Asylum seekers staying in the centres have the right to be visited by family members, legal advisors, UNHCR, NGOs, etc. in the rooms intended for that purpose.[1]
Asylum seekers may receive visits in the centre from 9:00 to 16:00 in a place agreed upon with the employee of the centre. In particularly justified cases, the visiting hours in the centre may be prolonged upon permission of the employee of the centre, but not later than 22:00.[2]
Each entry of a non-resident into the premises of the centre requires the permission of:[3]
- The employee of the centre in the case of asylum seekers receiving social assistance, other than living in this centre;
- The Head of the Office for Foreigners in other cases.
The Head of the Office for Foreigners or an employee of the centre can refuse to give permission to enter the centre or withdraw it if this is justified regarding the interest of the third country national or necessary to ensure the safety or for epidemiological and sanitary reasons.[4] None of the NGOs was refused entry to the reception centres in 2022.[5]
The above-mentioned rules do not apply to the representatives of the UNHCR, who may enter the centre anytime provided that the staff of the centre was notified in advance.[6] As regards NGOs, whose tasks include the provision of assistance to asylum seekers, and entities which provide legal assistance to asylum seekers, the Head of the Office for Foreigners may issue a permit to enter the centre for the period of their activities performed for asylum seekers residing in the centre.[7]
In 2022, according to the Office for Foreigners, all persons asking to enter the reception centres to work with minors were checked in the Sexual Offenders’ Registry. None of them was identified in this registry.[8]
Asylum seekers have access to information about entities providing free legal assistance. During their stay in the centre, asylum seekers communicate with legal advisers, UNHCR or NGOs mainly by phone, fax, e-mail, etc. Seven out of nine centres are located in small villages, far away from big cities, where most of the legal advisers, UNHCR and NGOs in Poland have their premises, and accessing them can be problematic. As a result, asylum seekers are often contacted only remotely, especially when NGOs do not have the funds for travelling to these centres.
In January 2022, a hunger strike was reported in the centre in Grupa. According to the Office for Foreigners, Afghan nationals protested inter alia against the meagre number of NGOs working in the centre and the low quality of the support they received from the NGO operating there.[9]
In October 2021, the Office for Foreigners announced a call for volunteers in reception centres. Their duties were to include inter alia assisting asylum seekers with contacting public authorities and doctors, seeking accommodation, learning Polish and doing homework.[10] However, according to the Office for Foreigners, despite some interest in the voluntary work in the reception centres, potential volunteers withdrew their offers when they heard where the centres are located (far away from big cities).[11] In February 2023, the Office for Foreigners repeated the call for volunteers.[12]
Access to the reception centres was restricted until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] In 2022, while access was allowed again, persons wanting to enter the reception centres were informed that they cannot be ill, should apply social distancing and should act under the instructions of the health authorities.[14]
[1] Paras 7-9 of the Annex to the Regulation on rules of stay in the centre for asylum seekers.
[2] Para 9 of the Annex to the Regulation on rules of stay in the centre for asylum seekers.
[3] Para 7.2 of the Annex to the Regulation on rules of stay in the centre for asylum seekers.
[4] Para 7.5 of the Annex to the Regulation on rules of stay in the centre for asylum seekers.
[5] Information provided by the Office for Foreigners, 3 February 2023.
[6] Para 7.6 and 7.7 of the Annex to the Regulation on rules of stay in the centre for asylum seekers.
[7] Para 7.4 of the Annex to the Regulation on rules of stay in the centre for asylum seekers.
[8] Information provided by the Office for Foreigners, 3 February 2023.
[9] Information provided by the Office for Foreigners, 3 February 2023.
[10] Office for Foreigners, ‘Wolontariat w ośrodkach dla cudzoziemców’, 25 October 2021, available in Polish at: https://bit.ly/3CfJjZd.
[11] Information provided by the Office for Foreigners, 3 February 2023.
[12] Office for Foreigners, ‘Wolontariat w ośrodkach dla cudzoziemców’, 8 February 2023, available in Polish at: http://bit.ly/3znXmLM.
[13] For more information, see AIDA, Country Report Poland – 2021 Update, May 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3ZydJ2R.
[14] Information provided by the Office for Foreigners, 3 February 2023.