Key provisions of Poland’s wartime assistance act for Ukrainians expired on 5 March 2026, and humanitarian agencies are rushing to brief nearly one million refugees on what changes and what stays. According to guidance published by IOM Poland on 6 March, free housing, meals and selected cash allowances offered at collective centres will end for most beneficiaries who have been in the country longer than 120 days. Access to public healthcare and the labour market remains, but some family and childcare payments will now be means-tested.
The legislative sunset is part of the government’s plan to transition Ukrainians from emergency measures to the general Foreigners Act before the EU Temporary Protection Directive expires in March 2027. Ukrainians with PESEL UKR numbers keep the right to work without additional permits until that date, but those who arrived on humanitarian parole must now regularise their stay under standard immigration routes—temporary residence and work permits, Blue Cards or student visas.
Employers that rely on Ukrainian staff—particularly in construction, logistics and manufacturing—should review employment contracts and ensure that any workers losing refugee allowances still meet statutory minimums for housing and medical insurance. Failure to adjust salary packages could breach Poland’s Labour Code and result in fines if inspectors deem the overall remuneration non-compliant.
![Poland starts phasing out special benefits for Ukrainian refugees under new 5 March legislation]()
If navigating those new immigration routes feels overwhelming, VisaHQ’s Poland desk (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) can step in to coordinate residence-permit filings, track renewal deadlines, and handle document translations for both employers and individual applicants, streamlining the shift from wartime protections to standard status.
For mobility programmes the immediate concern is housing. Municipalities will start charging market-rate rents for places in former reception centres; companies may need to subsidise accommodation or help employees move into private rentals. HR teams should also prepare information sessions (in Ukrainian) explaining how to open ZUS social-insurance accounts and access the MOS online portal for residence applications.
Civil-society groups have criticised the speed of the phase-out, warning that vulnerable families risk falling into a bureaucratic gap. The Ministry of the Interior counters that the 12-month transition gives refugees ample time to integrate into Poland’s standard social framework. Either way, the policy shift marks a decisive pivot from emergency relief to long-term immigration management.
The legislative sunset is part of the government’s plan to transition Ukrainians from emergency measures to the general Foreigners Act before the EU Temporary Protection Directive expires in March 2027. Ukrainians with PESEL UKR numbers keep the right to work without additional permits until that date, but those who arrived on humanitarian parole must now regularise their stay under standard immigration routes—temporary residence and work permits, Blue Cards or student visas.
Employers that rely on Ukrainian staff—particularly in construction, logistics and manufacturing—should review employment contracts and ensure that any workers losing refugee allowances still meet statutory minimums for housing and medical insurance. Failure to adjust salary packages could breach Poland’s Labour Code and result in fines if inspectors deem the overall remuneration non-compliant.
If navigating those new immigration routes feels overwhelming, VisaHQ’s Poland desk (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) can step in to coordinate residence-permit filings, track renewal deadlines, and handle document translations for both employers and individual applicants, streamlining the shift from wartime protections to standard status.
For mobility programmes the immediate concern is housing. Municipalities will start charging market-rate rents for places in former reception centres; companies may need to subsidise accommodation or help employees move into private rentals. HR teams should also prepare information sessions (in Ukrainian) explaining how to open ZUS social-insurance accounts and access the MOS online portal for residence applications.
Civil-society groups have criticised the speed of the phase-out, warning that vulnerable families risk falling into a bureaucratic gap. The Ministry of the Interior counters that the 12-month transition gives refugees ample time to integrate into Poland’s standard social framework. Either way, the policy shift marks a decisive pivot from emergency relief to long-term immigration management.
