The number of foreigners trying to obtain refugee status in Poland is growing
As reported by Polskie Radio, in 2015 only 346 people received refugee status in Poland (262 foreigners in 2014), most of them arrived from Syria. Among those who received refugee status, 202 are citizens of Syria, 24 of Iraq, 20 of Russia, 13 of Belarus, and 8 of Afghanistan.
Most often, citizens of Russia arriving from Chechnya apply for refugee status in Poland. In 2015, they submitted 7,500 such applications to the Office for Foreigners. Citizens of Ukraine submitted 2,200 applications in 2015. Also, the Office received 384 applications from citizens of Georgia, 500 from citizens of Tajikistan, and 289 from citizens of Syria.
Earlier, Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski stated that Poland is ready to accept refugees fleeing war, but not migrants seeking work. "Poland will accept refugees, but cannot afford to receive migrants," Witold Waszczykowski said on December 21. The head of Polish diplomacy emphasized that Poland respects international law and therefore will accept people fleeing war and conflicts to Europe. At the same time, he stressed that Poland will not accept those seeking work in Europe. "Poland openly declares that it does not have the means to receive large groups of migrants looking for work. They will not find it in Poland. Two million Poles have left Poland for work, and one and a half million Poles cannot find work in their own country," he said.
Recall that earlier the previous Polish government committed to accepting about 7,000 refugees over the next two years. In terms of the number of foreigners seeking asylum in the country, Poland currently ranks 16th among EU member states.