The law allows for access to the labour market for asylum seekers after six months from the date of submission of an asylum application if a final decision has not been taken within this time and if the delay is not attributed to any fault of the asylum seeker. Experts point out that the fact that asylum seekers cannot work for the first 6 months of the asylum procedure is one of the factors which leads to their lack of independence and reliance on social assistance.[1] This waiting period is also criticised by asylum seekers themselves – especially taking into account low financial allowances they receive.[2]
The Head of the Office for Foreigners upon the asylum seeker’s request, issues a certificate, which accompanied by a temporary ID document entitles the asylum seeker to work in Poland.[3] The temporary ID document is valid for 90 days and can be subsequently prolonged for renewable periods of 6 months. The certificate is valid until the day the decision concerning international protection becomes final.[4] However, in practice, if an asylum seeker seeks judicial remedy and the court suspends the enforcement of the negative asylum decision, the certificate regains its validity.[5] In 2023, 738 asylum seekers applied for the certificate. 567 persons received it, while the applications of 171 persons were denied.[6]
Access to employment is not limited to certain sectors but can be challenging in practice. Many employers do not know, that the above-mentioned certificate with a temporary ID document gives an asylum seeker a right to work or do not want to employ a person for such a short time (i.e. up to 6 months, as the employers are unaware that the procedure may actually take longer than the validity of a single temporary ID document), which causes that those certificates have no practical significance.[7] Moreover, the certificate is valid until the asylum decision becomes final, but employers are not informed that such a decision was issued by the Polish authorities, they must trust that the asylum seekers will inform them about it on time.[8] Furthermore, asylum seekers often live in centres which are located far away from big cities and in areas with a high level of poverty and unemployment in general, which makes it difficult to find a job in practice. Additionally, most asylum seekers do not speak Polish well enough to obtain a job in Poland.[9] Asylum seekers also face the problem of limited recognition of education and skills acquired outside the country,[10] so they are often employed in positions that do not reflect their professional background. Moreover, third-country nationals endure discrimination in employment, e.g. they are offered lower salaries than Polish nationals.
In 2023, access to the labour market of asylum seekers was supported by some NGOs operating in the reception centres.[11]
[1] Fundacja EMIC, ‘Wielokulturowa Grupa – wyjątkowa miejscowość w naszym województwie’, 5 August 2023, available in Polish at: https://bit.ly/3PICF5O.
[2] GRETA, ‘Evaluation report: Poland’, June 2023, available in English at: https://bit.ly/3J3MRlt, 21; PFM, ‘Czas w ośrodku to czas wykluczenia’, 2023, available in Polish at: https://bit.ly/3TZX1tK.
[3] Article 35 Law on Protection.
[4] Article 35 (3) Law on Protection. The Refugee Board’s decision is final. If an asylum seeker does not appeal against the decision of the Office for Foreigners, the latter becomes final 14 days following notification of such decision.
[5] Information provided by the Office for Foreigners, 4 March 2021.
[6] Information provided by the Office for Foreigners, 16 February 2024.
[7] W. Klaus, ‘Rozwiązania prawne stosowane w odniesieniu do osób starających się o ochronę w Polsce’ in A. Górny, H. Grzymała-Moszczyńska, W. Klaus and S. Łodziński, Uchodźcy w Polsce. Sytuacja prawna, skala napływu i integracja w społeczeństwie polskim oraz rekomendacje, PAN 2017, available (in Polish) at: http://bit.ly/2DVccfr, 23.
[8] M. Pachocka, K. Pędziwiatr, K. Sobczak-Szelc, J. Szałańska, ‘Reception Policies, Practices and Responses: Poland Country Report’, 2020, RESPOND Working Papers 2020/45, available at: http://bit.ly/3jLCvsV, 82-83.
[9] Lukasiewicz, K., ‘Exile to Poverty: Policies and Poverty Among Refugees in Poland’, International Migration Vol. 55 (6) 2017, 61, 66. See also M. Pawlak, ‘Zatrudnienie’ in A. Górska, M. Koss-Goryszewska, J. Kucharczyk (eds), W stronę krajowego machanizmu ewaluacji integracji: Diagnoza sytuacji beneficjentów ochrony międzynarodowej w Polsce, Instytut Spraw Publicznych 2019, 35; Fundacja EMIC, ‘Życie Afganek i Afgańczyków w Polsce po dwóch latach od ewakuacji nadal jest bardzo trudne’, 15 September 2023, available in Polish at: https://bit.ly/4aXdIf9.
[10] The persisting problem with the recognition of non-EU education and qualifications was confirmed and criticised by the Supreme Audit Office in 2021, see Supreme Audit Office, ‘Uznawanie kwalifikacji zawodowych cudzoziemców spoza Unii Europejskiej’, April 2021, available in Polish at: https://bit.ly/35AcZ7g.
[11] Information provided by the Office for Foreigners, 16 February 2024.