THE IMPACT OF CHANGING ENTRY BARRIERS ON POLISH MIGRATION

This study empirically supports the theory that lower migration barriers result in less permanent migration, decreasing social and fiscal burdens on the host country during periods of economic downturn. Data on Polish migration to the UK and US was assessed, revealing declining migration rates to both countries, but for very different reasons that yield divergent impacts. An absence of entry barriers to the UK allowed Poles to easily enter and exit that country in response to changing labor market conditions, with corresponding benefits to individual migrants and (during economic downturns) the host country’s social safety net. By contrast, high entry barriers in the US (relative to the EU) inhibited migrant entry and egress. Thus, new immigration was effectively discouraged and the ability of migrants to react to changing labor market conditions was constrained; one policy consequence being an otherwise avoidable burdening of the US social safety net during periods of economic downturn and slack labor market demand.