Polish migrant settlement without political integration in the United Kingdom and Ireland: a comparative analysis in the context of Brexit and thin European citizenship

Abstract

Following EU enlargement in 2004, the United Kingdom and Ireland experienced large‐scale migration from Poland and other new EU states. The Poles who migrated to both jurisdictions were demographically similar and have faced similar challenges although these have begun to diverge in the context of Brexit. Previous research emphasized the intentional unpredictability of many Polish migrants who deferred decisions whether to settle or return which appears to account for limited political incorporation in both the Irish and UK cases prior to Brexit. This literature also examined how such migrants have become socially embedded but not politically integrated. Drawing on surveys conducted in Ireland and the UK during 2018, we highlight predicaments arising from the thin nature of EU citizenship which allowed for free movement but has neglected political integration. In the Irish case, we suggest that EU migrants, including Poles, are likely to remain detached from citizenship and political participation.

One step forward, two steps back in political integration: why are Polish candidates not making progress in Irish local elections?

“…This is not surprising. As several studies have demonstrated, Poles in Ireland (Fanning, Kloc-Nowak, & Lesińska, 2020) (like Poles in the UK, see Scuzzarello, 2015) vote in even smaller percentages than other immigrant groups. In our CMR survey of 2018, 12 per cent of Poles in Ireland declared that they had voted in every local election in which they were entitled to while in Ireland and 16 per cent declared that they voted in every Polish election while in the host country.…”

Polish Immigrant Organisations in The Republic of Ireland: Theri Present State and Scenarios for Theri Future Development

“…Whereas in the 2010s most migrants' attitudes in regard to migration could be characterized as "intentional unpredictability" (Eade 2007), after nearly two decades of Polish presence in Ireland many post-accession migrants have decided to settle permanently in the country. As recent studies have revealed, the Polish community is well integrated in terms of the labor market, social relations, and home ownership, but tends to be detached from political participation (Fanning et al 2021).…”

Real estate in the home country: Why Polish migrants keep properties in Poland

“…Thus, for estimation, we can rely only on small and quota surveys available. One such survey, a 2018 Centre of Migration Research University of Warsaw's study of long-term Polish migrants living in Germany, the UK and Ireland (Fanning et al, 2021;Jancewicz et al, 2018Jancewicz et al, , 2020, confirmed that real-estate ownership in the home country is common. In the study, 22% of respondents owned real estate in Poland, compared to 13.3% owning real estate in the host country, with 3.5% owning properties both in the host country and Poland.…”