HOW THE INFORMATION CENTRE FOR FOREIGNERS WORKS?
The Information Centre for Foreigners supports people from abroad in the following matters:
- Providing information about the educational offer, including language learning, public health services and social assistance;
- Providing information about the availability of benefits offered by the city commune of Szczecin and support for crime victims as well as discrimination and violence issues;
- Providing information about the housing policy in the city commune of Szczecin and apartment renting;
- Increasing awareness of existing procedures in official matters;
- Informing about possibilities in receiving Pole’s Card, registration and citizenship;
- Increasing awareness in the professional area including information about operating mechanism of the local labour market, applicable procedures and the need for employment’s legalization.
Information Centre operates regarding following TERMS AND REGULATIONS.
WHERE DOES THE IDEA OF ESTABLISHING THE CENTER COME FROM?
Foreigners who are staying on the territory of city commune of Szczecin need support in the integration process with the local community. Employees from behind the eastern border are very popular in our labour market. They are coming to Poland primarily for gainful purposes, which means that they are characterized by employers as a very hard-working, determined and willing to develop employees. The similarity of languages gives great development opportunities for our eastern neighbours, which makes them even more desirable for employers.
According to the official statistics of the Social Insurance Institution, there were 25,000 legally employed foreigners in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in the first quarter of 2019. Most of them ie. 19,000 live and work in Szczecin. It is also worth paying attention to the fact, that the most numerous group are citizens of Ukraine, of whom almost 16,000 were registered for insurance in Szczecin.
Our experience shows us that there are 50 % more foreigners coming to Szczecin to find employment. Unfortunately due to illegal practices, they are not registered in Social Insurance Institution, they work without an employment contract and their remuneration differs from labour market wages. This is a result of foreigners’ lack of knowledge in the twists and turns of Polish law, which is too complex for them as well as giving too much trust to employers.
In the theory, the legalization procedure seems to be simple, because there are only three types of required documents, that legalize foreigners employment: statement, the permission of A-type and uniform permission for residence and work. However, by proceeding to implement the procedure with legalization it occurs that there are many factors, which makes this complicated, demanding a lot of work and owning a specialized knowledge in this matter. The situation is even more complicated by the fact that information on how to legally employ a worker are contradictory, which may be confusing for those unfamiliar with this subject.
Therefore, we should do our best to ensure citizens of other nationalities, who came to our city for work purpose, that they are well cared and that they receive the necessary support that protects them against unethical and sometimes illegal practices.
