While significant numbers of the Polish citizens headed to Germany and Ireland, Britain was the intended destination for many: With an estimated headcount of 850,000, Polish citizens are the largest group of foreign citizens in the country. Polish citizens were now part of the European principle of freedom of movement. British people would shop at Polish stores, eat at Polish restaurants, perhaps even marry a Polish person. that year, and Britain was one of just three member states to allow these new European citizens to work immediately in the country. There has long been a Polish community in Britain – some Polish insurgents against the Russian Empire relocated to Britain after the November Uprising of 1831, for example.

Source: Washington Post June 28, 2016 06:00 UTC