Following the presidential veto of the act on assistance to Ukrainian citizens, new legislation was approved to extend the legal stay of Ukrainian citizens in Poland until 4 March 2026, allowing continued access to the labour market, education, health care, social benefits and collective accommodation. The range of health care services accessible to Ukrainian citizens was limited.
Pursuant to the new law, third-country nationals entering the country under the local border traffic regime are no longer entitled to temporary protection, and as a result became ineligible for social benefits and public health care.
Benefits related to children over the age of 6 became conditional on school attendance, and access to social benefits for third-country nationals was also made dependent on employment status in Poland. The law introduced a requirement to possess a PESEL number which now can only be assigned in person, to prevent individuals from claiming multiple benefits using different documents or on behalf of children not present in Poland.
The act also authorised automatic data sharing between the PESEL register, the Border Guard and the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS).