ELIL Poland
ELIL has two projects operating in Poland.
We assist refugees who have crossed the Poland-Belarus border, both at the border itself and in detention centres across the country.
Our second project assists refugees from Ukraine in Warsaw.
Poland-Belarus Border
Since 2023, ELIL has been providing legal support to refugees who enter Poland by crossing the border with Belarus.
Approximately 30,000 people crossed the border in 2024, mostly from Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and Iran. Crossing the border is very dangerous - evidence of pushbacks and other human rights abuses is well documented.
Indeed, without a lawyer, most arrivals to Poland are denied access to the asylum procedure, and pushed back to Belarus. ELIL is the only NGO with lawyers permanently present at the border. The need is very high, and conditions are challenging.
Our work
Our team of expert lawyers, interpreters and project managers provide a range of services, particularly focusing on assisting vulnerable groups, including unaccompanied and separated children.
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Assist people to access the asylum procedure
As access to asylum becomes more complicated, we are supporting people to lodge asylum claims, focusing on vulnerable cases.
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Prevent pushbacks
Through national and international courts (e.g. the European Court of Human Rights), we support people to remain in Poland.
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Detention and release cases
Many of those we assist are in detention after crossing the border. Our lawyers advocate for transfers to open centres
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Provide referrals to other services
Our lawyers also facilitate access to healthcare and other essential services by referring clients to partner organisations that lack detention access.
Warsaw Project
Since 2021, ELIL has been providing legal assistance to refugees across 4 locations in Warsaw, and through a nationwide hotline.
The project is made possible by the Ukraine Pro-Bono Collaborative; pro-bono lawyers from 7 international law firms provide support at our legal clinics.
The pro-bono lawyers are supported by specialised lawyers, to whom they refer more complex cases.
The team works to:
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Provide high-quality legal information
The team supports refugees from Ukraine and other countries to understand their rights and obligations in a variety of legal and administrative processes.
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Support Ukrainian refugees to obtain temporary protection
Poland has a special protection status for Ukrainian refugees. Our teams support people to access this status and associated rights.
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Answer legal queries
ELIL’s projects in Warsaw are well-known as one of the few providers of legal information with interpretation. Therefore, the team answers a wide variety of legal queries.
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Support other legal processes
Although our focus is on access to asylum and other protection statuses, the team also supports with other administrative processes in Poland to support access to work, education and other social benefits.
Since 2021, ELIL has assisted over 12,000 people in Poland. Below, we shed some light on the stories behind the numbers.
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