 33,624 Ukrainian citizens possessed a permanent residence permit, and 132,099 had a temporary residence permit. About 1 to 2 million Ukrainian citizens are working in Poland. There are also 40,000 Ukrainian students in Poland.
In the years between 2005 and 2006 the Ukrainian language was taught at 162 schools attended by 2,740 Ukrainian students.

Cultural life

Main Ukrainian organizations in Poland include: Association of Ukrainians in Poland, Association of Ukrainians of Podlasie, Ukrainian Society of Lublin, Kyivan Rus Foundation of St. Volodymyt, pictured, Association of Ukrainian Women, Ukrainian Educators' Society of Poland, Ukrainian Medical Society, Ukrainian Club of Stalinist Political Prisoners, Ukrainian Youth Association "ПЛАСТ", Ukrainian Historical Society, and Association of Independent Ukrainian Youth. The most important periodicals published in Ukrainian language include: Our Voice weekly, and Над Бугом і Нарвою bimonthly.
The most important Ukrainian festivals and popular cultural events include: Festival of Ukrainian Culture in Sopot, Youth Market in Gdańsk, Festival of Ukrainian Culture of Podlasie, "Bytowska Watra", "Spotkania Pogranicza" in Głębock, Days of Ukrainian Culture in Szczecin and Giżycko, Children Festival in Elbląg, "Na Iwana, na Kupała" in Dubicze Cerkiewne, Festival of Ukrainian Children Groups in Koszalin, "Noc na Iwana Kupała" in Kruklanki, Ukrainian Folklor Market in Kętrzyn, Under the Common Skies in Olsztyn, and Days of Ukrainian Theatre also in Olsztyn.

History, and trends

Since World War II

After the quashing of a Ukrainian insurrection at the end of World War II by the Soviet Union, about 140,000 Ukrainians residing within the new Polish borders were forcibly moved to northern and western Poland during Operation Vistula, settling the former Recovered Territories ceded to Poland at the Tehran Conference of 1943.
The total of 27,172 people declared Ukrainian nationality in the Polish census of 2002. Most of them lived in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, followed by West Pomeranian, Podkarpackie and Pomeranian Voivodeship. Some Lemkos regard themselves as members of the Ukrainian nation, while others distance themselves from Ukrainians.

Economic migration

Since 1989, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, there has been a new wave of Ukrainian immigration, mostly of job seekers, tradesmen, and vendors, concentrated in larger cities with established market. After the Poland's 2004 accession to the European Union, in order to meet the requirements of the Schengen zone, the government was forced to make immigration to Poland more difficult for the people from Belarus, Russia or Ukraine. Nevertheless, Ukrainians consistently receive the most settlement permits and the most temporary residence permits in Poland. As a result of the Eastern Partnership, Poland and Ukraine have reached a new agreement replacing visas with simplified permits for Ukrainians residing within 30 km of the border. Up to 1.5 million people would benefit from this agreement which took effect on July 1, 2009. In 2017 the visa requirements were finally abolished for short stays of up to 90 days.
After 2014, more Ukrainians from eastern Ukraine, more men, and more younger Ukrainians have been working in Poland.
The overwhelming majority of applications for temporary residence are being accepted. Resulting from this, Ukrainians constituted 25% of the entire immigrant population of Poland in 2015.
In January 2016 the Embassy of Ukraine in Warsaw informed that the number of Ukrainian residents in Poland was half a million, and probably around one million in total. Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland, Andrii Deshchytsia, noted that Ukrainian professionals enjoy good reputation in Poland and in spite of their growing numbers Polish-Ukrainian relations remain very good.
According to the NBP, 1.2 million Ukrainian citizens worked legally in Poland in 2016. 1.7 million short-term work registrations were issued to them in 2017. Ukrainian workers stay in Poland on average 3–4 months.
The number of permanent residence permits increased from 5,375 in 2010 to 33,624, while the number of temporary residence permits increased from 7,415 to 132,099 over the same time period.
About 102,000 Ukrainian citizens received Karta Polaka, of whom some 15,500 obtained permanent residence permits in the period from 2014 to March 2018.

Refugees

Following the 2014–15 Russian military intervention in Ukraine, including its illegal annexation and occupation of Crimea, the situation changed dramatically. Poland began taking in large numbers of refugees from the Ukraine conflict as part of the EU's refugee programme. The policy of strategic partnership between Kyiv and Warsaw was extended to military and technical cooperation, but the more immediate task, informed Poland's State secretary Krzysztof Szczerski, was the Ukraine's constitutional reform leading to broad decentralization of power. The number of applications for refugee status rose 50 times following the start of War in Donbass in Eastern Ukraine in 2014. However, most new applicants are not eligible to claim refugee protection in Poland, because Ukraine is a sovereign country with a democratic government fully accountable to its citizens. Resident visas in Poland are available in other immigration categories.