Holders of the 'Pole's Card' can receive significant financial support from Poland
Financial support will consist of partial payment for rented housing in the amount of six average salaries per family member. Currently, the average salary in Poland is 3895.33 PLN gross (915 euros); in total, each family member will receive more than 23,000 PLN (5,400 euros). For settling in and other needs, the holder of the 'Pole's Card' will be able to receive two average Polish salaries – 7,790 PLN gross (1,831 euros). For apartment renovation, the project provides 4,120 PLN (968 euros) per person. Persons of Polish origin will also be able to count on the state covering the cost of Polish language courses and professional courses if the law is adopted.
The draft amendments to the law also provide for payment of travel to Poland for citizens of CIS and Baltic states with a 'Pole's Card', although, as Rzeczpospolita notes, this point of the amendments is likely not to be adopted by the Sejm. According to the publication, currently 160,000 people from post-Soviet countries hold the Pole's Card.
Earlier it was reported that the Sejm's commission on contacts with Poles abroad is considering the possibility of granting citizenship to holders of 'Pole's Cards' after one year of residence in Poland. The head of the parliamentary commission on contacts with Poles abroad, Michał Dworczyk, presenting proposals at a commission meeting, proposed adding provisions to the new draft law that would give holders of 'Pole's Cards' almost the same rights as Polish citizens.
‘Thanks to this, we create a legal basis to continue evacuation from Donbas in such dramatic situations as have occurred in recent months, and then provide long-term assistance, as in the case of Polish citizens,’ he explained. ‘Such persons could obtain Polish citizenship after one year of residence in Poland, and also, depending on the state's budget capacity, ask for support in adapting in Poland, for a supplement for an apartment or training courses,’ said the commission chairman.
Recall that the law 'On the Pole's Card' came into effect on March 29, 2008. By May 15, 2014, Polish consular offices had received about 140,000 requests for the issuance of a 'Pole's Card'. Most such applications were submitted in Belarus (about 63,000) and in Ukraine (about 60,000).
As is known, not only holders of 'Pole's Cards' but also many other our compatriots seek to tie their lives to Poland. In particular, hundreds of thousands of foreigners have work permits in Poland from the Office for Foreigners. Polish employers are interested in attracting labor from abroad, as there is a shortage of local staff in many sectors of the economy. As we have noted earlier, this primarily concerns the agricultural sector, construction, and processing industry.