500+ also for foreigners. He gets them 3 thousand young russians

The Family 500+ program has been in existence since 2016. Initially, it cost the budget a little more than PLN 20 billion a year, but after the government abolished financial criteria and allocated money also for the first child, i.e. covered all children under 18, the cost of the program increased. up to PLN 40 billion.

How much does 500+ cost us?

The same amount is reserved for the implementation of the program this year. PLN 1.4 billion was allocated for the Good Start allowance, and PLN 2.4 billion for the Family Care Capital. In mid-2021, the family ministry announced that we had already spent PLN 156 billion on 500 plus from the very beginning.

After the rules change, parents must apply for an extension of benefits for subsequent periods. In 2022, the allowance was paid to 7 million children. Among them there are also children of foreigners.

Can foreigners apply for 500+?

Foreigners who meet at least one of the following conditions can apply for 500+:

• be a citizen of one of the countries of the European Union or the European Free Trade Association - EFTA;

• be a citizen of one of the countries that have signed a bilateral social security agreement with Poland (for example, the United States, Canada, Moldova, South Korea or Ukraine);

• obtaining a temporary residence permit to perform work in a profession that requires high qualifications and residence in Poland together with family members;

• possession of a residence permit marked “access to the labor market” and residence in Poland with family members;

• legal stay in Poland as part of an intra-corporate transfer and residence in our country with family members;

• stay in Poland in connection with scientific research.

In 2022, a very important innovation for citizens of Ukraine came into force: they can receive child benefit if they legally entered Poland from Ukraine after February 23, 2022 due to hostilities and want to stay in Poland.

How many foreigners got 500+ in 2022?

Economist Rafal the Wise asked ZUS for information on how many foreigners receive benefits. In 2022, there were almost 398,000 of them. Not surprisingly, most of them are children from Ukraine (361 thousand). In second place were children from Belarus (15,000). The PiS government’s flagship allowance is also paid to 3,000 people. Russian children - these data show how large the spread is in the number of foreigners from different countries living in Poland.

In fourth place are children from Vietnam (2.3 thousand beneficiaries), and in fifth and sixth place are from Bulgaria and Romania (1.6 thousand each).