<b>The resilience of the Warsaw</b> metropolis to future migration inflows in the opinion of local government authorities

Abstract The main goal of this article is to assess whether the Warsaw metropolis is prepared for possible future large inflows of immigrants in the reception stage. As a result of the Russian attack on Ukraine (24.02.2022), about 350,000 forced migrants In this article, we focus on the reception of migrants fleeing Ukraine after the Russian attack and the outbreak of war on 24 February 2022. According to the literature, it is not correct to use the term “refugees” (Duszczyk &amp; Kaczmarczyk 2022); however, the term “forced migrants” is commonly used in relation to this group (Wach &amp; Pachocka 2022; Szelc et al. 2023; Łukasiewicz et al. 2024; Staniszewski 2023). As we also refer to other experiences of receiving numerous groups of migrants, as described in the literature, the terms “immigrants” or “refugees” are also used in this article. We refer to preparedness for “increased migration inflow” in the future, the nature of which we cannot predict. The data on the first weeks of increased inflow of forced migrants comes from Warsaw City Hall (2024). arrived in Warsaw in the first weeks. The article presents the results of a quantitative online survey conducted among representatives from local municipalities from the Warsaw metropolis. The study addressed issues related to elements of the infrastructure and socio-economic system that enable the reception of this influx of forced migrants. The results obtained point towards a positive correlation between the experience gained during the reception period and the preparedness for future large inflows of immigrants. In some cases, especially for services that are financially demanding, there is a gap that indicates low preparedness despite having provided this kind of support before. The study did not confirm better preparedness for future immigration among the larger urban centres within the Warsaw metropolis.