Permanent Foreign Immigrations into Poland

Abstract

In the first years after Poland’s accession to the European Union, the phenomenon of both temporary and permanent emigration from Poland into West and North European countries proved particularly important, as the outflow was quite significant. In the following years, the migratory movement decreased owing to the impact of the world economic crisis, which manifested itself in a smaller number of available jobs, as well as layoffs. The latter were particularly visible in immigration countries, where they mostly affected employees fresh in their jobs - that is, mainly immigrants. What is more, the demand for jobs in foreign markets also decreased, as the majority of the most determined Poles had already moved abroad in the first years after Poland’s accession to the European Union. In contrast, permanent immigration into Poland grew in intensity. This may have been caused the significant share of Poles in the structure of permanent immigration into Poland. The immigrants arriving in Poland for a permanent stay frequently came from the United Kingdom, Germany and Ireland - the main destination countries for Polish post-accession emigrants. The immigrants arriving from the United States and Canada were also numerous, as these countries have a high percentage of inhabitants with Polish ancestors. Some immigrants arrived also from the developing countries, mainly from Vietnam and Ukraine. Finally, repatriations of Poles, mainly from Kazakhstan, played a special role in the phenomenon. The article presents the intensity of permanent foreign immigration into Poland in general. It also outlines the countries that immigrants come from, sorted by selected countries of origin. The immigrants have been classified by their sex, age and marital status. The work also includes an analysis of the spatial diversity of permanent immigrants from abroad by Polish municipality (gminas), in selected years.