The number of foreigners who have obtained a temporary residence permit on the territory of Poland has increased. The main group are Ukrainians, who account for more than 70 %, followed by citizens of Belarus, Georgia, India, Moldova and Russia

According to data from the Office for Foreigners, from January to August this year 197,862 foreigners obtained a temporary residence permit in the territory of the Republic of Poland. This is 56.7% more than in the same period last year, when they were 126,296.

In the first eight months of this year, the Mazowieckie Voivodship Governor issued the largest number of temporary residence permits on the territory of the Republic of Poland – 34,459 (last year – 28,493). The following regions in this ranking are the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship – 27,002 (14, 897), the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship – 26,887 (13,378), the Małopolskie Voivodeship – 19,803 (16,997), and the Łódzkie Voivodeship – 16,363 (8,61). At the end of the list is the Świętokrzyskie Voivodship – 2,486 (1,240), followed by the Opolskie Voivodship – 2,666 (2,356), as well as the Podlaskie Voivodship – 3,217 (2,199).

“In the administrative regions at the top of the list, there are large urban agglomerations, which are conducive to settlement. Where there is a developed infrastructure and a more accessible labour market, it is easier to take up employment and acclimatise to a new country. In addition, there was an influx of war refugees from Ukraine during this period, most of whom lived in major Ukrainian cities. Therefore, they sought refuge in places with similar living conditions to their hometowns”, says Katarzyna Siemienkiewicz, an expert from Employers of Poland.

Data from the Office for Foreigners shows that the number of foreigners who were granted a positive decision for temporary residence in order to take up employment is also growing. From January to August this year, there were more than 157,000 of them. This is 73.6% more than in the same period last year.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński