A significant wave of Polish immigration occurred after World War II, primarily composed of war-displaced civilians, professionals, and soldiers. Many arrived with provisional documents issued by military or civil authorities in Great Britain or the International Refugee Organization, rather than Polish passports. Although more than 20,000 Polish citizens came to Argentina during this period, only 9,000 were officially registered as Poles due to bureaucratic limitations. This group can be divided into two categories: former civilians released from Soviet labor camps following the Sikorski–Stalin agreement in 1941, and Polish military personnel who fought under General Władysław Anders, including participants in the Italian campaign and the Battle of Monte Cassino. Many of them chose to settle in Argentina rather than return to Soviet-controlled Poland. In 1947, the Polish Association of Engineers and Technicians (PSIT) was founded in Buenos Aires. As recalled by Professor Tadeusz Hajduk during its 15th anniversary, it was a unique historical moment in which hundreds of highly qualified Polish engineers, many of whom had worked for the Allied war effort, contributed their expertise to Argentine industry. The majority were employed by Fabricaciones Militares under the direction of engineer Witold Wierzejski, who had previously overseen arms production in Poland, France, and the UK. Today it is estimated that between 500,000 and 1 million Argentinians have Polish ancestry. Over a quarter of
Misiones population has Polish roots (250,000 persons), the highest concentration of Polish Argentines in the country. About 140,000 Poles live in
Buenos Aires; other
Argentine cities with large Polish populations include
Córdoba,
Rosario and
Santa Fe. A major organization of the Polish minority is the
Polish Association in Argentina (Związek Polaków w Argentynie). In 1995 the
Argentine National Congress made June 8 Polish Settlers' Day. ==Notable people==