cultural and social assimilation of immigrants, and systemic solutions – Poles in Norway and Ukrainians in Poland in the light of comparative research

DOI : 10.14746/pp.2018.23.4.7
Wojciech Nowiak
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7448-5002
Andrzej Stelmach
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3747-0466
The cultural and social assimilation of immigrants, and systemic
solutions – Poles in Norway and Ukrainians in Poland in the light
of comparative research
Abstract: The article presents the problem of migration and assimilation of newcomers in the countries
of residence. One of the main reasons for migration are economic and social considerations, this applies
to both non-European arrivals and internal migration. The aim of this study, conducted by scholars from
Norway and Poland, is to compare systemic solutions both within the social legislation and the func-
tioning of the labor market with respect to Poles and Ukrainians, confronting them with existing barri-
ers regarding the possibility of assimilation and obstacles related to the transformation of economic into
settlement migration. The methodological and theoretical basis of the team’s research is comparative
methods, including comparative politics. The research on immigrants was conducted using both quan-
titative methods – statistical and qualitative data analysis – and research using the in-depth interview
method. Poles and Ukrainians are not at the same stage of formal migration due to the formal plane. Ac-
cording to the analysis, Ukrainians have much greater opportunities for actual assimilation than Poles in
Norway. Smaller cultural differences and linguistic barriers to the Ukrainians in Poland are conducive
to this process. If the state and Polish society take advantage of this situation and enable the settlement
of Ukrainians and make their job offers more attractive, there is a chance that they will fill the emerging
demographic gap. It would be for the benefit of both societies.
Key words: migration, assimilation of immigrants, Poles in Norway, Ukrainians in Poland
Introduction
The problem of migration and assimilation of newcomers in the countries of residence
has become the leading topic of both political and media debate in Europe. One of the
main reasons for migration are economic and social considerations, this applies to both
non-European arrivals and internal migration. One of the examples of internal migration of
an economic nature is the migration of Poles after 2004 within the European Union and the
European Economic Area. According to various data, about 2.5 million citizens emigrated
from Poland, mainly for business purposes. One example of this migration is that of Poles
migrating to Norway, who in a short space of time have become the second largest national-
ity in the country apart from Norwegians. In the case of this group, non-resident migration
is still dominant – due to the formal and legal possibilities, among others, of gaining full
social rights, which Poles can avail in Norway. The resulting gap on the Polish labor market
is filled by employees from Ukraine. There are about 1.5–2 million of them in Poland. In
this case, the motives for migration are also of an economic nature. At present, Ukrainians

90 Wojciech Nowiak, Andrzej Stelmach PP 4 ’18
do not have analogous rights to those Poles have in Norway. This applies both to the labor
market and economic migration itself. The aim of this study, conducted by scholars from
Norway and Poland, is to compare systemic solutions both within the social legislation and
the functioning of the labor market with respect to Poles and Ukrainians, confronting them
with existing barriers regarding the possibility of assimilation and obstacles related to the
transformation of economic into settlement migration. Comparing Norway’s attractiveness
for Poles and Poland’s for Ukrainians is a matter of both interest and importance.
The research methodology
The basis of this article is the research undertaken by an international research team
implementing the project titled Labor migration and the moral sustainability of the Nor-
wegian welfare state funded by the Research Council of Norway as part of the Welfare,
Working Life and Migration Program (Velferd, Arbeidsliv og Migrasjon – VAM) and
similar surveys carried out in Poland with respect to Ukrainian citizens. The research
in Poland was carried out from the resources of the Faculty of Political Science and
Journalism and contained additional quantitative research based on the method of direct
interview conducted at the beginning of 2018 on a group of 1,300 people. The research
area in Norway was the Hardaland district, and in Poland – Wielkopolska. The method-
ological and theoretical basis of the team’s research is comparative methods, including
comparative politics (Landman, Robinson, 2009). The research on immigrants was con-
ducted using both quantitative methods – statistical and qualitative data analysis – and
research using the in-depth interview method (Weiss, 1995; Kvale, Brinkmann, 2009).
The study benefited from the snowball effect. As the number of people tested and
the trust in the testers increased, subsequent people gave contacts to other respondents.
Efforts were made to ensure that this selection was adequate to the situation of Poles in
the Norwegian labor market and in the Polish immigrant group. An analogous rule was
applied to Ukrainians in Poland.
The anonymity of the respondents was very important. Interviews and surveys were
voluntary.
After conducting research in Norway, the areas of assimilation related to the social
and cultural situation, access to services, norms and principles functioning in both com-
munities, experiences exported by Poles from the country of origin were separated. Then,
research was conducted on Ukrainians in Poland using the same assimilation planes for
comparative analysis within assimilation.
The socio-economic conditions and legal situation – Poles in Norway
Already in the 19th century, Poland (Kaczmarek, 2008, p. 13) was one of the most
important areas of net emigration in Europe. These were mainly labor migrations, some
of them were transformed into settlement migrations. Very large migratory movements
in relation to Poland took place after World War II, because at the end of the war, 5 mil-
lion people were abroad, about 20% of all those who survived the war (Kersten, 1974,

PP 4 ’18 The cultural and social assimilation of immigrants, and systemic... 91
p. 320). An equally large wave of migration took place in the 1980s, according to avail-
able data, 2.2 million people emigrated from Poland during this period (Okólski, 1994,
p. 25). This was related to the gradual abolition of restrictions and the socio-economic
situation. Some emigrants left for political reasons.
Introducing the socio-economic determinants with regard to Poles living in Norway,
one should bear in mind the fact that Polish citizens constituted one of the largest groups
from Central and Eastern Europe who decided to migrate after the fall of the Iron Cur-
tain, as well as the cessation of economic, military and political ties with the Soviet
Union. For Poland, the transformation was symbolized by the national elections of June
4, 1989, in which the political opposition, mainly related to the Solidarity movement,
was involved. The main motive for migration was economic, the desire to change the
situation of their families who remained in the home country. Salary differences in West-
ern European countries and Poland were very significant at that time.
Soon after, on January 1, 1992, the agreement on Poland’s association with the EEC
entered into force, which meant in practice the abolition of entry visas for Poles and made
it possible to take up work. In the initial period, seasonal work was legally undertaken.
Before Poland’s accession to the European Union, as a consequence of bilateral
agreements concluded with Germany, France, Belgium and Switzerland, legal labor
migration from Poland, including cross-border migration at the end of the 1990s, was
around 300–400,000 people per year (Czop, 2013, pp. 34–44). The migration model,
such as having a home and family in Poland and working abroad, had been created. The
main directions of migration were Germany and the United States. People migrating
from regions with large migration traditions often left their homeland. The migration of
the 1980s and 90s was mainly short-term and was associated with taking up employment
abroad, mainly in Western Europe, the USA and Canada.
The accession of Poland to the EU on May 1, 2004 was a breakthrough due to institu-
tional changes in the migration of Poles. The European Union guaranteed workers’rights
to newcomers from Poland, and the migration ceased to have its occasional nature. Nor-
way, as one of the countries of the European Economic Area, experienced an immediate
migration effect. As in other European countries, a new type of employment migration
prevailed. In the initial period, Norway mostly took specialists and agricultural seasonal
workers from Eastern Europe, and their number never exceeded several thousand annu-
ally (Brox, 2009). For the eight new EU member states of Poland, the Czech Republic,
Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia, transitional employment
arrangements were in force in the years between 2004–2009 (NOU: 2011:7, p. 71).
The consequences of being a member of the EU brought far-reaching, highly beneficial
changes in terms of the possibility of using the social benefits available in Norway. Poles
became part of the Norwegian welfare state overnight (Nowiak, 2011).
Under the existing solutions, they acquired rights to:
equal treatment – citizens from the EEA from day one of their stay are treated in the––
same way and can enjoy the same rights as Norwegians;
common benefits – everyone may exercise the rights acquired in other EEA countries––
in Norway. An example of this is pension benefits, where the Norwegian system
requires a minimum of three years of employment to acquire rights. This must be
a period of working in Norway;

proportionality – this means in practice that the recipient (pensioner) receives a par-––
tial benefit from the state from which he transferred to Norway;
opportunities to export benefits – this means in practice that an employee from the––
EEA who acquires rights to benefits can obtain them thanks to permanent residence
in Norway. An example is cash benefits, if the spouse and children of a Polish em-
ployee live in Poland, he/she gets a cash equivalent for not using the Norwegian
kindergarten (Frieberg, 2013, p. 19). After the transition period, barriers concerning
the employment of Poles in Norway were completely removed.
The research carried out in Norway on immigrants from Poland indicates that most
of them came to work, which they sought while still in Poland. This was the result of
the functioning of Polish and Norwegian employment offices (Frieberg, 2011). Poles,
like citizens from other countries that joined the EU in 2004, worked mainly (as much
as 77%) in three sectors of the economy: agriculture, industry and construction. This
situation changed slightly after 2010, when women started to come to Norway and take
up paid work. Other industries include cleaning services, trade, transport, hospitality,
and public services, including health and social services. As for women, they mostly
found their first employment in the cleaning industry, based on private contracts. This is
undoubtedly related to the language barrier. Women do not work in large groups, as for
instance men do in the construction industry, therefore knowledge of the language is the
key prerequisite for them in order to get a job.
During the ten years of membership (2004–2014), the increase in the amount of Poles
in Norway reached a level of 1,101%, a greater increase was recorded only for Lithu-
anians 3,694% (Aftenposten, 2014). In absolute numbers, according to data on Janu-
ary 1, 2015, immigrants and immigrant children with Polish roots accounted for 99,400
people, out of a total of 804,963. This meant that Poles were the largest group, before
Lithuanians – 39,300 and Swedes – 39,100 (Invandrere, 2015). Poles have become the
dominant national group in this country among all immigrants to this country. It is dif-
ficult to estimate the final number of Poles staying and working in Norway, because, as
research indicates, despite the possibility of legal employment, a group still works in the
gray economy (Nowiak, Narożna, Cappelen, 2016).
Despite significant changes related to the development of Poland after joining the
European Union, falling unemployment, higher salaries and an increasing standard of
living, a very large percentage of Poles still harbor the desire to emigrate from Poland for
economic reasons. According to the 2017 report by the Work Service, Labour Migration
of Poles, 14% of professionally active people were prepared to leave Poland. This means
that the number of Polish emigrants may increase to about 3.1 million people. The third
country preferred by Poles after Germany (32%) and Great Britain (19%) is Norway
(11%) (Migracje Zarobkowe Polaków VII, 2017).
In the case of Poles leaving for work, it is very difficult to estimate the number of
people who left Poland with the intention of taking up permanent residence, because the
only indicator is the number of people resigning from permanent residence in Poland.
As can be seen in the list below, in the peak year of 2006, the total was 46,936 people,
while in 2017 it was only 11,888. It can be concluded that a significant part of Poles who
started working abroad, despite its multi-annual character, do not sever their family ties.
In fact most of them plan to return.

Table1
ThenumberofpeoplewhohaveresignedfrompermanentresidenceinPoland
between2004–2016
Years
20042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017
Total1887722242469363548030140186201736019858212003210328080–1197011888
Men97161188027237208741616284117975915499511487413803–61955930
Women91611036219699146061397810209938510704112491722914277–57755958
Source:OwnstudybasedondatacontainedintheCentralStatisticsOffice(DemographyDatabase),http://demografia.stat.gov.pl/bazademografia/CustomSelect.aspx,
24.06.2018.

The largest increase in terms of permanent exits was noted in the first years of Poland’s
membership of the EU. After 2007, the number of people leaving the country with the
intention of taking up permanent residence abroad has been systematically decreasing.
In the initial period, a significant amount was the result of a process of family reunifica-
tion, involving people who had previously left; and also the opportunity to benefit from
equal social rights and travel by young people who saw the opportunity of a lifetime in
the opening up of legal labor markets in the EU and the European Economic Area.
Socio-economic conditions and legal situation – Ukrainians in Poland
After proclaiming independence on August 24, 1991, and the formal breakup of
the Soviet Union on December 26, 1991, Ukraine and its citizens found themselves in
a similar situation as Poland. Citizens of Ukraine, under the Regulation of the Council
of the European Union 539/2001, were included in Annex I (countries whose citizens
need a visa to the Schengen area). This resulted in significant restrictions regarding the
possibility of traveling to Poland.
After Poland’s accession to the EU, Ukrainians, together with the citizens of Ar-
menia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and the Russian Federation were subject to special
procedural facilitations. They could take up work in Poland without the need to apply for
a work permit. From 2007, they were allowed to work for three months in a six month
period, and from 2008 for six months in a year. Similarly to Polish citizens, visas were
abolished in 1992, so the breakthrough date for Ukraine was May 11, 2017, when the
Council of the European Union adopted a regulation on visa liberalization for Ukrainian
citizens coming to the EU for a period of 90 days in a six month period.
In practice, this meant the increasing attractiveness of other EU countries when it
came to employing workers from Ukraine due to higher earnings for instance in Germa-
ny. Meanwhile, in Poland, certain areas of the economy could not do without employing
Ukrainians. Without them, such sectors as retail, agri-food processing or the construction
industry would be badly affected due to a lack of workers. Poland, bearing in mind the
new situation, reacted to change the situation immediately. On July 20, 2017, under the
new law on employment of foreigners from outside the EU for short-term and seasonal
work, district employment offices registered approx. 1.8 million statements on the inten-
tion to employ foreigners, 85% of work permits and 95% of the statements went to citi-
zens Ukraine. As of January 1, 2018, the rules of employing workers from Ukraine were
simplified on the basis of a declaration on employing foreigners at the District Employ-
ment Office for a period of up to six months. Such a statement is entered in a register, on
the basis of which a person staying under the visa-free regime can be legally employed
or apply for a visa at the Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Ukraine, enabling legal
stay in Poland. During the term of the contract, an employee from Ukraine has the same
employment rights as a Polish citizen. Citizens of foreign countries, including of course
Ukrainians who permanently reside in Poland, are subject to Polish social insurance.
After three months of work by a foreigner as part of the declaration procedure, if the em-
ployer wants to continue cooperation with him based on a contract of employment and
on conditions not worse than those specified in the statement, he may apply to the gov-

ernor of region for a work permit (or a foreigner’s application for a residence and work
permits). Such permission is issued without the so-called labor market test. In this case,
the foreigner has the right to legally perform work for the above-mentioned employer
during the waiting period for the decision on the permit.
Seasonal work permits, which are given to all foreigners from non-EU/EEA coun-
tries, are issued by a district head or District Employment Offices acting on his behalf.
This type of permit:
entitles you to work for a period of nine months within one calendar year (cost––
PLN 30.00);
when applying for this permission for citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Mol-––
dova, Russia and Ukraine, it is not necessary to obtain information from a district
head on the inability to satisfy personnel needs;
concerns working in sectors regarded as seasonal;––
on the arrival of a foreigner in Poland, the employer is obliged to inform the District––
Employment Office and provide the foreigner’s address – only after this does the of-
fice issue a seasonal work permit entitling the foreigner to work;
in subsequent years of cooperation with a given foreigner, the employer can apply for––
so-called multi-season entry (up to three years);
a foreigner may work while awaiting a seasonal work permit, i.e. after the entity––
informs the District Employment Office about the arrival of the foreigner. However,
the work must be carried out under the conditions set out in the certificate of entry
previously issued by the DEO;
· a foreigner may also work while waiting for the extension of a seasonal work––
permit from the same employer;
the employing entity is required to conclude a written contract with the foreigner––
and to present it beforehand with a translation into a language comprehensible to the
foreigner in accordance with the conditions specified in the statement (the contract
must include the conditions included in the declaration);
the employing entity is obliged to comply with all obligations resulting from employ-––
ment, just as in the case of Polish citizens.
As can be seen here, Poland wants to make work opportunities more attractive for
employees from Ukraine, thus protecting itself against the mass departure of Ukrainians
from Poland to the West. Probably some of them will be tempted by several times higher
salaries, like in Germany, for instance. However, it should be remembered that they will
not be able to work legally there, and the German inspection system in this area is very
efficient.
According to the available data, 16% of Polish companies employ Ukrainians, and
the largest enterprises hire them: we find them in 44% of large companies, 21% of medi-
um-sized companies and 13% of small firms. Ukrainians are employed primarily in com-
panies in the manufacturing industry (24% of enterprises in this sector employ them),
followed by the service sector (20%) and trade (14%). Earnings of workers from Ukraine
are comparable to the level of earnings of Poles, which was primarily affected by raising
the minimum wage in Poland to PLN 13.00 gross hourly pay. Citizens of Ukraine can
often count on additions to salaries, such as accommodation, food, transport to and from
the workplace, as well as social benefits.

Employing a citizen of Ukraine to work, Polish entrepreneurs primarily use employ-
ment agencies (38%). A further 35% find workers through family and friends. Ukraini-
ans, like other foreigners staying on the basis of a visa (national or Schengen), are not
entitled to social assistance. They have full rights to education, education up to the age
of eighteen is obligatory for foreigners, regardless of their status. When making statisti-
cal comparisons in relation to Poland, in terms of the number of immigrants, including
citizens of Ukraine, we can clearly see a smaller influx of people with the intention of
taking up permanent residence. This is undoubtedly associated with lower attractiveness
of Poland compared to other EU and EEA countries.
Table 2
The number of people immigrating to Poland between 2004–2016
Years
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Total 9485 9364 10802 14995 15275 17424 15246 15524 14583 12199 12330 – 13475 13324
Men 4800 4873 5938 8503 8984 11145 9011 8863 8106 6854 6777 – 7299 7200
Women 4695 4491 4864 6492 6291 6279 6232 6661 6477 5345 5553 – 6176 6124
Source: Own study based on data contained in the Central Statistics Office (Demography Database), http://
demografia.stat.gov.pl/bazademografia/CustomSelect.aspx, 24.06.2018.
As for the citizens of Ukraine, they constitute only a small percentage of migrants
with the intention of taking up permanent residence in Poland. This can be seen on the
table below.
Table 3
The number of Ukrainian citizens immigrating to Poland between 2004–2016
Years
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Total 1196 1067 682 777 776 609 599 619 607 630 749 – 1351 1396
Men 310 314 211 230 227 195 213 181 204 242 295 – 550 590
Women 886 752 471 547 549 414 386 438 403 388 454 – 801 806
Source: Own study based on data contained in the Central Statistics Office (Demography Database), http://
demografia.stat.gov.pl/bazademografia/CustomSelect.aspx, 24.06.2018.
Ukrainians are the dominant group when it comes to people who have been granted
a positive decision for permanent residence by a regional governor in Poland. According
to the data from the Office for Foreigners, in 2016 there were 5,920 permits out of a total
of 9,042 positive decisions, this number increased significantly in 2017, amounting to
7,866 out of 13,304 permits (Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców, 2016). Altogether, this
was the largest group of foreigners, and in the middle of 2016 it totaled 83,490 people
(Ostaszewska-Żuk, 2016, p. 24).
In the case of settlers from Ukraine, the trend of temporary migration prevails. It has
already been scrutinized that unlike in the case of all migrants, who have changed their
place of residence due to economic reasons, women are the dominant gender. While
among the total number of employees from Ukraine and the majority of people who

settle in Poland are men, this tendency does not apply to female Ukrainians. It can be as-
sessed on this basis that the dominant motive for so to speak female settlement in Poland
is a marriage to a Polish citizen motif.
In addition, it is clear that for citizens of Ukraine, especially women, Poland became
more attractive immediately after joining the EU. Settling and getting married meant be-
ing a citizen not only of Poland, but also of the EU. Similarly, after 2016 and the gradual
opening of the Polish labor market, we see an increase in the inflow of Ukrainian citizens
for permanent residence. Not without significance is the fact that the most significant
ease of employment restrictions in relation to them only appeared in 2018. Hence, analo-
gous studies can only be carried out a few years from now.
Cultural and social assimilation – Poles in Norway
Bearing in mind the issues related to the assimilation of a given group of immigrants
in the country of temporary or permanent residence, the authors’ assessment should take
into account several areas that allow the assessment of the group, regardless of the legal
situation of the persons. Assuming objectively that the object of the analysis is persons
legally staying and migrating to a given state, one should take into account (a) the axi-
ological plane, connected with the fact of belonging to a religious group that is dominant
in a given group. Similarly, (b) the plane associated with the state of consciousness and
behavior of individuals and groups assessed within a given community may be signifi-
cant in the way of perceiving the reality. Also important are (c) social relations between
visitors/immigrants and the society/community in which they found themselves. The rea-
sons for integration or alienation may be: (d) family relationships functioning in a given
community, identical or not with relations in the country of residence; functioning and
dominant (e) mechanisms and relations of an economic nature, perceived as beneficial
or not and affecting the material status of immigrants and their families; adaptation to
(f) norms and rules operating on the labor market, with temporary immigrants working
or permanently employed; and finally, (g) the degree of acceptance and participation
in political life, as well as the attitude to dominant norms, constitutional principles and
value systems.
In the case of Poles taking up employment in Norway and the decision to reside in
this country, language is the biggest barrier to assimilation and the possibility of getting
to know native Norwegians. The basic obstacle to assimilation is also the nature of the
work and motivation behind the migration. Despite the improving economic situation in
Poland, the motives are still economic, related to a desire to ultimately return to Poland
(Nowiak, Narożna, Kuhnle, 2016c).
The dominant group among Poles living and working in Norway are men, about
70%. Construction is the predominant employment sector, often the majority of employ-
ees carry out a specific construction job. The only Norwegians they encounter in this
case are the owners of the construction companies, investors or technical supervisors,
who only come into contact with some of the Polish employees working on those con-
struction sites. They are often recruited by intermediaries in Poland, then employed in
Norway. Most Poles do not have a command of any foreign languages, this also applies

to English, because they do not need it. The research proves that, among other things, the
functioning of Poles and Polish families in Norway, changes when women start working
there and educating their offspring, sending them to local schools.
Referring in more detail to the areas identified at the outset, based on research con-
ducted in Norway, among Poles living and working in this country, the following conclu-
sions can be drawn:
1) the vast majority of Poles are part of the so-called ‘Nomadic migration’ – they are
not interested in integration;
2) they are socially and culturally connected with their group. Many times they live
together in houses rented by Norwegian employers (groups from a handful to dozens
of people);
3) isolation is conducive to the nature of living – due to the above mentioned ‘worker
residences,’ a kind of ‘worker hotel;’
4) very often, they do not accept and do not understand many of the standards, prin-
ciples and institutions commonly accepted by Norwegian society;
5) since most migrants are aware of their temporary stay and the closed nature of Nor-
wegian society, they are not interested in breaking into it;
6) an element conducive to isolation is belonging to different denominational commu-
nity – Poles are mostly Catholics, while Norwegians are Evangelical Lutherans;
7) a very important obstacle in making decisions about changing economic migration
into settlement migration is the climate;
8) more often, partial assimilation occurs among young people who have decided on
settlement migration;
9) partial assimilation occurs when the process of children attending kindergartens and
schools begins;
10) the children of Poles living with their parents are mostly bicultural, which results
in the duality of life/value systems that are often mutually exclusive. There is the
syndrome of a child brought as a ‘suitcase’ – no one asked him whether he wants to
go to Norway. Very often there is a sudden break of peer bonds in Poland as well as
loss of contact with grandparents and other family members. Children are angry at
their parents, but they have no choice. These ties are renewed when organizing, for
example, First Communions, very often in Poland;
11) the importance of traditional, integration institutions is decreasing, they are being
replaced by websites and social networking sites;
12) a significant part of Poles feel a sense of discrimination due to the Norwegian asylum
policy, which additionally encourages alienation;
13) Poles accept and follow patterns in the field of standards and rules operating in Nor-
wegian work environments;
14) Poles do not accept Norwegian work culture, where there is a place for rest and due
breaks or benefits;
15) Poles, despite the formal possibilities of participating in the life of local communi-
ties of a self-governing nature, do not get involved in their lives.
As can be seen from the above-mentioned partial conclusions, due to the nature of
the labor migration prevailing among Poles and the character of the Norwegian national
community, the assimilation of Poles migrating to Norway is mainly of a formal nature.

It manifests itself mainly in the sphere of work (legality of employment) and access to
the social system.
Cultural and social assimilation – Ukrainians in Poland
A great convenience for Ukrainian citizens coming to work in Poland and deciding
on migrations is their knowledge of the Polish language, as well as the closeness and
similarity of the Polish, Ukrainian and Russian languages. This is related to the historical
ties of Western Ukraine with Poland. Before World War II, it was part of Poland, and to
this day many residents of this part of the country use this language or have relatives or
friends who identify with their Polish roots.
As research indicates, half of Ukrainians come to Poland to work for 1–3 months.
During talks with the Ukrainian research agency Rating Group, which cooperated in
the creation of the Barometer (400 citizens of Ukrainian origin working in Poland were
questioned), the Ukrainians admitted that they treated their stay in Poland as an opportu-
nity for short-term earnings. They emphasized that they chose Poland as a profit-making
destination, because it is close. Thanks to this, they can quickly return home when they
need to. They are also compensated by local earnings (44% of respondents). In Poland,
a Ukrainian earns an average of four times more than in their own country. During their
stay, they try to spend as little as possible. They put savings aside and take them back to
their home country. Ukrainians gather funds and then take them to their homeland, when
their visa expires, rather than sending back a specific sum every month. In this way, they
avoid fees for international bank transfers (Większość Ukraińców..., 2018). The situation
of Ukrainian citizens is similar to that in which Poles found themselves in the association
period with and in the case of EEA countries in transition periods. Hence, research into
their presence and levels of assimilation are not fully comparable to the conditions in
which Poles currently operate in Norway, although similarities are visible in many areas
due to the typically commercial nature of the migration.
Referring in more detail to the areas of assimilation under analysis in relation to Poles
migrating to Norway, and on the basis of the experience and lessons learned from the
presence of Ukrainian citizens in Poland, the following conclusions can be drawn for
each of them.
I. The axiological plane, associated with the fact of belonging to the dominant reli-
gious group in a given community. Most Ukrainians who come to Poland are Or-
thodox believers. The system of values, the functioning of societies covered by
Orthodoxy and Catholicism, is not so divergent.
II. The plane associated with the state of consciousness and behavior of individuals and
groups assessed within a given community may be significant in the way of perceiv-
ing the reality. In the case of Poles and Ukrainians, there are no major socio-cultural
differences in the perception of reality in terms of the behavior of both communities.
III. Social relations between newcomers/immigrants and the society/community in
which they found themselves. There is a noticeable difference in the approach to
Ukrainians depending on the nature of contacts, or their absence and the situation
on the local labor market, e.g. unemployment rates.

IV. Family relationships functioning in a given community, identical or not with rela-
tionships in the state of residence. In this case, there are no significant differences,
both communities are characterized by the traditional patriarchal character of fami-
lies and the same approaches to children, their rights and duties.
V. Mechanisms and relations of an economic nature, perceived as beneficial or not and
affecting the material status of immigrants and their families.
VI. Norms and rules operating on the labor market, with temporary immigrants or those
permanently employed. Employees from Ukraine functioning on the Polish labor
market, in addition to equal treatment in terms of remuneration, benefit from the
same regulations regarding norms and principles of labor law and social protection
as employees from Poland.
VII. The degree of acceptance and participation in political life, as well as the attitude
to dominant norms, constitutional principles and value systems. Due to the nature
of their stay, the relatively frequent changes of regulations regarding their employ-
ment and seasonality, there is no possibility of their wider participation in social life.
They also do not have political rights with regard to the possibility of participation
in local elections.
The conclusions drawn both on the basis of qualitative and quantitative research in
relation to immigrants from Ukraine residing and working in Poland indicate the greater
probability of their assimilation. This depends on the progressive suppression of their
stay and work and the extension of social legislation to their family members.
Much now depends on the situation in Ukraine, especially the stabilization processes
and the possible return of Poles residing abroad. Ukrainians feel at home in Poland as
it facilitates cultural and linguistic proximity, which is also connected with the fact that
the majority of those who come to Poland also speak Russian. This language is known
to many Polish citizens, hence the ease of communication. This fact often causes that
Ukrainians, despite lower salaries, choose Poland, not Germany as their destination of
migration.
Conclusions
As can be seen from the above analysis, economic considerations are the main mo-
tive for the migration of both communities. In the case of Ukrainian citizens, the internal
crisis connected with the conflict over the part of the country that is in a state of civil war
is also very important.
Poles and Ukrainians are not at the same stage of formal migration due to the formal
plane. The scope of their rights is not the same. The gap created by the absence of mil-
lions of Poles, working abroad, in Norway, among other places, is filled by Ukrainian
citizens. They have far greater opportunities for actual assimilation than Poles in Nor-
way. If the state and Polish society take advantage of this situation and enable the settle-
ment of Ukrainians and make their job offers more attractive, there is a chance that they
will fill the emerging demographic gap.
In a few years, Poles became the second largest national group in Norway, the larg-
est minority that has developed from only several thousand people in the early twentieth

century. Ukrainians are one of the largest national minorities in Poland, and they have
a chance of occupying a similar place in Poland as Poles in Norway.
As can be seen from the analysis of the assimilation planes, the feasibility of this
prognosis is very high.
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Kulturowa i społeczna asymilacja imigrantów a rozwiązania systemowe
– Polacy w Norwegii i Ukraińcy w Polsce, w świetle badań porównawczych
Streszczenie
Przedmiotem analizy jest problem migracji oraz asymilacji przybyszów w krajach pobytu. Jednym
z głównych powodów migracji są względy o charakterze ekonomicznym i społecznym, dotyczy to
zarówno przybyszów spoza Europy, jak i migracji wewnętrznej. Celem badania przeprowadzonego
przez uczonych z Norwegii oraz Polski jest porównanie rozwiązań systemowych zarówno w obrębie
prawodawstwa socjalnego, jak i funkcjonowania rynku pracy w odniesieniu do Polaków oraz Ukraiń-
ców. Skonfrontowanie ich z istniejącymi barierami dotyczącymi możliwości asymilacji oraz przeszkód
związanych z przekształceniem migracji zarobkowej w osiadłą. Podstawę metodologiczno-teoretycz-
ną zespołu stanowią metody komparatystyczne. Badania dotyczące imigrantów, prowadzone zostały
przy użyciu metod zarówno ilościowych – analizy danych statystycznych, jak i jakościowych. Polacy
i Ukraińcy nie znajdują się z uwagi na płaszczyznę formalną na tych samych etapach migracji, zakres
ich praw nie jest taki sam. Jak wynika z przeprowadzonej analizy, Ukraińcy mają dużo większe moż-
liwości faktycznej asymilacji w Polsce niż Polacy w Norwegii. Sprzyjają temu procesowi mniejsze
różnice kulturowe oraz bariery językowe w odniesieniu do Ukraińców w Polsce. Jeśli państwo i społe-
czeństwo polskie wykorzystają tę sytuację i umożliwią osiedlanie się Ukraińców, a także uatrakcyjnią
im oferty pracy, istnieje szansa, iż wypełnią oni powstającą lukę demograficzną. Byłoby to z korzyścią
dla obu społeczeństw.
Słowa kluczowe: migracja, asymilacja migrantów, Polacy w Norwegii, Ukraińcy w Polsce
Article submitted: 28.10.2018; article accepted: 15.11.2018.

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