As of December, the benefit was provided for 292,000 Ukrainian children, Sebastian Gajewski told lawmakers.
The "800 Plus" program, introduced in 2024, is an extension of the long-running "500 Plus" child benefit program and aims to provide financial support to families in Poland.
Ukrainian citizens are eligible to receive the benefit under a special aid law enacted after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The disclosure came in response to an inquiry by the far-right Confederation party, whose MP Sławomir Mentzen, a candidate in Poland's upcoming presidential election, criticized the costs of the government's social programs, citing the strain on public finances since the war in Ukraine began.
Gajewski provided additional context, saying that around 1.5 million Ukrainian citizens currently reside in Poland, with 980,000 of them living in the country under the provisions of the aid law.
Last year, Ukrainian citizens submitted 284,000 applications for the "800 Plus" benefit, according to Gajewski.
Despite concerns about the program's cost, Gajewski emphasized that Ukrainians are contributing to Poland’s economy.
Nearly 800,000 Ukrainians pay into Poland’s Social Insurance Fund, accounting for about 5 percent of insured individuals in the country.
“These contributions and taxes are significant, and it’s important to view these numbers in context,” Gajewski said last week.
Eligibility for the "800 Plus" program depends on residency and compliance with several conditions.
Ukrainians who arrived in Poland before the war must meet standard residency requirements, while those who arrived after February 2022 must prove they live with their children in Poland, that they have not left the country for more than 30 days, and that their children are enrolled in Polish schools or preschools.
"The claim that we pay benefits to families who do not live in Poland is false," Gajewski said, adding that ZUS recently revoked payments for over 19,000 children after finding irregularities.
The debate over benefits for Ukrainians also highlights broader concerns about tightening Poland’s social welfare system.
Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Duszczyk told MPs that legal changes are needed to ensure stricter controls on benefit distribution.
Duszczyk estimated that 70 percent of Ukrainians who arrived after the war began are economically active, the highest rate among European Union member states. Their work contributes between 0.8 percent and 1.4 percent of Poland’s GDP, according to recent studies.
Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, a presidential candidate for the main governing party, the Civic Platform (PO), recently called for further reforms to ensure that benefits such as "800 Plus" are only available to Ukrainians who live, work and pay taxes in Poland.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X that "the Warsaw mayor’s proposal to pay the '800 Plus' benefit only to those migrants, including Ukrainians, who live, work and pay taxes in our country, will be examined urgently by the government.”
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP