From Reception to Integration of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Poland

This book sheds light on the complex experiences of asylum seekers and refugees in Poland, against a local backdrop of openly anti-refugee political narratives and strong opposition to sharing the responsibility for, and burden of, asylum seekers arriving in the EU. Through a multidimensional analysis, it highlights the processes of forced migrant admission, reception and integration in a key EU frontier country that has undergone a rapid migration status change from a transit to a host country. The book examines rich qualitative material drawn from interviews conducted with forced migrants with different legal statuses and with experts from public administration at the central and local levels, NGOs, and other institutions involved in migration governance in Poland. It discusses both opportunities for and limitations on forced migrants' adaptation in the social, economic, and political dimensions, as well as their access to healthcare, education, the labour market, and social assistance. This book will be of particular interest to scholars, students, policymakers, and practitioners in migration and asylum studies, social policy, public policy, international relations, EU studies/European integration, law, economics, and sociology.

Karolina Sobczak-Szelc is an Assistant Professor at the Centre of Migration Research of the University of Warsaw and the Centre for Advanced Studies of Population and Religion, Cracow University of Economics, Poland. Marta Pachocka is a Head of the Migration Policies Research Unit at the Centre of Migration Research of the University of Warsaw and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Studies of SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Poland. Konrad Pedziwiatr is a Professor in the Department of International Affairs of Cracow University of Economics and a Deputy Director of the Centre for Advanced Studies of Population and Religion, Cracow University of Economics, Poland. Justyna Szalanska is a Research Assistant at the Collegium of Socio-Economics in SGH Warsaw School of Economics and an Affiliate of the Centre of Migration Research of the University of Warsaw, Poland. Monika Szulecka is a Research Assistant at the Institute of Law Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences and an Affiliate of the Centre of Migration Research of the University of Warsaw, Poland.

1. Introduction 2. Poland's position on the map of forced mobility in the European context 3. Securitisation of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Political and Media Discourses 4. The Institutional and Legal Basis of the Asylum System in Poland 5. Experiences in Accessing International Protection in Poland 6. Access of Asylum Seekers and Refugees to Education: the case of Polish Language Learning 7. Access to Housing by Asylum Seekers and Beneficiaries of International Protection 8. Integration of Asylum Seekers and Refugees on the Labour Market in Poland 9. Access to Healthcare by Asylum Seekers and Beneficiaries of International Protection in Poland 10. Until they Become Citizens: Refugees' Rights, Civic Participation, and Belonging in Poland 11. Conclusions