We’ve collected stories of three Belarusian relocators who have changed (or are planning to leave) Poland for other countries.
We’ve collected stories of three Belarusian relocators who have changed (or are planning to leave) Poland for other countries.
The mutual enchantment between Belarusian IT specialists and their nearest relocation countries seems to be a thing of the past. First, Lithuania significantly reduced its attractiveness for migrants from Belarus by canceling residence permits due to «security threats,» then Poland picked up the anti-migrant baton (cancellation of PBH, anti-migrant rhetoric, endless waiting for residence permits in several voivodeships, proposals to extend the path to citizenship, etc.).
Although many Belarusians still consider Poland a very comfortable place to live (and where is it easy these days?), there are those who have decided to leave. We asked them what guided their decisions and where they’re heading next.
I worked as a frontend developer at a Belarusian IT company in a mid-level position. After the events of [2022], the company decided to expand: it opened several offices in the EU and began relocating key employees there, while the Belarusian office continued to operate.
Then difficulties arose with receiving payments from American clients. Because of this, my employer began actively offering relocation to all interested employees. I decided to try it too.
I relocated alone through the PBH program and chose to live in Warsaw. From there, I continued working as a B2B contractor for my «old» Belarusian company. I also enrolled in a policeal school to learn Polish faster. After two years, I’m planning to leave.
Here are my reasons:
1) Financial. Although in Poland I advanced to a senior position and my gross salary increased, my net income (considering rent, accounting expenses, etc.) still hasn’t approached what I had in Minsk (where I owned my apartment). And generally, living in Poland while continuing to work for a Belarusian company feels like «overpaying.» I already had all these material benefits in Belarus.
I tried to find work in EU companies, but nothing came of it—though I wasn’t searching very actively.
2) Polish attitudes toward foreigners. Unfortunately, I’ve encountered negative attitudes from Poles many times simply because my passport is blue (especially in government offices).
Lately, it feels like Poland has become «saturated» with immigrants and is making our lives more complicated each year (cancellation of PBH visas, increasing ZUS contributions every quarter, longer document waiting times, not accepting policeal school education as proof of Polish language proficiency, etc.).
Many laws have changed during my time in Poland, and none of those changes have been positive for migrants like me.
3) Climate conditions. Warsaw winters are extremely difficult to endure. It gets dark at 3 PM. Constant rain, no snow, and general grayness outdoors. I saw blue sky only a couple of times a month in winter.
4) Cost of living. I don’t feel like I’m living in the EU, so it seems like I’m overpaying for everything by 2-3 times. It feels like a more expensive and «soulless» Belarus. Services are at a lower level than in Belarus. Healthcare is inaccessible, even though I pay $250-300 monthly to ZUS. Prices for everything are higher. Yes, you can buy some goods at reasonable prices that are hard to find in Belarus. But paying $1000 in rent just to save $200 on a bag or shoes every few months seems illogical.
At different periods, one of these reasons dominated over the others.
The final straw was my strong reluctance to return to Poland after a trip to Thailand.
Yes, during these two years in Poland, I traveled to Thailand several times to visit a friend for 1-2 months, working remotely. After receiving a Thai DTV visa (for 5 years), I decided to move there—I really enjoyed life in Thailand.
I’m leaving in August. I won’t be closing my Polish business yet. I’ll try to continue operating my Polish business from Thailand while my residence permit is valid, so that if necessary, I can return and devise an alternative plan for «moving forward.»
I lived in Poland for over two years, and now I’ve been living in Cyprus for almost two years. When I left Belarus in 2021, I deliberately chose a country nearby, as I thought I’d return soon.
Everything was good in Poland. It’s a very pleasant country, and I liked a lot about it.
But there were several issues:
1) As a pure-blooded Belarusian without a Polish Card, I would have to wait more than 8 years for citizenship. Adding the time for document processing, it would be about 10 years.
2) I had severe depression after emigrating. It interfered with living and working. The situation was made worse by how similar Poland is to Belarus.
Walking through old Warsaw districts built during communist times, you see how similar they are to Minsk’s Khrushchev-era and Brezhnev-era buildings. The climate is similar. People on the streets look just like those in Belarus.
What do I mean? In Denmark, «white Europeans» also walk the streets, but you can see they’re «different» by their faces, while in Poland that’s not the case. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t be a bad thing, but in my depressed state, even Polish passersby reminded me of Belarus, which only made things worse.
The second reason was probably the main one for moving. I chose Cyprus.
Why Cyprus:
1) They passed a law accelerating citizenship for IT specialists.
2) There’s lots of sunshine—a great place for mental peace.
3) I had acquaintances in Cyprus who helped with relocation.
4) Since I’m not only a programmer but also a co-founder, financially it didn’t matter to me—Cyprus or Poland. Either cheap Poland with high taxes or expensive Cyprus with low dividend taxes.
I’m currently satisfied with life in Cyprus. I consider it a good place for this stage of life. My depression passed within a year after moving. In a year, I plan to start learning Greek to reach the A2 level and apply for a passport in three years.
However, I only recommend Cyprus as a new location if you’re a founder or co-founder of a company. If you’re a developer and your wife is unemployed, you’ll likely struggle to afford life on the island.
The reader didn’t share how long they lived in Poland or which city they were in, but stated they moved to the Netherlands. Here are their reasons:
1) Poland has an uninteresting local market (money and tasks), and Belarusian «slave ships» aren’t even worth considering.
2) The [acceptable] option is one—working as a B2B for Western countries. However, the taxes and contributions for individual entrepreneurs will be the same as in developed Europe. In my opinion, if you choose to be a contractor, you should move somewhere in Asia.
There are also several other downsides:
— xenophobia among many Poles (though some of our people actually like this),
— obviously imminent tightening of citizenship and even permanent residence requirements (too many foreigners have arrived, they’ll start filtering),
— mediocre climate, poor ecology,
— healthcare problems (where aren’t there any?),
— unjustifiably expensive housing (with third-world interest rates on loans).
Overall, the country still has more of an «Eastern Europe» vibe, though its potential for development and economic growth is enormous and increasing every year.
Poland has plenty of advantages too. I wouldn’t say the country is «horrible,» but it’s more suitable for those who don’t want to assimilate in the West and are still looking for a «healthy people Belarus.» Or for people like us who used it as a transit destination during 2020-2022. It’s certainly better and more promising than Georgia and Serbia.
Now I’m in NL.