European immigrants as welfare recipients in Poland. Perceptions and practices of using welfare systems by different categories of foreigners in a Central European state

Participation of immigrants in the host states’ welfare systems is one of the most debated aspects of social solidarity in Europe. In the recent years it has caused a lot of controversy, leading to the moral panic about “welfare tourism” in the EU (especially in the context of migration from the post-2004 Member States to the pre-2004 Member States). However, the actual patterns of mobility within Europe are varied and encompass also other directions and immigrant groups. The presentation will analyse the patterns of using the Polish welfare system by foreigners residing in Poland. The analysis encompasses two distinct legal categories of immigrants: citizens of other European Union Member States (Spain, United Kingdom) and third country nationals (from Turkey and Ukraine). The empirical material demonstrates that some traditional, culturally determined types of informal welfare (especially informal childcare arrangements) may serve as a magnet in the process of settling down of immigrants in Poland. The presentation is based on the results of in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with immigrants in Poland in 2016.  The presentation will also pose a question whether legal differences between the two groups (EU citizens and TCNs) translate into differences in perception and patterns of usage of welfare benefits in a host state.