Special report: refugees from Ukraine in Poland

This report presents the results of a study conducted among refugees that left Ukraine and arrived in Poland after 24 February 2022. It was conducted by the EWL Migration Platform, the Foundation for Supporting Migrants on the Labour Market (EWL), and the Eastern European studies department at the University of Warsaw.

93% of participants in the survey were women and 7% were men. These proportions – significantly reversed from those before the war – are due to the fact that only women, children and the elderly are currently allowed to leave Ukraine. Other findings include:

• 63% respondents arrived in Poland with children
• Almost three in four respondents do not speak Polish or speak it very poorly
• Two-thirds of respondents have completed higher education

The vast majority of refugees from Ukraine (63%) plan to work in Poland under the special law, i.e. without the need for a work permit. Among concerns regarding living abroad, their responses most often indicated:

• difficulties in finding employment (45%);
• concern for loved ones remaining in Ukraine (40%);
• poor language skills (38%).

More than half of those surveyed (58%) plan to return to Ukraine as soon as possible after the end of the war. One in three want to stay in Poland, and 12% want to go to another country, most often to Germany, the USA and the United Kingdom.

The survey was carried out on a random sample of 400 adult refugees from Ukraine in two cities, Warsaw and Krakow. It took place between 23 March and 3 April 2022.