Brussels, 26/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - The Polish government is to grant illegal immigrants, who, in the main, have been living in Poland for four years, two-year residence permits. This follows similar moves in 2003 and 2007. The amnesty is due to begin on 1 January 2012 and immigrants will have six months in which to submit their applications. The legalisation will affect “mainly immigrants from Ukraine, Armenia and Vietnam. It is estimated that between 50,000 and 70,000 will be able to take advantage of this amnesty”, said Dorota Parzymies, who heads the Polish Ocalenie association which provides help for foreigners.
The measure has not, however, gone down well with some Schengen area countries, such as Germany and Austria, which fear a knock-on effect. “They are afraid of a massive influx of foreigners from Poland. The Polish borders, as the eastern gateway to the EU, are too porous for their liking”, Parzymies said.
On Tuesday 25 October, at the European Migration Network (EMN) conference, it was stated that regularising the situation of illegal migrants fell within member states' area of responsibility, but also that it was agreed that regularisation should be conducted on a case-by-case basis, rather than in any widespread way. Without any direct reference to it, Marta Cygan, Director for Immigration and Asylum at DG Justice and Home Affairs of the European Commission, was critical of the Polish government's decision. “Mass regularisation sends the wrong message to people living outside their own countries. Giving rights to migrants should not be an incentive to illegality. The Commission believes that we should be discouraging illegal immigrants while at the same time presenting a positive image of legal ways to enter the EU”, she stated. (VW/transl.rt)