Poland’s business-immigration community has finally been given a first look at what life will look like after 4 March 2026, the date when the current ‘UKR’ special-protection regime for people who fled Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is due to expire.
During a 60-minute webinar announced on 28 January 2026 by global immigration law firm Fragomen, senior advisers from the firm’s Warsaw office laid out the draft legislation that the Ministry of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA) is now finalising. Under the bill, Ukrainian citizens will have three main pathways to remain and work in Poland:
1. A fast-track temporary-residence permit that converts existing UKR status into a new “CUKR” residence card valid for up to three years;
2. A standard temporary-stay permit tied to a Polish employment contract or a Board Member function; and
3. A long-term EU-resident permit for those who have already lived in Poland for at least five years.
Perhaps the most significant change for employers is the end of the “notification only” hiring model that has allowed firms to put UKR beneficiaries on the payroll simply by filing an electronic notice with the Labour Office. From 5 March 2026 every Ukrainian national—whether they arrived under temporary protection or on a regular visa—will need a formal work authorisation, either embedded in a temporary-residence card or issued as a standalone work permit. HR teams therefore face a compressed compliance timetable: all notifications submitted before the new law enters into force will remain valid only until the earlier of their stated end-date or 31 December 2026.
![Poland prepares employers for post-March 2026 rules on hiring Ukrainians]()
The draft also clarifies social-security obligations. While UKR beneficiaries currently enjoy simplified registration, the new framework will align their contributions and benefits with those of other third-country nationals. Fragomen lawyers urged payroll departments to budget for higher ZUS costs and to audit staff lists for anyone whose UKR-based PESEL number may lapse.
VisaHQ’s online platform can help both employers and individual Ukrainians navigate these upcoming rules. Via its dedicated Poland page (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), users can check eligibility for CUKR, temporary-stay or EU long-term permits, assemble the correct documentation and book appointments, giving HR teams a centralised tool to keep compliance on track as the 2026 deadline approaches.
Finally, the webinar highlighted a series of practical steps that multinationals should take before the grace period closes: (a) identify Ukrainian assignees whose passports expire before 2028, because a valid travel document will be required to collect the new CUKR card; (b) switch posted-worker notifications (UD-8) to full work-permit applications; and (c) ask global-mobility stakeholders to reserve biometric-capture appointments at voivodeship offices well in advance—Warsaw’s first slots for March are already gone.
Poland hosts the largest Ukrainian diaspora in the EU—about 1.3 million people according to the latest Border Guard figures—so the post-UKR transition is expected to be one of the biggest corporate-immigration projects of 2026. Companies that act early should be able to keep key staff in country and avoid costly project-delays caused by gaps in work authorisation.
During a 60-minute webinar announced on 28 January 2026 by global immigration law firm Fragomen, senior advisers from the firm’s Warsaw office laid out the draft legislation that the Ministry of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA) is now finalising. Under the bill, Ukrainian citizens will have three main pathways to remain and work in Poland:
1. A fast-track temporary-residence permit that converts existing UKR status into a new “CUKR” residence card valid for up to three years;
2. A standard temporary-stay permit tied to a Polish employment contract or a Board Member function; and
3. A long-term EU-resident permit for those who have already lived in Poland for at least five years.
Perhaps the most significant change for employers is the end of the “notification only” hiring model that has allowed firms to put UKR beneficiaries on the payroll simply by filing an electronic notice with the Labour Office. From 5 March 2026 every Ukrainian national—whether they arrived under temporary protection or on a regular visa—will need a formal work authorisation, either embedded in a temporary-residence card or issued as a standalone work permit. HR teams therefore face a compressed compliance timetable: all notifications submitted before the new law enters into force will remain valid only until the earlier of their stated end-date or 31 December 2026.
The draft also clarifies social-security obligations. While UKR beneficiaries currently enjoy simplified registration, the new framework will align their contributions and benefits with those of other third-country nationals. Fragomen lawyers urged payroll departments to budget for higher ZUS costs and to audit staff lists for anyone whose UKR-based PESEL number may lapse.
VisaHQ’s online platform can help both employers and individual Ukrainians navigate these upcoming rules. Via its dedicated Poland page (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), users can check eligibility for CUKR, temporary-stay or EU long-term permits, assemble the correct documentation and book appointments, giving HR teams a centralised tool to keep compliance on track as the 2026 deadline approaches.
Finally, the webinar highlighted a series of practical steps that multinationals should take before the grace period closes: (a) identify Ukrainian assignees whose passports expire before 2028, because a valid travel document will be required to collect the new CUKR card; (b) switch posted-worker notifications (UD-8) to full work-permit applications; and (c) ask global-mobility stakeholders to reserve biometric-capture appointments at voivodeship offices well in advance—Warsaw’s first slots for March are already gone.
Poland hosts the largest Ukrainian diaspora in the EU—about 1.3 million people according to the latest Border Guard figures—so the post-UKR transition is expected to be one of the biggest corporate-immigration projects of 2026. Companies that act early should be able to keep key staff in country and avoid costly project-delays caused by gaps in work authorisation.
