Authors: Roman Głogowski, Teresa Jura, Joanna Oleszkowicz

This handbook on rights and obligations of people who have received refugee status in Poland, subsidiary protection or tolerated stay, is an attempt to help foreigners and administration officials of state and local governments in understanding the legal system in Poland after the introduction of regulations resulting from the need to implement European law. This is especially important for solutions in a new institution, that  is the subsidiary protection.

Since 2004 the Institute for Rule of Law Foundation has run a program of legal counseling to refugees, supporting the integration of refugees in Poland, firstly by giving the help to UNHCR, and since 2006 also by working within the projects financed by the European Refugee Fund. During our work we often encounter the problems concerned with the issues selected in the handbook. Therefore, their choice is not accidental. We believe that thanks to a simple presentation of the issues related to receiving the residence permit in Poland, to looking for  the integrative help, the social assistance, family benefits, to taking advantage of health care and conditions for taking the job, the process of the integration of foreigners in Poland will become a little bit easier. The handbook was prepared in two languages (Polish and Russian), so as to both foreigners and people could use it. We hope that it will be helpful to you and we will be able to improve and update it in the future.

Issuing the handbook was possible thanks to the financial support of the Governor of Lublin. This action completed the legal aid for refugees constantly provided by our Foundation thanks to finances got from the European Union within the European Refugee Fund.