Return migration from the UK triples for Poles, highest since Brexit

The number of Poles leaving the United Kingdom over the past year has tripled the number arriving, marking the highest outflow since the Brexit vote, Polish Radio reports.

London, England, September 23, 2023: A view of the European Union flag next to the Big Ben as pro-EU demonstrators take part in a rally calling for the UK to rejoin the EU

Photo: Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu Agency/PAP/Abaca

Rising living costs, stricter visa regulations, and a less competitive labour market are cited as the main reasons behind the trend.

According to the National Statistical Office, 25,000 Polish citizens left the UK in the past 12 months, while just 7,000 arrived.

This represents a decline in the migration balance of more than two-thirds over the course of a single year.

British experts note that the pattern of returning to Poland, which began after Brexit, is now accelerating faster than at any point in the last two decades of mass migration of Poles to the UK.

(mp)

Source: IAR