Kalishewska: not all Caucasians coming to Poland have the right to the status of refugees

Many people who come to Poland from Caucasian republics have no grounds to claim for the status of refugees, as Ivona Kalishewska, an employee of the Polish edition "Kaukaz.net" believes.

"Having come to Poland, refugees wait for their status. Cases are different, some are considered quickly, but there are situations, when cases need more time for consideration. There are people who live for a year without any status. The point is that frequently such persons have no grounds to claim for the status, since it is awarded only to those who suffer from personal persecution in their country. They can hardly prove that they are persecuted all over Russia. Even if they have problems in Chechnya, not necessarily they will be persecuted all over Russia," Ms Kalishewska said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent in her comments on the recent attempt of refugees from Georgia and Chechnya to illegally cross the German-Polish border.

"Besides, the majority of refugees (although exact figures are hard to quote) just want to reunite with their families living in Western Europe. There are guys there, aged 12, 15 or 18, they go alone; even during the second Chechen war they were about 10; it's hard to say that they are personally persecuted, although we don't know for sure," the journalist said. "They just go to their relatives in Austria, France, Norway and Germany. It's understandable; moreover, it's much easier to find job in Western Europe, and social benefits provided, even if they live in refugees' camps are much higher than in Poland, where it's just a subsistence level. This may be the main reason why refugees leave Poland."

However, according to Ms Kalishewska, "there are refugees who go back." "In fact, many come to Poland thinking that Poland is the same as the European Union. But they see that in Poland it's difficult to find job; it's much easier to do it in Moscow; and the leave. If you don't know the language, you won't find job in Poland so easily," she said.