Zachodniopomorski Urząd Wojewódzki w Szczecinie

Summary report of the AMIF’s West Pomerania is friendly to foreigners project implementation

Comprehensive access for third-country nationals to knowledge about legal procedures and principles in Poland that are necessary for daily functioning in society is set as the main priority of the Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund's West Pomerania is friendly to foreigners project. Such an idea required undertaking several actions, both in terms of providing access to information and creating an integrated platform designed for assistance and support in the context of the above-mentioned needs of the foreigner. The objectives of the project have been enhanced to improve and speed up the legalization of the residence process through system solutions that modernize the workspace and the procedures’ implementation in the Department of Civil and Foreign Affairs of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship Office.

 

Project duration:	October 1, 2022 – August 31, 2023
Project value:	3 053 333,00 PLN
AMIF’s co-financing value:	2 289 999,75 PLN

 

The Information and Advisory Point

 

Based on the project’s primary objective indicated above and the socio-legal specificity of foreign nationals’ cohabitation determinants characteristic of West Pomerania, individual objectives were set as part of the 8/14/2022/OG project implementation. The Information and Advisory Point established in the West Pomeranian Office in Szczecin, as well as in the Office’s Delegation in Koszalin, provides interpreter-translator assistance and comprehensive services regarding psychological counseling and legal advice. To date, the specialists serving the Information and Advisory Point have assisted 2333 project beneficiaries.

 

Operation (Updated as of December 7, 2023)	Value
Number of target group persons assisted by the Fund through integration measures in the framework of national, local and regional strategies	2333
Number of persons who received psychological counseling	11
Number of persons provided with legal advice	307

 

Statistics include cards of beneficiaries who were registered once (subsequent visits by the same beneficiary were not registered.)

 

The call center team

 

To ensure an effective and consistent information policy, a specialized unit in a model of call center, integrated with an automated helpline, was established. Operation statistics of call center in terms of call traffic are as follows:

 

Operation	Value
Answered incoming calls	70 150
Outgoing calls made by the operator	5 157
Calls made to the automated helpline	13 790
Calls redirected by the operator to other units of the department	1 756

 

Case records of foreign nationals

 

The combination of traditional organizing archival resource methods with modern database solutions poses a reference point for deliberations about the computerization and digitization of case records. The first necessary step to be taken in such a defined work model is to ensure operational continuity in accepting and issuing records while maintaining security and data protection principles. Such action, at the same time, allows for a reduction in the procedural time required for efficient proceeding. By following such defined methodology, the record repository of the Department of Civil and Foreign Affairs has been equipped with the Radio Frequency Identification System (RFID), which significantly contributes to the optimal organization of the third-country nationals’ case records.

As part of the project, 2,600 working hours were allocated for labelling records with radio tags and entering essential information determining the location of records into an autonomous database. This way, 35,194 case records were organized, labeled, and put in the RIFD Navigator database.

 

Workstations retrofitting

 

The standard of customer service holds importance in maintaining the status and professionalism of the office; therefore, an investment in appropriate equipment is a priority and a prospectively profitable activity. To improve the quality and speed of the application processing for third-country nationals, as part of the project, a series of investments in equipment and software to service foreigners have been made:

• retrofitting of workstations and replacement of obsolete computer equipment (computers, printers, document readers, barcode printers, scanners, multifunctional devices, pads facilitating the organization of work in the Customer Service Center)
• purchasing a document authenticity verification device
• purchasing software and equipment to support the call center team
• purchasing an automated case records registration, segregation, and identification system

 

Vocational training

 

Comprehensiveness of information and accessibility of communication are the basic determinants of professional and reliable contact in the office-foreigner relationship. The human factor invariably poses an indicator of success in such situations. Raising the service standards for foreigners from third countries by training personnel allows professional qualifications to improve, which ultimately affects assistance efficiency and boosts the positive image of government administration. Taking this into account, the organization of specialized vocational training for the Department of Civil and Foreign Affairs of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship Office in Szczecin played an important role in the project implementation.

Implemented within the framework of the Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund, the 8/14/2022/OG West Pomerania is friendly to foreigners project was an initiative focused on increasing institutional accessibility and improving services related to integration and legal migration in the region. The project is a major step towards creating an open, sustainable society that encourages diversity and mutual understanding. The superordinate objectives assessed through the prism of specific ambitions and the overall statistical picture may be regarded as met, and their achievement has undoubtedly contributed to the life quality improvement of foreigners who have chosen the West Pomeranian region as their place of residence.

The increase in institutional accessibility proved to be crucial, resulting in easier use of public services for foreigners, which then led to the creation of a positive regional image as a welcoming environment for diverse cultures and nationalities. Intensive efforts to popularize and improve integration and legal migration have yielded tangible results, leading to increased public awareness, and understanding of foreigners’ needs. It is also worth noting that the West Pomerania is friendly to foreigners project not only brought benefits to foreign nationals but also contributed to the intensification of activities designed to cultivate inclusion initiatives and improve legal migration services. The pursuit of equality, respect, and openness should be a permanent element of the region’s socio-economic development strategy.

Remarks on the specific objectives achieved are as follows:

1. Information and Advisory Points: The establishment and operation of the information and advisory points at the headquarters of the West Pomeranian Voivodship Office in Szczecin and the Office’s Delegation in Koszalin was a major step towards the integration process of third-country nationals. Through them, foreigners have gained access to necessary information and support, which has promoted a better understanding and active social participation.
2. Knowledge and service dissemination: Activities aimed at knowledge dissemination related to residence or employment legalization procedures have been successful in promoting awareness and self-reliance among foreign nationals. The establishment of the helpline has further facilitated access to necessary information, strengthening the sense of security.
3. Application processing improvement: Continuity of quality and speed of the third-county nationals’ application processing is a crucial element of efficient administration. Investing in case records organization and purchasing equipment and software have contributed to a reduction in the waiting time for administrative decisions, which has had a positive impact on the comfort and satisfaction of those using the services.
4. Foreign national service standards improvement: The vocational training conducted for personnel, the professional qualification improvement, and the concerted efforts to raise the standards of service for foreigners from third-country nationals have certainly contributed to the creation of a positive image of the government administration. This, in turn, affects the foreign community’s level of confidence in public institutions.

To conclude, the 8/14/2022/OG West Pomerania is friendly to foreigners project is more than a significant step towards social integration. It is a testimony to the commitment and effectiveness of the activities taken to promote openness and cooperation. The project has successfully contributed to an increase in institutional accessibility for foreign nationals, particularly those affected by the warfare in Ukraine. The undertaken activities have created favorable environmental conditions for the use of services, which resulted in the elimination of administrative barriers and facilitated access to essential benefits. The project has also successfully supported the substantial dissemination and improvement of integration and legal migration aid. Services customized for the needs of this social group assisted in an increase in their accessibility and quality, which made West Pomerania more open and welcoming to third-country nationals. Taking into consideration the difficult migration situation, the project’s focus was to provide concrete assistance in the legalization of residence matters. The provided support was crucial to those in crisis, contributing to an increased sense of security and stability among foreign nationals. The West Pomerania is friendly to foreigners project not only achieved its objectives, but it was also flexible in adapting to turbulent geopolitical situations, offering concrete solutions for those affected by the warfare. It represents a model approach to integrating foreign nationals under exceptional conditions.