Spike at the Border with Poland: Over 50 Thousand Ukrainians Have Submitted Applications for PESEL UKR in Recent Months.

According to ТСН: There is significant demand at the border crossings to Poland: the number of Ukrainians applying for the PESEL UKR protection status has sharply increased.

According to data, from late August to November 2025, nearly 50 thousand applications were submitted, which significantly exceeds the figures from previous months.

High Volume of Protection Requests

Data from the Polish government indicates an abnormally high influx of migrants:

• Increase in Scale. From August 26 to November 10, 2025, 49.7 thousand applications were submitted. In comparison, during the first two months of this year, the number was only 16,000.

• Active Status. More than 2 million Ukrainians hold the UKR status, which grants the right to reside, work, and receive social assistance. As of November 12, 964.4 thousand individuals maintained active status in Poland.

Reason: Permission to Exit for Men Aged 18–22

The primary reason for the migration spike was changes in Ukrainian legislation:

"In late August 2025, the change in Ukrainian legislation allowed men aged 18–22 to legally leave the country," explained Cezary Przybyl, a consultant at the Polish Economic Institute.

The proportion of Ukrainian men aged 18–65 who submitted applications for legalization in Poland increased from 16.6% to 17.4%. This indicates a significant increase in the number of young men arriving.

The Polish Border Guard confirms that from late August to late November, over 121 thousand men in this age group entered Poland, most of whom either stayed in Poland or moved to other EU countries.

It is worth noting that previously a demographer estimated Ukraine's overall demographic losses after the war.

This significant influx of Ukrainians to Poland is driven by changes in legislation that allow young men to leave the country more easily. This situation underscores the importance of supporting the rights and opportunities for Ukrainian migrants in the context of the ongoing conflict and its implications for the demographic situation in Ukraine.