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»Five, four, three, two, one.«
Brexit is here. At the end of January 2020, Great Britain will leave the European Union. Thousands of Britons celebrate in Parliament Square in London.
But not everyone got into a celebratory mood with Brexit. Agata Błachowska emigrated from Poland to Great Britain 16 years ago.
Agata Błachowska, Polish immigrant:
»Dzień Dobry!«
We meet her while shopping in a Polish store. Agata works as a nurse in London. A job for which she is overqualified. She didn't mind that for a long time.
Agata has found a home in Great Britain – actually. Since Brexit, like many Poles here, she has been unsure whether she wants to stay in the country.
Agata Błachowska, Polish immigrant:
"Of course, I've come across situations where I've been told: If you don't like it here, then leave. You are not needed here. You can leave at any time."
For a long time, Great Britain was very popular with Poles. Polish citizens still make up the second largest group of immigrants in the UK, far ahead of people from Pakistan, Ireland and Germany. The number of Poles in the UK continued to rise until 2017. There were more than a million Polish citizens at weddings – and these are only the official figures. Since 2018, however, the number has plummeted, now by about a third.
Magdalena Zielińska works in Birmingham for the NGO »POMOC« – to German: help. She knows many Poles in the city – and remembers well the uncertainty in the community after the yes vote on Brexit in the 2016 referendum.
Magdalena Zielińska, POMOC:
"We have seen these passive-aggressive headlines. Our community felt that something had changed and we knew that even bigger changes would come if Brexit actually happened. Because there were so many rumors and no one knew what was really happening and if there would be any protection for us, some did not want to risk it. Some closed their companies. Some sold their houses and went back to Poland or another European country."
Magda supports Poles, for example, in obtaining a residence permit. The bureaucratic hurdles for EU citizens in the UK have been significantly higher since Brexit.
Magdalena Zielińska, POMOC:
"The measures taken by British governments towards migrants, not just Polish migrants, have become more and more hostile. After Brexit, things have gotten worse. In recent years, there have been different interior ministers, and with each one it seems to be getting worse."
Nevertheless, many of her compatriots are not deterred by this, says Magda.
Magdalena Zielińska, POMOC:
"There is a saying in Poland. I don't know how to translate it: ›Polak potrafi.‹ A Pole can do it. That supports us. It shows that we can get out of every situation. That's the mentality that's what kept us here so far."
For the UK, labour migration from the EU is actually a stroke of luck, especially in sectors such as care.
Agata studied music education in Poland and worked with children and young people. In London, she lives with her clients as a caregiver and cares for them around the clock. She says: Her university degree was apparently worth nothing in the UK. Agata has reluctantly accepted this for a long time, but now she has had enough.
Agata Błachowska, Polish immigrant:
"I feel like a second-class citizen. That's how I've always felt here, but it's gotten worse and in the end I'm actually thinking about going back to Poland. I want to feel at home, but I don't feel at home here. I used to feel that way here, but not anymore."
In London, Agata hardly holds anything. She is planning her future in Poland – also because someone is waiting for her there.
Agata Błachowska, Polish immigrant: "I have another reason to go back:
I have a two-year-old grandson whom I adore very much. Whenever I can, I spend time with him. I don't want him to know his grandma only through video telephony. I just want to be in his life, that would be wonderful."
Agata will leave. Her dream of living in London is coming to an end. Britain is now taking care of itself above all else – and may be shooting itself in the foot.