Welcome home!
Bournemouth's Polish community has visibly marked its territory. But Poles and Brits in the town's multi-ethnic district Boscombe know little about each other.
Pole-bashing in the press
"Immigrants steal British jobs", "Polish families live off UK child benefits". We read headlines like these every week. Is it just tabloid sensationalism or is there an anti-Polish agenda in the British papers?
What makes a migrant family?
Moving abroad is a big decision, especially when children are involved, and families have more to consider than finding a job.
Clueless on counts
Clue up on statisics and find out why we don't have a hunch about the number of Poles in the country.
Why do the Poles cross the Channel?
When Poland and nine other countries joined the EU in 2004, their nationals gained the same rights to free movement between member states as all European citizens. EU nationals can stay in another European country for up to six months and may stay longer if they study, find a job or start their own business.
Many EU countries were worried about the impact of work migration from the new member states on their national economies. The Accession Treaty allowed for the 15 existing member states to impose transitional restrictions on the free movement of workers for up to seven years. Most countries opted for a work permit system. Only Sweden, the UK and Ireland immediately opened up their labour markets.