Polish Interior Minister Teresa Piotrowska among Donbas Poles
"This is more than an evacuation, it is a test of solidarity, hospitality, and good organization," said Polish Interior Minister Teresa Piotrowska, summing up the adaptation program for Poles evacuated from Donbas to Poland in January 2015.
The adaptation period is over. All evacuated Poles have left adaptation centers in Rybaki and Łańsk and have settled in apartments in Nowy Sącz, Warsaw, Szczecin, Poznań, and Gdańsk.
The Polish interior minister emphasized that the Donbas Poles were in a very difficult situation – they were evacuated from a zone of military operations. She also expressed hope that Poland would become a new, safe home for them.
Formally, the program of stay in adaptation centers ended in July 2015. During all that time, for six months, the Donbas Poles were provided with shelter and food. They underwent acclimatization, learned Polish, and prepared for life in Poland, and their children started attending Polish schools.
All evacuated Poles received permits for permanent residence in Poland based on the Pole's Card or documented Polish origin. The residence permit equates foreigners to Polish citizens in all areas, including political. This also means that the evacuated Donbas Poles can legally live and work in Poland.
Families that left the adaptation centers have settled in apartments provided by local authorities, as well as in rented apartments in several Polish cities. Several people have started working at the Border Guard Training Center, at the Łazarski University in Warsaw, and in private companies. Among the evacuated Donbas Poles, half have higher education.