Some 277,000 Ukrainians hold residence permits in Poland

As many as 500,000 foreigners have documents entitling them to a long stay in Poland, of which 55% or 277,000 are citizens of Ukraine, spokesman for the Polish Office for Foreigners Jakub Dudziak has said.

According to the Polish Radio, the figures provided by the Office for Foreigners show that although the majority of foreigners who hold documents for a long stay in Poland are citizens of Ukraine, the number of Belarusians moving to the country is growing. These are mostly young people who immigrate to Poland to work.

"Of the 500,000 foreigners who hold residence permits and documents issued to citizens of the European Union, the largest groups include citizens of Ukraine – 277,000 people, Belarus – 34,000, Germany – 20,000, Russia – 13,000, Vietnam – 11,000, India – 10,500, Georgia – 9,000, Italy – 8,500, China – 6,500, and Great Britain – 6,500," Dudziak said.

He added that in the first half of this year, the number of foreigners with a residence permit increased by almost 42,000 people. The largest increase among foreigners who moved to Poland, according to the Office for Foreigners, concerned citizens of Ukraine (by 31,500 people), Belarus (by 4,400 people), Georgia (by 1,000 people), Moldova (by 900 people), and India (by 700 people).

"Foreigners prefer to live in regions with large urban centers that offer opportunities for work or study. The most popular voivodeships are Masovian – 132,000 people, Lesser Poland – 60,000, Greater Poland – 46,500, Lower Silesian – 40,500, and Silesian – 31,000," according to the Office for Foreigners.

Over 265,000 Ukrainian citizens had valid residence permits in Poland as of May 2021.

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