The war continues, but Poland has over 107,000 fewer Ukrainians with temporary protection

Official statistics published on September 8 show that the number of Ukrainians with temporary protection status in Poland has fallen by more than 107,500 since the spring.

In April 2026, around 974,500 Ukrainians were registered under the immigration scheme created for refugees from Ukraine. At the beginning of September, the figure had fallen to 868,000, representing a decline of approximately 11 percent.

Some Polish media outlets have linked this departure to growing hostility toward refugees. However, while some Ukrainians have left the country, many say the decline in registrations is mainly the result of bureaucratic procedures rather than tensions on the streets.

According to Bohdan Kontsur, an immigration expert at the Ukrainian House organization in Warsaw, a legal amendment adopted in March requires Ukrainians to clearly declare to border guards that they intend to seek temporary protection in Poland.

Kontsur told Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL) that many refugees become aware of this requirement only after reporting to immigration offices, where they are informed that their entry into Poland was registered as a tourist entry.

He added that many Ukrainians he has assisted said they were not asked about this issue at the border and had not encountered notices about the new rule at border crossings.

People from Ukraine who are registered as tourists can no longer subsequently apply for temporary protection status.

Anna Sobieska-Tekien, a spokesperson for the Polish Border Guard, confirmed this rule to RFE/RL. In a written response, she stated that a Ukrainian citizen wishing to benefit from temporary protection must clearly express this intention during border checks.

According to her, the declaration is essential, as otherwise the entry may be registered under the general rules for visa-free travel.

Another legal change, which entered into force at the beginning of September, removed many Ukrainians from the register of those with temporary protection status because of the documents used when they entered Poland.

When the large influx of people fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, refugees could receive temporary protection even without a valid passport. Other documents were accepted for identification, including a national identity card, while a birth certificate could be used for children. In some cases, registration was also based on the refugee’s own declaration of identity.

The law that entered into force this year required Ukrainians who had been granted temporary protection without presenting a valid travel document to verify their identity with such a document by August 31. Those who failed to meet this requirement lost, on September 1, the right to legal residence arising from their status.

Kontsur said the measure affected tens of thousands of Ukrainians. Later, he said, the rules were changed and those affected were given an additional six-month period to “sort out their situation.”

The Polish Border Guard stated that Ukrainians who lost their temporary protection in September can regain it after legally re-entering Poland by presenting a valid passport.

Meanwhile, surveys show that public attitudes toward refugees in Poland have deteriorated significantly in recent months.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, 94 percent of Poles believed that the country should accept Ukrainians fleeing the violence. In July 2026, that percentage had fallen to 42 percent, while more than half of those surveyed said they opposed accepting Ukrainian refugees.

Growing dissatisfaction has been fueled mainly by renewed attention to the massacres of ethnic Poles by Ukrainian nationalists during the 1940s, as well as by discussions about the benefits received by Ukrainian refugees.

Olena Babakova, a Polish-Ukrainian researcher and co-author of a 2026 report on relations between Poles and Ukrainian migrants, said that the rise in anti-Ukrainian sentiment was observed ahead of the 2025 presidential election.

She stressed that the decline in the number of refugees in Poland cannot be explained solely by hostility, as some Ukrainians are moving into other categories of residence permits. According to Babakova, isolated incidents of hostility toward Ukrainians have a limited impact on their decision to leave.

Babakova told RFE/RL that many Ukrainians who are not ready to return to a war zone also find it difficult to cope with a second displacement, having already experienced the stress of leaving their homeland and adapting to another country.

“You work so hard to secure a home and food for your children. Maybe your children face some problems at school, but nevertheless, the school is relatively good and close to home. What would have to happen for you to decide to pack your bags and leave the next day?” she said.

According to Babakova, Ukrainians leaving Poland “are not the people who feel the worst,” but those who have the greatest resources to begin a new migration process./ RFE/RL