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Polish senators back plan to tie benefits for foreigners to work

17.09.2025 22:30
Polish senators on Wednesday approved legislation linking family benefits for legally resident foreigners to employment, while also extending the legal stay of Ukrainians in the country.
The upper house of Poland-s parliament, the Senate, in session in Warsaw on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.
The upper house of Poland-s parliament, the Senate, in session in Warsaw on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.Photo: Tomasz Paczos/Kancelaria Senatu

The billwhich passed 57-32 in the Senate, the upper house of parliament, now goes to President Karol Nawrocki for signature.

If signed into law, it will make payouts from government programmes contingent on employment and, in the case of children, school attendance in Poland.

Caregivers of children with disabilities would be exempt from the work requirement.

The new rules would apply to three major social assistance programmes: Family 800-plus monthly child benefit, the Good Start back-to-school allowance and the Active Parent parental benefit.

Under the bill, the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) would check employment status monthly and verify beneficiaries’ presence in Poland through Border Guard records.

Eligibility would be limited to people holding a PESEL, the national identification number.

The legislation also narrows some healthcare entitlements for adult Ukrainians, including selected rehabilitation, dental care and medicine programs, while maintaining core coverage.

At the same time, it preserves access to Poland’s labour market, schools and universities for Ukrainians with EU temporary protection status, according to officials.

The bill follows Nawrocki’s veto last month of an earlier law on temporary protection for Ukrainians.

Deputy Interior and Administration Minister Maciej Duszczyk urged the president to sign the new bill, saying it closes gaps and avoids “massive chaos” in the system.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP