BENEFITS OF MIGRATION
1. The wages that migrants earn abroad can be many multiples of what they could earn
doing similar jobs at home.
2. Migrants provides a relative income gains.
3. The increase in migrants’ earnings can lead to considerable improvements in the
welfare and human development of migrants’ families.
4. Migration can also have beneficial effects in other dimensions of human
development such as education and health.
5. Emigration can reduce unemployment and underemployment, contribute the poverty
reduction.
6. Migration can result in the transfer of skills, knowledge and technology that could
have considerable positive impacts on productivity and economic growth.
7. Immigration adds workers to the economy, thus increasing the gross domestic
product (GDP) of the host country.
8. Labor immigration (including of lower-skilled workers) can generate additional
employment opportunities for existing workers.
9. The labor market and macroeconomy, the immigration of young workers can also
help with easing pressures on pensions systems of high-income countries with
rapidly ageing populations.
10.The taxes migrants pay are quite small.
Since
2014, there
has been an
increase in
migration
flows from
Ukraine to the
EU.
According to
estimates by
the Ukrainian
State
Statistics
Service, 1.3
million
Ukrainians in
2015-2017
went abroad
for work at
least once, mostly to Poland. If in 2013 less than 20 thousand had different types of residence permits
in Poland, in 2015 this figure rose to 50 thousand.
The topic became international when on January 20, 2016; the Prime Minister of Poland Beata
Szydło stated during a hearing in the European Parliament that her country was unable to accept
Syrians because it had already accepted one million Ukrainians.
All citizens of Ukraine, which is going through difficult times, were automatically registered as
applicants for international asylum.
In turn, Ukrainian diplomacy stated that Ukrainians in Poland are migrant workers, taxpayers and
students, not recipients of assistance.
Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski has repeatedly stated about one million Ukrainian
refugees in 2016-2017. Incumbent Prime Minister Mateusz stressed in December 2017 "by accepting
Ukrainian refugees, Poland is helping to defuse tensions on the eastern flank of the European Union."
At the same time, the Polish authorities emphasize the growing number of work permits and
residence permits issued to Ukrainian citizens: in the first half of 2018 alone, Ukrainians received
110,000 permits, at the beginning of September 170,000 have valid residence permits. More than half
a million pay contributions to the social insurance fund.
The situation is similar in the Czech Republic – according to the Ukrainian Air Force, citing the
Czech Interior Ministry, Ukrainians make up almost a quarter of foreigners with various forms of
residence permits in the Czech Republic – 122 thousand out of 543 thousand.
In 2014, the number of Ukrainian applicants for refugee status in both Poland and the EU increased
sharply compared to previous years. If in 2013 46 citizens of Ukraine applied for international
protection in Poland, in 2014 – 2253 (the second largest group after the Russians).
Since 2015, these figures have begun to decline, as of August 31, 2018, the head of the Office for
Foreigners of Poland is conducting 256 cases on the issue of providing international protection to
citizens of Ukraine. 25% of applicants came from Donetsk and Luhansk regions, 3% - from the
Crimea.
In the Czech Republic in 2017, Ukrainians became the first national group in terms of the number
of appeals – 435 out of 1450. The Czech authorities reject most applications after the initial inspection.
Last year, eight citizens of Ukraine received refugee status in the Czech Republic, and another 25
received additional protection. In 2007 – 2017, the Czech Republic granted refugee status to 127
citizens of Ukraine, and additional protection to 380.
In 2017, Italy received more than 130,000 applications for refugee status from foreigners and
recognized various forms of international protection for 34,000; Greece received 58,000 applications
and issued relevant documents to 10,000, Germany – 222,000 applications and 280,000 positive
decisions.
Poland and the Czech Republic in recent years can boast of excellent economic growth – according
to the statistical service of the European Union, the Czech GDP at the end of last year grew at a rate of
4.9%, now – 2.7%, Poland – around 5% at a record low – 2.3% in the Czech Republic and 3.5% in
Poland.
Such indicators, together with the low birth rate and aging population, leave no other choice –
Poles and Czechs need migrants.
According to the most modest estimates, by 2030 the Polish market alone will have a shortage of 3
to 5 million workers.
The Czechs have already increased the quota of national work visas issued to Ukrainians.
According to the Czech Foreign Ministry in January 2018, consulates in Ukraine will now issue 800
more work visas per month.
Two years earlier, Prague had already simplified the issuance of visas to Ukrainians who go to
work in technical, engineering or IT specialties. Currently, the Czech society is discussing the topic of
simplified notification of Ukrainian medical diplomas.
That is, on the one hand, the government invites Ukrainian workers, and on the other hand, it tries
to present the issuance of work permits as an act of humanitarian aid.
The Polish government's policy on migrants is also inconsistent. For the last year, working on a
new migration policy, the aim of which should be to attract long–term migrant workers not only from
Ukraine, but also from the countries of Central and South–East Asia. The press is discussing the
possibility of speeding up the procedure for granting permanent residence and citizenship, simplified
employment for the spouses of those who already have a work permit.
Poland will have parliamentary elections next year, and migration policy will probably be one of
the central themes of the campaign. Then the political parties will have to decide who the Ukrainians
are – refugees or migrants, and who needs whom more – they are Poland or their Poland.
