Immigrants In Poland Research Articles

Vietnamese immigration in Poland: issues of education and integration for children

This paper investigates the issues of education and integration conditions for Vietnamese immigrants’ children in Poland. These points of interest were primarily treated as the additional research connected with our teaching practices. It was conducted as an empirical study with three non-standardised interviews with the families, informal observations, and group discussions. Regardless of the limitation of a perhaps not significantly substantial range of data, the study led to the outlining of some concerns connected with the process of education and integration of the children in these Vietnamese families. The main four findings which are related to the research question are: the cultural differences and expectations of the parents, the language barriers of the parents, the typical stereotypes of educating children at home, and the conflicts of self-identification in the future. The research implied that children from all the immigrant groups should be assessed as to their growth as well as to the quality of their adaptation into the society.

Changes in recreation participation in natural environments after immigration among immigrants in the U.S., Netherlands, Germany and Poland

This study examines the use of natural environments for recreation among immigrants and factors that led to changes in their use of natural environments between home and host countries. The data were collected through individual interviews with 13 Latino and 13 Chinese immigrants in the U.S., 15 Ukrainian and 11 Vietnamese immigrants in Poland, 9 Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands and 9 Turkish immigrants in Germany. The findings show that changes in the use of natural environments for recreation are related to different types of nature in home and host countries, access-related issues, quality of natural environments, work focus among immigrants, transportation problems, cultural differences, lack of knowledge of opportunities, life stage and ageing. Based on the findings, we develop a model that outlines different types of interaction with natural environments among immigrants following their settlement in the host countries.

Wybrane aspekty polityki migracyjnej w świetle badań nad arabską diasporą w Polsce

This article presents the history and development of the (im) migration policy in the context of field research on the Arab Diaspora in Poland. Particular attention was paid to the issue how members of the Diaspora and examined Poles perceive the Polish migration policy in the aspect of the document titled "The Migration Policy of Poland - Current State and the Postulated Actions". Due to the fact that some of the comments and opinions of the respondents had a universal character applicable to all immigrants in Poland, not only to the explored community, this article presents specific innovative and practical solutions useful in forming a basis for migration policy.

Vietnamese in Poland: How does ethnicity affect immigrant entrepreneurship?

The article examines the business activities of Vietnamese immigrants in Poland. Against the backdrop of a highly differentiated Vietnamese population in Poland, this study found that the ethnicity of immigrants can serve as a resource (especially as a source of values, such as diligence and intra-group solidarity) and as a strategy for promoting success in business activities. However, negative stereotypes and state policies toward immigrant self-employment can limit the market access of certain groups. Findings from the study demonstrate that ethnic entrepreneurship in a post-communist country may be subject to the same processes as in other European states and the US.

Marx, Marxism and Human Rights

We live in strange, almost unbelievable, and certainly scary time. In a scene right out of the 1931 film Frankenstein, 70,000 Poles brandishing torches marched in protest of immigrants in Poland. Demonstrations like this are repeated in Germany, France, and much of Western Europe as rightwing (some say fascist) parties witness increasing support in local and even national elections. One Republican US presidential aspirant urges the use of torture and advocates the killing of families of known (and perhaps suspected) terrorists. Another claims the only way to control terror is to increase police presence and vigorously patrol Muslim communities in the US (never mind that there are no calls to do the same in right-wing Christian areas – a scan of murders will show that in the US since 9/11 more people were killed by anti-abortionists and anti-government activists than by Islamic extremists). France has considered revoking the citizenship of terrorists, broadly defined, while US politicians ponder the degree to which we might deport people and block all immigration from Muslim nations. Add to that, and much to the horror of most compassionate observers, millions of people displaced by the madness in Syria, Iraq and most of the Middle East and North Africa live in limbo as they must flee the warfare and destruction in their own lands but are shunned by countries in a position to take them in and offer safety and support. The United States, a country founded on the backs of immigrants, perhaps literally (and on the genocide of native peoples and African slaves), is increasingly sounding like a country trying to protect some sort of national identity (whatever that may be) through restrictions on immigration. Citizens of a country, where most don’t have to go back more than two or three generations in their own family histories to find immigrant tales of struggle and success, now pretend that they must protect the US from ... what? In short, people in this country are defending rights and privileges they never had in the first place. The world is facing a crisis over human rights, whether it is about the treatment of minorities and women everywhere, about the plight of child laborers and the growing business of human (and mainly female) trafficking, about the access to clean and safe drinking water (see Fasenfest and Pride, 2016, for events in the US), or about problems facing people dispossessed of their homes, whether occupied by foreign forces (like Palestinians) or dealing with forces in opposition to their governments (for example, areas controlled by Boko Haram in Nigeria). Human rights include the right to work, to be free to express cultural differences, equality before the law, the right to selfdetermination, access to education, access to safe food and water, expectations of social security and many more rights, as outlined or implied in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet these seemingly basic standards are not being met, and so people suffer. 645720 CRS0010.1177/0896920516645720Critical SociologyEditorial research-article2016

Hospitalization of injured immigrants in Poland - Demographic profile and diagnosis.

More and more immigrants gradually come to Poland. Little is known, however, about their health situation or their injuries. The objective of this study was to analyse the cases of hospitalization of immigrants due to injuries in 2008-2010, including the number and demographic characteristics of the patients, as well as the nature of injury according to ICD-10 (S00-T98). The analysis was conducted on the basis of data from the General Hospital Morbidity Study. All the cases of hospitalization due to injuries were covered by the analysis, and a group of foreigners was compared to the general population. The number of foreigners hospitalized due to injuries ranged from 4.6-21.2 thousand in the subsequent years. The share of hospitalization due to injuries equalled 8.2-11.9% of all foreigners' hospital stay. The majority were males, but the proportion of females gradually increased up to 36.7% in 2010. The average age of the hospitalized gradually decreased to the age of 35.2 in 2010. The structure of the nature of injury was different from that of the general population. Prevailing types of injuries were minor injuries of wrist, hand, ankle and foot. Open wounds of the head were also common. Results of the analysis indicate the most important tendencies related to immigrants' injuries. Further research, as well as monitoring the foreigners' health status is necessary. Taking preventive measures is essential among the most vulnerable group - male immigrants aged 15-19.

Hospitalization of injured immigrants in Poland - Utilization of in-patient services.

In 2008-2010, the number of foreigners hospitalized due to injuries in Poland ranged from approximately 5-21 thousand. The aim of this study was to analyse the utilization of in-patient services by injured immigrants in 2008-2010, including mode of admission (i.e. referral), mode of discharge, average length of patient stay, seasonality and spatial distribution of hospital admissions. Analysis was conducted on the basis of data from the General Hospital Morbidity Study. All cases of hospitalization due to injuries were covered by the analysis, and a group of foreigners was compared to the general population. The percentage of immigrants admitted by acute admission through self-referral increased to 80.9% in 2010. The great majority (79.4%) were discharged to in-patient care. The immigrants' stay in the hospital was approximately twice as short than that of an average patient with injury. Immigrants and the rest of the patients were admitted to hospitals in different seasonal rhythm. The great majority of foreigners were treated in hospitals located in two (out of 16) provinces. This study supports the need for understanding the immigrant experience when accessing health care, as well as the need for further research and contribution of public health.

The role of natural environments in developing a sense of belonging: A comparative study of immigrants in the U.S., Poland, the Netherlands and Germany

This paper examines the role of natural environments in the development of a sense of belonging among immigrants in host countries. The data were collected with the use of in-depth interviews with 70 Latino and Chinese immigrants in the U.S., Ukrainian and Vietnamese immigrants in Poland, Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands, and Turkish immigrants in Germany. The findings explore recreation in natural environments in relation to the three cornerstones of belonging: history, place, and people. They show how migrants develop connections to places through building a history or a “web of memories;” discuss how migrants use, perceive, and relate to the places they visit; and examine social relationships that take place in natural environments. The findings of the study are discussed using Scannell and Gifford’s (2010) three-dimensional model of place attachment.

REGULATION OF THE LEGAL STATUS OF RUSSIAN IMMIGRANTS IN POLAND IN 1920-s

The article highlights the legal status of the Russian emigration in Poland in the 1920s. The article is based on the materials of the so-called Russian Foreign Historical Archive (RZIA), which is kept in a special storage in the State Archive of the Russian Federation (Moscow). The author analyzes the existing ways of regulating the legal status of Russian immigrants in Poland in the 1920s. In addition the article highlights the conditions of obtaining citizenship for those with the right to choose it as well as the problems faced by refugees in preparation of documents for legalization of their legal status. The author also considers the ways allowing immigrants to reside legally on the territory of Poland. The author has attempted to analyze the reasons for the passive attitude of immigrants to their legal status and the position of the Polish Government regarding this problem and the immigrants themselves.

Immigrants in the Labour Market in Poland

Labour immigrants play an increasingly important role in balancing the situation on labour market in Poland. Given the low demographic growth rate, pessimistic forecasts, mass labour emigration and structural maladjustment of the labour market, Poland faces the huge challenge of preventing a collapse of the pension system and public finance. A solution to the problem could be, for example, an inflow of foreign workers. The character of this paper is both theoretical and practical. The purpose of the article is to analyse the phenomenon of labour immigration in Poland (legal regulations governing employment of foreign workers, scale of immigration) and to present the opinions of employers concerning the employment of foreigners and the obstacles associated with it. The results of surveys conducted among employers in Warmian-Masurian voivodeship will be used for this purpose. According to the respondents, the main advantages of employing immigrants are lower costs (28%) and filling the gaps in the labour market (21%), whereas the biggest obstacle concerns complicated legal regulations (29%).

Burden or Relief? Fiscal Impacts of Recent Ukrainian Migration to Poland

Immigration has become recently one of the most important subjects in socio-economic debates. In many countries immigrants are commonly presented as a threat to host economies and societies. On top of this fiscal impacts of immigration are ones of the hottest and most controversial topics in recent debate on migration. Against this background this paper aims at (1) discussing and synthesizing both theoretical and empirical literature on fiscal impacts of immigration, and (2) assessing empirically net fiscal position of Ukrainian immigrants in Poland. On the theoretical level we show that there exists no clear or coherent theoretical framework to explain fiscal effects of migration. Outcomes of empirical studies are mixed and not unequivocal, but generally prove that fiscal impacts of immigration are small or negligible.In terms of explanation, type of migration, labor market incorporation (absorption) and institutional framework at destination (structure of the welfare state) are presented as critical factors. Importance of those factors is clearly supported by empirical analysis presented. Net fiscal position of Ukrainian immigrants in Poland is unequivocally positive (and more beneficial than it is in case of the natives). This is mostly due to favorable characteristics of incoming immigrants (in terms of age and education) and particular migration strategies in work (pure labor migration). These features, however, to a large extent result from modes of labor market incorporation and structural characteristics of the Polish welfare state.

A Psychology of Economic Migration

This article introduces a psychology of economic immigration as a field complementary to but separate from research on acculturation. A theoretical model of psychological disharmony is outlined, where hard work and thrift become the crucial elements of immigrant condition. Three studies are reported. Studies 1 and 2 were conducted among Polish immigrants in Ireland. These studies addressed personality comparisons between immigrants and nonimmigrant samples (Study 1: peer observations) and immigrant self-perceived changes (Study 2). Adaptive personality changes did occur as hypothesized, particularly in the domain of conscientiousness, which regulates work-related activities. This finding was restricted in Study 2 to a prospective time frame (change measured with time flow). Study 2 introduced four lifestyles: eudaimonia, hedonism, self-sacrifice, and alienation. Prospective change in conscientiousness favored eudaimonic lifestyle, but retrospective change predicted self-sacrifice. Participants in Study 3 were Eastern Slav and Vietnamese immigrants in Poland. Based on previous work on Confucian work dynamism, it was expected that Vietnamese would demonstrate greater work involvement, eudaimonic lifestyle, and thrift, compared to Slav immigrants. These hypotheses were confirmed, showing that within the general model of immigrant adaptation, there is room for cultural differences.

Money for Nothing? Ukrainian Immigrants in Poland and Their Remitting Behaviors

Analysis of remittances lies in the very centre of the scientific debate on developmental impacts of migration. On the macro level money sent back home may serve as an important source of capital (as compared to the value of export, Development Assistance or Foreign Direct Investment) but also cause inflationary pressure or disincentives for domestic savings. On the micro level remittances may constitute the major source of income and become a means towards consumption smoothing (migration as survival strategy). Notwithstanding, the very nature of remittances and underlying factors are still under theoretical and empirical discussion.The aim of the article is to assess patterns of remittances sent by Ukrainian migrants staying in Poland, to identify the main motives to remit and thus to understand mechanisms governing this process. The article hypothesizes that remitting depends strongly on the structure of migration (including socio-demographic factors responsible for particular motives to remit) and the type of mobility. Particularly, temporary migrants are expected to remit more likely. Econometric analysis based on an unique survey on migration and remittances completed in 2012 shows that in case of temporary migrants whose life centers are still located in sending communities remittances easily become an important part of contractual intra-family arrangements (with altruistic and exchange motives playing also a role). This outcome is important from the policy perspective because it helps to utilize developmental impacts of longstanding temporary migration strategies.

Active Inclusion of Immigrants in Poland

Poland has traditionally been treated as an emigration country. Since recently Poland has been changing into an emigration-immigration country. The latter, namely immigration, was boosted by the European Union membership and by stable and strong growth of the country. In the last years, immigrants have started to play an important role in the Polish labour market, which creates an additional challenge for the institutional structure. At the same time the institutional framework for receiving immigrants, especially integration policy, has not been fully developed yet. It is addressed only to refugees and is provided mostly by NGOs who run various integration programmes (most often focused on providing language courses). Public expenditure on integration policies has recently increased. However, data on immigrants, integration in immigration policy and also its analysis are still scarce. In this paper we try to present and discuss the available information on immigration to Poland and instruments of integration policy in the context of the existing institutional framework. We propose also recommendations for the pre-integration and integration policy in Poland. The goal of the paper is modest since it is hardly possible to apply more sophisticated methods given the limited availability of information.

Clashes of Discourse: The Representations of Immigrants in Poland

The text presents the analysis of representations of immigrants published in the period 1993–2003 in the largest dailies in Poland. The analysed material allows the identification of four main discourses, which can be described as separate and relatively coherent systems of statements on immigrants, characterized by their argumentation structure and rhetorical figures, recurrent images and topics. These discourses may be linked with wider sets of beliefs as well as with ideological and political standpoints, and called multicultural, pro-state, ethno-nationalistic or sensation-seeking. These discourses clash in the public domain and their manifestations vary in the different types of newspapers and in the statements of different public actors.