New Migration Routes through Poland

The purpose of this article is to analyze the migration routes leading through Poland to Western European countries since 2021, that is, the emergence of a humanitarian crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border. In addition, the article focuses on the actions of the Polish authorities in response to the increase in illegal migration flows through Poland. The caesuras of the analysis cover the years 2021–2023. The article posits that the creation of new restrictions (visas, the introduction of temporary border controls, the construction of walls on the borders) has the effect of changing migration routes, increasing illegal travel and temporarily slowing down population flows.