In a long-trailed move, President Karol Nawrocki signed an act on 19 February 2026 that abolishes the stand-alone 2022 “Special Act” for people fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and migrates all assistance provisions into Poland’s general Law on the Protection of Foreigners.
The Special Act had given roughly one million Ukrainians in Poland a bespoke legal status that simplified residence registration, permitted immediate access to the labour market, guaranteed free schooling for children and unlocked social-security benefits without the usual qualifying periods. Warsaw’s new centre-left coalition—under pressure from fiscal hawks and parts of the opposition—argued that the carve-out had become politically and financially unsustainable. The president, who had threatened a veto last November, ultimately accepted a revised bill that caps benefit levels and introduces tighter reporting duties.
Key elements are being preserved: Ukrainian citizens who were already under temporary protection will continue to enjoy legal stay until at least 4 March 2027, and work authorisations issued under the Special Act remain valid. However, new arrivals must now apply for the universal “PESEL” personal identification number within 30 days of entry or lose protected status, and access to the child-benefit programme (500 plus) will be subject to means testing.
![Poland folds Ukraine-only refugee act into general foreigners law, extending stays but trimming privileges]()
Individuals who feel overwhelmed by the new filing deadlines and fee schedules may find it helpful to turn to a specialist visa concierge. VisaHQ, for example, offers an English-language platform for Poland (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) that guides private applicants and corporate HR teams through PESEL registration, residence-permit extensions and biometrics appointments, while sending automated alerts when regulations change—making compliance much easier under the updated system.
For employers, the shift means that future hires from Ukraine will be handled through the standard foreigner portal rather than the ad-hoc Special-Act e-services. Corporate mobility teams should review onboarding checklists, because digital filing screens and fee codes have already changed; sponsoring a work-permit extension now costs PLN 540 instead of PLN 0 under the wartime exemptions. HR departments are also being urged to remind Ukrainian assignees to keep their PESEL IDs current and to download the mObywatel mobile-ID app, which is becoming the default proof of legal stay during police checks.
While refugee groups fear that merging Ukrainians into the mainstream system will slow processing times, the interior ministry insists that end-to-end case handling is now 90 % digital and that a dedicated Ukrainian-language helpline will stay in place. The European Commission has welcomed the reform as a step towards a single, non-discriminatory temporary-protection regime across the EU.
The Special Act had given roughly one million Ukrainians in Poland a bespoke legal status that simplified residence registration, permitted immediate access to the labour market, guaranteed free schooling for children and unlocked social-security benefits without the usual qualifying periods. Warsaw’s new centre-left coalition—under pressure from fiscal hawks and parts of the opposition—argued that the carve-out had become politically and financially unsustainable. The president, who had threatened a veto last November, ultimately accepted a revised bill that caps benefit levels and introduces tighter reporting duties.
Key elements are being preserved: Ukrainian citizens who were already under temporary protection will continue to enjoy legal stay until at least 4 March 2027, and work authorisations issued under the Special Act remain valid. However, new arrivals must now apply for the universal “PESEL” personal identification number within 30 days of entry or lose protected status, and access to the child-benefit programme (500 plus) will be subject to means testing.
Individuals who feel overwhelmed by the new filing deadlines and fee schedules may find it helpful to turn to a specialist visa concierge. VisaHQ, for example, offers an English-language platform for Poland (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) that guides private applicants and corporate HR teams through PESEL registration, residence-permit extensions and biometrics appointments, while sending automated alerts when regulations change—making compliance much easier under the updated system.
For employers, the shift means that future hires from Ukraine will be handled through the standard foreigner portal rather than the ad-hoc Special-Act e-services. Corporate mobility teams should review onboarding checklists, because digital filing screens and fee codes have already changed; sponsoring a work-permit extension now costs PLN 540 instead of PLN 0 under the wartime exemptions. HR departments are also being urged to remind Ukrainian assignees to keep their PESEL IDs current and to download the mObywatel mobile-ID app, which is becoming the default proof of legal stay during police checks.
While refugee groups fear that merging Ukrainians into the mainstream system will slow processing times, the interior ministry insists that end-to-end case handling is now 90 % digital and that a dedicated Ukrainian-language helpline will stay in place. The European Commission has welcomed the reform as a step towards a single, non-discriminatory temporary-protection regime across the EU.
