Poland’s Council of Ministers has adopted an amendment to the Special Act on Assistance to Citizens of Ukraine, extending all rights attached to temporary protection—legal stay, labour-market access, healthcare, education and social benefits—until 4 March 2026 ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-06/pl/poland-extends-assistance-law-and-launches-integration-centre-network-for-ukrainian-displaced-persons/?utm_source=openai)). The law, originally passed in March 2022, underpins the status of roughly one million Ukrainians still residing in Poland.
In the same legislative package the government moved from emergency reception to long-term integration by creating a network of National Integration Centres. Each centre will pair regional authorities with NGOs to provide Polish-language courses, skills assessments and job-matching services using data from a newly launched ‘Ukrainians in Poland’ dashboard maintained by the Central Statistical Office. The interactive platform tracks employment, benefit take-up and school attendance down to county level, giving policymakers and employers unprecedented visibility into local labour-supply trends.
For multinational companies, the extension removes the cliff-edge risk that work authorisations for Ukrainian employees might expire in March 2025. HR teams can continue to onboard refugees under the simplified notification procedure rather than full work-permit sponsorship. The data portal, meanwhile, offers a granular view of where qualified candidates are settling, helping firms choose sites for shared-service centres or manufacturing expansions.
![Poland prolongs temporary-protection law and unveils nationwide integration-centre network for one million Ukrainians]()
VisaHQ’s Poland desk can help employers, NGOs and Ukrainian nationals navigate these updated provisions. From fast online appointment scheduling to full document review, translation and courier return, the agency’s digital platform (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) streamlines every step toward residence permits, work notifications and family-member visas—freeing HR teams to focus on onboarding rather than paperwork.
Two important changes merit attention. First, eligibility for Poland’s flagship 800+ child-benefit payment will now be tied to at least one parent being employed, an incentive likely to push more beneficiaries into formal work. Second, uninsured adult Ukrainians will see their basket of free medical services narrowed, heightening the importance of employer-provided health cover.
The amendment also aligns Poland with the EU’s decision to prolong temporary protection to March 2027, signalling that large-scale returns are unlikely in the near term. Mobility managers should therefore plan for Ukrainian staff to transition from temporary protection to standard residence-permits or EU long-term-resident status over the next 18 months, and budget for the higher MOS e-portal fees that now apply.
In the same legislative package the government moved from emergency reception to long-term integration by creating a network of National Integration Centres. Each centre will pair regional authorities with NGOs to provide Polish-language courses, skills assessments and job-matching services using data from a newly launched ‘Ukrainians in Poland’ dashboard maintained by the Central Statistical Office. The interactive platform tracks employment, benefit take-up and school attendance down to county level, giving policymakers and employers unprecedented visibility into local labour-supply trends.
For multinational companies, the extension removes the cliff-edge risk that work authorisations for Ukrainian employees might expire in March 2025. HR teams can continue to onboard refugees under the simplified notification procedure rather than full work-permit sponsorship. The data portal, meanwhile, offers a granular view of where qualified candidates are settling, helping firms choose sites for shared-service centres or manufacturing expansions.
VisaHQ’s Poland desk can help employers, NGOs and Ukrainian nationals navigate these updated provisions. From fast online appointment scheduling to full document review, translation and courier return, the agency’s digital platform (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) streamlines every step toward residence permits, work notifications and family-member visas—freeing HR teams to focus on onboarding rather than paperwork.
Two important changes merit attention. First, eligibility for Poland’s flagship 800+ child-benefit payment will now be tied to at least one parent being employed, an incentive likely to push more beneficiaries into formal work. Second, uninsured adult Ukrainians will see their basket of free medical services narrowed, heightening the importance of employer-provided health cover.
The amendment also aligns Poland with the EU’s decision to prolong temporary protection to March 2027, signalling that large-scale returns are unlikely in the near term. Mobility managers should therefore plan for Ukrainian staff to transition from temporary protection to standard residence-permits or EU long-term-resident status over the next 18 months, and budget for the higher MOS e-portal fees that now apply.
