Poland
Polish People Abandon America But Not For Poland
Classified Polnews
Warsaw, Poland 11 March, 2007 The illegal immigrant population of Polish people in the United States is in demographic decline as they see better opportunities in Europe. Poland is not where they are going. They are going to European Union countries where they can work legally.
For the most part, they left Poland originally for better opportunities in the United States. But now they don't have to be an illegal, can get health insurance, and all the other rights of a law biding European Union Citizen if they go back to Europe.
They are also closer to home so they can commute using the low cost airlines or rails.
They choose Europe over Poland simply because Poland still does not offer opportunity.
The exodus of young Poles to the West continues. A recent report says over 3 million Poles have worked in Europe. Mainly these are persons who are under 45 and the majority are managers, members of the intelligentsia, company owners and qualified labourers. http://www.polskieradio.pl/zagranica/gb/dokument.aspx?iid=49372
Most of the emigrants come from smaller towns, and from southern and eastern Poland. The effect on these Polish towns is sometimes dramatic. One town in Poland has lost half of its population to Europe over the past 10 years. Another is reported to have lost "most of its population." And they are but two of many examples.
A private firm that serves the Polish community in the United States with shipping, travel and money transfer reports that as many as 40% of the airline tickets from the US are one way to Poland. The people are going home to prepare for work in Western Europe.
The exodus from America has affected undresses in the United States. Sales in some sectors are down because their base clientele has left fro Europe.
A Polish business owner says pierogi dumplings don't sell like they used to at her Czerwone Jabluszko Polish eatery in Chicago. She blames a lack of Poles immigrating to the city. See Chicago's Polish Fret Over Fewer Immigrants; Pierogi Sales Fall
The exodus may also affect positively the opportunity for the United States to change the visa rules for Polish people. Reports indicate that up to 30% of the Poles who go the United States overstay their visas. And that is the primary reason that visa rules have not been relaxed.
But even though some Poles are coming back from America, others have apparently been paying bribes to get out of Poland and into Canada. So things can't be all that bad in North America as compared to Europe when you can get a visa and work legally. And paying a bribe seems to be acceptable to get the visa.
With Poles coming back from America, the percentage that overstay their visas may go down and maybe the visa rules for the US will be relaxed. And if visa rules are relaxed, one may see Poles going back to America like they are going to Canada now.
There is nothing to indicate that they are even considering coming back to Poland.
If You Did Not Find What You Want Here, Use This Search Box
