A Secure Legal Status as a Determinant of the Professional and Economic Promotion of Different Immigrant Groups Cover Image

Bezpieczny status prawny jako determinanta awansu ekonomiczno-zawodowego odmiennych grup imigrantów w Polsce
A Secure Legal Status as a Determinant of the Professional and Economic Promotion of Different Immigrant Groups

Author(s): Monika Szulecka, Renata Stefańska
Subject(s): Social Sciences
Published by: Ośrodek Badań nad Migracjami / Uniwersytet Warszawski
Keywords: legal status; economic adaptation; immigration; Ukrainians; Vietnamese; Poland

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this article was to answer the question whether and how the legal status, and in particular its increase, influences the economic and professional adaptation of immigrants with different ethnic backgrounds. The analysis was of a qualitative nature and was based on in-depth interviews with Ukrainian and Vietnamese immigrants having different legal statuses. Contrary to the assumed hypothesis, it turned out that the increase of the legal status of the studied immigrants from Ukraine and Vietnam, meaning that they achieve more secure legal status – giving them wider scope of rights and a growing sense of security and stability – rarely contributed to a significant improvement of their economic and professional position. Meanwhile, there could be observed differences between these two groups in terms of patterns of adaptation in the Polish economy, which were influenced by the legal framework, but also by other important factors, such as, in particular, the availability of income-bringing activities and social networks.

  • Issue Year: 2/2013
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 91-115
  • Page Count: 25
  • Language: Polish