The number of inquiries by Poles living in Great Britain about the possibility of emigrating to the United States, Canada and Australia, rose by 70 percent in the final quarter of 2008, reports Global Visas, which has been following the changes in the visa regulations of various countries.
According to Global Visas, the top destinations of choice for Poles who have been living in Great Britain are: Norway; Holland; Australia; Canada; and finally the United States. Many of the Polish immigrants in Great Britain have learned English and have acquired new skills, making them good candidates for understaffed professions around the world.
According to Global Visas, the top destinations of choice for Poles who have been living in Great Britain are: Norway; Holland; Australia; Canada; and finally the United States. Many of the Polish immigrants in Great Britain have learned English and have acquired new skills, making them good candidates for understaffed professions around the world.
The somewhat vague statistics from the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicate that after May 1, 2004, with the opening of the British labor market, 900,000 citizens of post-communist countries moved to the British Isles – two-thirds of them were Polish. The numbers declined in 2008, with the last quarter seeing only 38 percent of newcomers as compared to four years before.
In October 2008, British Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said that 100,000 Poles had left Great Britain in the previous 12 months, but some newspapers reported that as many as 400,000 were thinking of leaving the British Isles.
Meanwhile, statistics from the local schools attended by Polish children, as well as from shipping companies and the Ryanair airline, do not support the predictions for a mass exodus from Great Britain. It may seem that the worsening economy and the rising possibility of unemployment would cause people to return to Poland or to emigrate; however, thus far it looks like only the single and the young have decided to migrate. Families with children have stayed put.
The Poles who have left Great Britain for Poland have done so mostly for personal reasons. The last three months of 2008, however, revealed a new migration phenomenon. According to Global Visas, there was a 40 percent increase in the inquiries about the possibilities of emigrating from citizens of Great Britain who felt disillusioned with England. While the younger generation has been leaving, the older generation, whose pocketbook was hit by the plunging value of the British pound, has been coming back from the Costa del Sol. The number of qualified workers emigrating from Ireland to Australia has also increased.
