Will Ukrainian citizens soon be represented in the Polish parliament?

Far-right politicians successful Poland person expressed their outrage astatine an alleged program to springiness Ukrainians with Polish citizenship their ain practice successful Poland’s parliament.

Politicians from antithetic far-right parties decry immoderate conception of Ukrainians having their ain practice successful the Sejm, the little location of Poland's parliament, with immoderate adjacent calling for a full halt to granting Polish citizenship to Ukrainians.

"Ukrainian media are announcing that Ukrainians successful Poland volition person their ain representatives successful the Polish Parliament," Włodzimierz Skalik, MP for the far-right enactment Confederation of the Polish Crown, said successful a Facebook post. "This is simply a precise unsafe signal. Parliament is expected to correspond the Polish nation, not taste groups with peculiar demands. Poland cannot beryllium an arena for overseas influence. Stop the Ukrainisation of Poland!"

Similarly, Sławomir Mentzen, MP for the far-right New Hope party, complained successful a station connected X that galore Polish politicians are already "pursuing Ukrainian interests".

"We don't request Ukrainian politicians successful the Sejm connected apical of that," helium said. "Members of Parliament elected by Ukrainians volition surely instrumentality attraction of Ukrainian interests. For us, Polish interests should beryllium the astir important! Let's halt granting Polish citizenship to Ukrainians!"

Their posts and others similar them notation news reports stating that astir 80% of Ukrainians with semipermanent residence permits mean to use for Polish citizenship, and that Ukrainians could beryllium represented successful the Sejm arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2027.

However, the authorities has nary program to bring successful circumstantial parliamentary practice for Polish citizens of Ukrainian origin.

Proposed instrumentality change

The disorder appears to stem from a Ukrainian nonfiction that refers to projected changes to Poland's Assistance to Citizens of Ukraine law, including 1 that would prolong citizenship requirements for foreigners.

Currently, they request to unrecorded successful Poland for 5 years to get a imperishable residence permit, and past unrecorded determination for a further 3 years to beryllium capable to use for citizenship, which comes with voting rights. The projected alteration would widen the three-year play to 10 years.

The Cube reached retired to Poland's interior ministry, which clarified immoderate of the different conditions required to get Polish citizenship. These see being capable to talk the Polish language, having accommodation and sources of income, respect for Poland's "legal order" and "not posing a menace to the defence and information of the state".

"The granting of Polish citizenship is simply a law prerogative of the President of the Republic of Poland," a spokesperson for the ministry said successful an email. "The President of the Republic of Poland is not constricted successful his law powers by immoderate conditions, including the clip bounds for considering the application, and whitethorn assistance Polish citizenship to immoderate overseas nationalist astatine immoderate clip if helium considers it justified."

According to Polish law, radical arriving successful the state connected humanitarian grounds, specified arsenic those fleeing Russia's full-scale invasion, can't get a semipermanent EU residence permit, and the clip spent successful Poland via this transmission doesn't number towards the 5 years needed for a imperishable residence permit.

Nevertheless, much and much Ukrainians are being recognised arsenic Polish citizens, according to yearly authorities figures, and Ukrainians presently marque up the largest migrant radical successful Poland.

As of the extremity of August, the fig of valid residence permits issued to Ukrainian citizens was much than 1.57 million, of which astir 1 cardinal were registered arsenic beneficiaries of impermanent protection, the interior ministry told The Cube.

"The fig of documents issued successful transportation with a imperishable residence licence was astir 57,000, successful summation to adjacent to 46,000 documents issued successful transportation with a semipermanent EU residence permit," it said.

As for the fig of citizenship approvals, betwixt January and June 2025, Polish authorities issued 5,512 decisions (concerning 7,513 individuals, specified arsenic successful the lawsuit of minors considered arsenic portion of their parents' applications) recognising Ukrainian nationals arsenic Polish citizens.

The interior ministry added that 422 statesmanlike resolutions concerning 529 individuals were besides issued.

Far-right figures assertion that the complaint astatine which Ukrainians are being naturalised could pb to them influencing Polish authorities astatine the disbursal of Polish interests, but the fears are unfounded, particularly with perchance harsher citizenship requirements connected the way.