Time to Come Home

The outward migration and low birth rate in Poland has the Government encouraging Poles abroad to settle in Poland

A 5-year plan by the government will see the Foreign Ministry working to make settling in Poland more attractive.

Poles living around the world. Darker red = more Poles

“Supporting the teaching of the Polish language abroad, strengthening the positions of Polish communities in other countries, and facilitating the return of Poles home in addition to creating incentives for people of Polish descent to settle in Poland,” are the main aims of the plan.

The plan places a strong emphasis on forming partnerships between the Polish government and expatriate Polish organizations. The project was well received in Polish communities abroad, according to the Foreign Ministry.

In addition to this it is hoped that Poland will be able to cooperate with the countries in which the Polish diaspora resides, including with educational and cultural institutions.

“We fully admit to the fact that our compatriots are usually citizens of other countries and that they owe their citizenship loyalty to those countries. We are also aware that many of our compatriots no longer know Polish and any effective communication with them must be in the language of the country they are living in,” the Ministry explained.

It is thought that Polish diaspora numbers between 18 to 20 million people, with a third born in Poland while the rest are of Polish descent. The single largest community is in the US, with 10 million Americans declaring they are of Polish descent.