Background information

On 15 October 2024, the Council of Ministers adopted the document "Take Back Control. Ensure Security. Poland's Comprehensive and Responsible Migration Strategy for 2025-2030", submitted by the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration. There are two main reasons for adopting this strategy: the lack of such a strategy since 2016, as well as the increasing number of migrants arriving tin the country.

The document prioritises state security in relation to migration, which needs to be regulated in detail and managed in terms of the controlling the purpose of arrivals, the scale of the influx, and the countries of origin of foreigners.

Legal reference: Resolution on the adoption of the document "Take back control. Ensure Security. Poland's comprehensive and responsible migration strategy for 2025-2030, available at https://www.gov.pl/web/premier/uchwala-w-sprawie-przyjecia-dokumentu-odzyskac-kontrole-zapewnic-bezpieczenstwo-kompleksowa-i-odpowiedzialna-strategia-migracyjna-polski-na-lata-2025-2030.

Content of measure

According to the strategy “the immigration process must be limited, subject to monitoring and control by public institutions, and respond to the expectations of Polish society.”

The implementation of the strategy will involve different types of entities: public institutions (such as Office for Foreigners, Border Guard, Internal Security Agency, National Agency for Academic Exchange), local governments, non-governmental organizations, secular and ecclesiastical entities, employment agencies, as well as employers. The strategy does not advocate for employers to hire foreigners, but employers will be encouraged to take measures for the inclusion and integration of foreigners.

The strategy invokes the principle of “zero deaths at the border,” which means countering threats to the health and lives of both migrants and refugees, as well as officers and soldiers carrying out state border protection tasks. The strategy targets Polish citizens living abroad, who are to be encouraged to return.

Use of measure

So far, no data regarding the use of measure.

As of the end of July 2024, there were 1,041,600 foreigners working in Poland, accounting for 6.8% of the employed population (GUS, 2025).

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Migrants or refugees in employment	Other businesses	Migrants or refugees

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Company / Companies Other social actors (e.g. NGOs) Local / regional government Public employment service EU (Council, EC, EP)	Employer European Funds National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Unknown	Unknown
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Unknown
• Main level of involvement: Unknown

Involvement

So far, there is no information on the involvement of trade unions and employers' organisations in the preparation of the Polish migration strategy for 2025-2030. According to the strategy, migration policies initiated by the central administration should involve social dialogue, with social partners. Nonetheless, the document adopted in October 2024 has been criticised by nearly 40 NGOs which have called on the Polish Prime Minister to consult them on migration policy.

Views and reactions

One representative employer organization (Confederation Lewiatan) has criticized the migration strategy adopted by the government for its plans to restrict labor immigration to Poland. The organization stresses that foreigners strengthen the Polish labor market without worsening the situation of Polish workers.

The possibility of temporarily and territorially suspending the right to apply for asylum, enshrined in the strategy, has caused controversy. Dozens of NGOs from Poland and Europe issued a joint statement on the issue, calling on the Polish government to respect its legal obligations to ensure access to procedures for granting international protection and to cooperate with civil society.

Sources

• 01 March 2024: Foreigners Integration Center
• 15 October 2024: KOMPLEKSOWA I ODPOWIEDZIALNA STRATEGIA MIGRACYJNA POLSKI NA LATA 2025-2030 STRATEGIA MIGRACYJNA POLSKI NA LATA 2025–203
• 18 October 2024: NGOs' appeal to prime minister on migration policy consultation (www.amnesty.org.pl)
• 15 November 2024: NGO's response to Poland's migration strategy in favour of the right to international protection (dialogspoleczny.org)
• 27 November 2024: Opinion of the Lewiatan Confederation on the migration strateg (lewiatan.org)
• 07 January 2025: Cudzoziemcy wykonujący pracę w Polsce w lipcu 07.01.2025 r. 2024 r (stat.gov.pl)