Recent Trends in International Migration in Poland

by Agnieszka Fihel, Paweł Kaczmarczyk, Renata Stefańska 

The article presents the main recent developments in migration policy and migration trends to and from Poland. Polish migration policy has been becoming more open to immigrants in the years 2009--2011, especially immigrants needed by the Polish economy. At the same time, according to the new migration strategy, it is going to devote more attention to the issue of immigrant integration. As for trends in international migration, trans-border mobility remained elevated and intensified, among others due to agreements on the Local Border Traffic with the Eastern neighbors. Since 2006 the emigration for a permanent stay has been decreasing and immigration for a permanent stay has been increasing, mostly due to the return migration of Polish citizens, but still, in 2010 a negative net migration was registered. The number of long-term Polish emigrants stabilized, while the number of short-term emigrants declined abruptly, which suggests that Poland is already in a ‘late’ or ‘mature’ phase of post-accession emigration, characterized by stabilization of the outflow of settlement type and intensification of return migration. The latter is to some extent reflected by the statistics referring to immigration for a permanent stay and to mixed marriages. Labor immigration and foreign employment in Poland have been increasing constantly over recent years