On Friday, the Sejm adopted an amendment to some laws in order to verify the right to family benefits for foreigners and determine the conditions for helping Ukrainian citizens in connection with armed conflict in this country. 227 deputies voted for the law, 194 was against and seven abstained.
However, it was not without a turbulent discussion. Above all The act was given a special mode. Despite the corrections reported, it was immediately decided to read the second and third reading, without sending the project to the Commission. PiS deputies wanted to add to the project provisions from the presidential project, which instead of under the meeting, went to public consultations as any such project. However, MPs rejected, among others Exacerbating penalties for people illegally crossing the border, introducing a penalty for propagating flags, extending from 3 to 10 years a minimum period of uninterrupted stay in Poland required to recognize a foreigner as a Polish citizen.
The amendment of Klaudia Jachira from KO caused great controversy. In her opinion, the current project introduces unevenness: foreigners must work, and Poles – no. That is why she reported an amendment that introduces one common condition: employment, professional activation that has been rejected. In turn, Marcelina Zawisza from the Together party warned that limiting help for Ukrainian citizens was a step to further exceptions. The amendment of the Circle Together, which restored the conditions for payment of benefits to the state from the previous bill, did not gain support.
Ultimately, MPs voted a law prepared by the government.
The results of voting on, among others of the Act on the help of citizens of Ukrainian
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Sejm
On the one hand, the Act is a response to the veto of President Karol Nawrocki, and to the other – the implementation of the announcements from the presidential campaign of Rafał Trzaskowski. The government has been working on limiting benefits for foreigners for some time, but it had to accelerate, because as a result of a veto of the special law on October 1, Ukrainian citizens would lose their right to legal stay in Poland.
See also: All veto of Karol Nawrocki. Is the president being misled?
For whom 800 plus?
Pursuant to the adopted Act, the right to family benefits for foreigners is associated with professional activity and learning children at a Polish school, with the exceptions regarding, among others people with disabilities. MPs also added minor citizens from Ukrainian institutional foster care to exceptions.
In addition, the right to benefits is related to obtaining by foreigners at least 50 percent The minimum wage for work, i.e. in 2025, is PLN 2333 gross. This solution is to prevent cases of employment.
It is important that for Professionally active people will be recognized not only those currently employed, but also those who were employed, i.e. persons receiving unemployment benefit, maternity allowance, educational, retirement or pension.
In addition, non -working persons who will register as unemployed, they will be able to download 800 plus for three months, and if they have more than two children – For six months, if they meet the remaining conditions for the benefit for at least three children.
Way verification of the right to 800 plus
ZUS will be responsible for verifying the right to benefits. Every month, the plant will check whether foreigners were professionally active. If the foreigner was not active in a given month, the benefit will be suspended and the transfer will not be sent.
ZUS will also verify in the register of the Chief Commander of the Border Guard, or a given foreigner has not left Poland. To allow better identification of foreigners applying for benefits and their children, the obligation to have a PESEL number is introduced. When sending a number, children's stay in Poland will also be verified.
However, the assessment of the effects of regulation shows that The cost of depriving foreigners of the right to 800 plus will be high. ZUS and Border Guard will have to change their systems, which will cost nearly PLN 30 million in total, and annual service – PLN 3 million. How much will you gain? As we read in OSR: “The proposed solutions may reduce expenditure from the state budget provided for the payment of benefits for foreigners by 10 % in relation to expenditure on benefits granted under existing conditions. However, it is not possible to accurately estimate these amounts with breaking into years”.
What else does the act change?
Currently, people who have received temporary protection in Poland in connection with the armed conflict in Ukraine cannot only use drug programs and spa treatment. The adopted act expands the catalog of benefits inaccessible to Ukrainian citizens, including for dental treatment, endoprosthesis procedures and cataract removal. This is still a milder approach than the president's proposal. According to his project, Ukrainian citizens could only use healthcare if they work and have health insurance.
In addition, the Act extends the existing provisions regarding the legality of the stay of Ukrainian citizens who fled from the war, until March 4, 2026.
The new solutions are to come into force essentially on the day after being announced in the Journal of Laws. Now the law will go to the Senate, President Karol Nawrocki must still sign it. His project was not processed because it was sent to improve and public consultations.
