Poland’s Migration Strategy for 2025-2030 – Expert Commentary

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5 Nov 2024

Labour, Migration and Social Policies

Jan Bazyli Klakla

Oskar Chmiel

Agnieszka Kulesa

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Jan Bazyli Klakla

Director of Migration, Social Policy, and Development Cooperation
Dr Jan Bazyli Klakla is Director of Migration, Social Policy, and Development Cooperation at CASE – Center for Social and Economic Research. He oversees a broad portfolio of projects in these areas, including work on socio-legal studies and on higher education and science policy. Dr. Klakla has been involved in and has led numerous national and European research projects, including those funded by Horizon Europe, Norway Grants, and Polish National Science Center. His work also includes providing consulting and expert services to key European institutions such as the Committee of the Regions, the European Economic and Social Committee, and CEDEFOP (European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training). He has served as an expert in the “Safe Krakow - Security Strategy for Krakow” program. Dr. Klakla is the editor of Law and Culture. Reconceptualization and Case Studies (Springer Nature, 2021) and the author of Law and Acculturation. Conceptualisation and Empirical Case Study: Slavic Migrants in Poland (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) and Studying in Times of Crisis. Acculturation and Adaptation of Ukrainian Students at Kraków Higher Education Institutions amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic and Russia's Aggression against Ukraine (Brill, 2025). In recognition of his scholarly contributions, he was awarded first prize in the competition of the Association of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy (IVR) – Polish Section for the best doctoral dissertation in the theory and philosophy of law. His research interests span migration, sociology of law, educational research, public policy analysis, customary law, and the methodology of social sciences.

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Author’s articles
Oskar Chmiel

Senior Social Sciences Researcher
Articles from this author:
- Migrant workers coming to Poland from other European Union member states. Barriers, difficulties, and possible courses of action
- Capacity building for local and regional authorities in the light of the Ukraine Facility (Pillar III)
- V4 Development Cooperation Trialogue: Reinforcing Synergies, Sharing Good Practices
  V4 Development Cooperation Trialogue: Reinforcing Synergies, Sharing Good Practices. A Guide to participation in EU development funding The study is the result of V4DevCo project aiming at enhancing knowledge base on participation of V4 non-state development actors in EU development funding programs. The Guide includes a set of recommendations developed with contribution of representatives of … Continued
Author’s articles
Agnieszka Kulesa

Lead Social Sciences Researcher
Dr Agnieszka Kulesa is the Lead Social Sciences Researcher at CASE. She supports business development and oversees and contributes to research and analytical projects. Having joined CASE in 2018 as an economist, she served as Vice-President of the Management Board from 2021 to 2024. Agnieszka has authored or co-authored numerous publications, including peer-reviewed articles and reports for European institutions such as the European Commission (EC), the European Parliament (EP), the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).

Articles from this author:
- Migrant workers coming to Poland from other European Union member states. Barriers, difficulties, and possible courses of action
- Capacity building for local and regional authorities in the light of the Ukraine Facility (Pillar III)
- Exploring the Entrepreneurial Potential of Belarusian Migrants in the EU
  This Working Paper aims to deepen the understanding of Belarusian migration to the EU, with a particular focus on entrepreneurship among Belarusian migrants.
Author’s articles

I. The strategy was adopted without extensive public consultations and without being based on data or analyses (the omission of the ordered report from the Migration Research Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences), which limits its credibility.
II. The language of the strategy and the accompanying media statements create an atmosphere of threat, which contradicts the declared integration goals. Presenting migrants as a potential danger does not foster social cohesion; on the contrary, it may lead to increased divisions and integration difficulties.
III. The strategy is very general, often failing to specify clear directions or tools for implementation. It does not indicate the sources of funding for its actions or take existing public policies into account, which limits its utility and effectiveness.
IV. The institutional proposals are inconsistent and do not clearly indicate who will be responsible for coordinating migration policy. There is a lack of consideration for the mechanisms of procedural regularity and judicial review of decisions in migration matters.
V. The strategy regarding access to territory announces positive digital actions and institutional cooperation, but still lacks specifics regarding the implementation and availability of these solutions.
VI. The idea of temporarily suspending the right to asylum is inconsistent with international law and human rights, and also ineffective— the solution is to streamline asylum procedures to ensure their effective enforcement rather than imposing legal barriers.
VII. The introduction of numerous mechanisms that restrict migrants’ access to the labor market is questionable both in terms of justification and in the context of numerous exceptions that can easily become the norm, undermining the entire structure of these solutions. Promises of digitalization, revision of the declaration system, and the introduction of a points system are unrealistic, especially without additional resources for their implementation.
VIII. The strategy focuses on introducing new barriers for foreign students instead of providing a clear vision for the internationalization of Polish higher education. There is a lack of adequate consideration of the needs of migrant children in Polish schools.
IX. The strategy places great emphasis on the requirements for migrants and their adjustment to Polish norms, which in practice is more of an assimilation approach than an integration one. The responsibility for integrating migrants has largely been shifted to employers, non-governmental organizations, and local governments. The promise of differentiating support for individuals from Ukraine and other groups may lead to discrimination.
X. Proposals regarding citizenship and repatriation focus on creating new barriers, often without credible justification. The good idea of pre-integration simultaneously includes elements that position it more as a barrier than a resource for potential migrants, complicating its realization as a supportive element for integration.
XI. Strategies concerning contact with the diaspora and support for Polish schools abroad contain good ideas for changing approaches and support, but remain general without practical guidelines for their implementation and a long-term cooperation plan.

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Poland’s Migration Strategy for 2025-2030 – Expert Commentary

Jan Bazyli Klakla

Articles from this author:

Oskar Chmiel

Articles from this author:

Agnieszka Kulesa

Articles from this author:

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Poland’s Migration Strategy for 2025-2030 – Expert Commentary

Jan Bazyli Klakla

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Oskar Chmiel

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Agnieszka Kulesa

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