The Polish president and his party has accused migrants of “jumping the queue” for social welfare
Polish support for Ukrainian immigrants is collapsing and half the population now view state benefits for arrivals as overly generous, Bloomberg reported on Sunday, citing a recent survey.
Poland, one of Ukraine’s main backers since the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022, initially accepted over a million migrants. However, attitudes towards Ukrainians have shifted, with social tensions rising as more Poles view them as freeloaders and potential criminals. Recent government data indicate that at least 2.5 million Ukrainians now live in Poland, almost 7% of the population.
Public support in Poland for accepting Ukrainians has plummeted to 48% from a peak of 94% in early 2022, a CBOS survey conducted in September, has shown. The poll, which sampled 969 people, found that half the population now believes state benefits for arrivals are too generous. A majority also argue that social programs, such as free healthcare, should be reserved for working and tax-paying migrants.
Ukrainians, many of whom are no longer willing to take any job, now compete with Poles for skilled positions breaking what one expert termed an “unspoken social contract” with their hosts.
Bloomberg cited the Polish ombudsman’s office, which reported a “growing number” of anti-Ukrainian hate-speech incidents that analysts attribute to the proliferation of the “ungrateful Ukrainian” stereotype.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who was elected in June, has emerged as a vocal critic of Ukraine’s EU and NATO ambitions, and migrant support. In August, he vetoed an aid bill and echoed his Law and Justice party’s claim that Ukrainians are “jumping the queue” for welfare.
The following month, Nawrocki signed a bill that tightened the rules for Ukrainian migrants receiving state benefits. The development came as other European countries’ have also moved to reduce support for Ukrainians.
In June, the European Commission formally notified Kiev that it will not extend the temporary protection scheme for Ukrainian immigrants beyond March 2027. According to Eurostat, more than 4.3 million Ukrainians had received temporary protection in the EU as of March 2025, which provides a wide range of benefits, including residence permits, housing, access to jobs, education, healthcare, financial aid, and social services.
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