GMI Legal Update: New draft law regarding Ukrainian citizens in Poland – legal stay extended until September 30, 2025, extended eligibility for temporary residence permit

The Polish Ministry of Interior and Administration has released information about another amendment to the so-called Ukrainian Special Bill. The amendment will yet again extend the legal stay of Ukrainian citizens enjoying temporary protection in Poland and will significantly expand the possibility of applying for temporary residence permits by persons willing to stay in Poland after the end of temporary protection.

The amendment will include, among others, the following issues:

• stay of Ukrainian citizens will be legal until September 30, 2025, regardless of whether they hold the so-called UKR status or whether they stay in Poland on another basis;
• next year, Ukrainians who hold the UKR status (and had it as of March 4, 2024) will be able to submit special electronic applications for a temporary residence permit for a period of 3 years;
• some Ukrainian citizens with UKR status will be obliged to re-submit an application to the local (municipal) authority in order to update and confirm data in the registers;
• the protection of the Special Bill will cover children from Ukrainian families who do not have Ukrainian citizenship themselves;
• Ukrainian employees will be obliged to inform employers about receiving a joint residence and work permit (Single Permit), so that the employer can submit a timely notification to the Local Labour Office about the continuation of employment of a Ukrainian citizen;
• the issues of restoring or re-assigning the UKR status will be clarified in the event of, for example, returning to Poland after departure;
• changes to already existing solutions in the field of social assistance are also expected.

The above changes will open the possibility of applying for a temporary residence permit by Ukrainian citizens who have the UKR status, but do not perform work or conduct business activity in Poland. Currently, only those holders of the UKR status who work or run a business in Poland can apply for such permit.

The publication of the draft amendment is expected this week. After publication, the draft will be subject to further consultations.

You can read the Ministry’s information (Polish only) here.