This year, the largest number of Pole's Cards were received by Ukrainians and Belarusians<\/em><\/p>
According to the chairman of the Sejm's Commission for Relations with Poles Abroad, Michał Dworczyk, tangible changes will be introduced to the law. First, it is necessary to take into account that in emergency circumstances, as in the case of the evacuation of ethnic Poles from Donbas, these people will be provided with conditions equal to those of Polish citizens. Second, the changes introduce the possibility of automatic and free replacement of the card with a residence permit, which can be obtained immediately after arriving in Poland. Third, from now on, voivodes will also be able to accept applications for the Pole's Card.<\/p>
'The Pole's Card facilitates contact with Poland for its holders, but in recent years the number of those who want to obtain this document without any connection to Poland has increased,' says Mariusz Kowalski from the Studio of Eastern Europe at the University of Warsaw. According to him, perhaps the criteria for obtaining it should be tightened, because some people see the Pole's Card as a 'discount ticket to Poland,' adds Kowalski.<\/p>
In the near future, a draft of amendments to the 'Pole's Card Law' will be submitted to the Polish parliament.<\/p>