Who if not the Refugees?

D07 6

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Abstract

More than 90% of foreign nationals who apply to obtain the refugee status in Poland are Chechens, which is about 6 000 applications per year. Only about 280 are recognized as refugees, 1 700 Chechens receive ‘the permit for tolerated stay’. The permit may cause some social marginalization. Still more then 4 000 Chechens’ applications are ‘dismissed’ therefore a lot of Chechens live in a state of limbo. Now the questions arise what happens to people who had not been granted a refugee status? What happens to those who were granted a tolerated stay permit? Another way to look at the situation is to ask how the legal decisions shape Chechens’ life in Poland? To answer mentioned questions we have conducted the study on Chechens’ viewpoint on the problem at hand. We did IDI study on what has changed in one’s life when he/she arrives to a new place, unknown culture and different life style. To make a picture more clear we have also studied the governmental institution’s standpoint followed by a perspective formed within Non Governmental Organizations. Answers for all above questions will come from research results carried among Chechens living in Poland. We were especially interested in those who were denied the refugee status. Other results come from interviews taken with non-Governmental representatives.