Travelling to Great Britain after Brexit (jak przyjechac do Anglii po Brexit-cie?)

A bit of context on Brexit:

After a referendum held in 2016 by David Cameron, British people voted to leave the EU.

There were several years of negotiations between Great Britain and the EU because the 'divorce' or 'exit from the European Union meant that free trade, import, export laws and taxes would be impacted.

Poland is still part of the EU in 2024. Since Poland joined the EU, 800,000 Polish migrants moved to the UK, because we had a legal right to live and work in the UK (source link). 

However, Britain officially left the EU on the 31st January 2020 and the transition period ended then. Polish people even reported that they do not feel welcome in Britain any more (source) and some have moved back to Poland, bringing the number of migrants down to 700,000.

so how can you travel to Britain now, in 2024?

It depends on your intentions - it depends on whether you would like to work there or just visit a city (for example, London) as a tourist.

To do this properly, please go to the HMRC website link: Entering the UK questionnaire

Follow the pages and read. The section for Polish people to read is this scenario:

'You’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein'

Poland is in the EU so we fall under this scenario.

The instructions say very clearly that you cannot travel with your Polish ID card (unless you have special circumstances) and you should have your passport: 

'if you are eligible' means only if you have the special circumstances, for example if you have applied for a pre-settled status.

- and unless means if / if not (in negative sentences). So unless you have lived in the UK for 5 years previously, or have a special settled status, or are a British citizen, you must carry a valid passport.

so, is it enough to have a passport to travel?

Visit this page if you want to work in Britain:

Work in the UK questionnaire

choose 'Poland' as your country of origin.

firstly, let's address tourism- if you mark the first option on the above screenshot, i.e. 'Tourism or visiting family and friends', the questionnaire takes you to a page that confirms you CAN travel to the UK. but you cannot work and you might be asked where you are staying and if you have any money to pay for your hotel and the flight back to Poland:

This is of course to check that you really are a tourist. 

You cannot get married while visiting and you cannot just stay over for longer - you would have to fly back and return to the UK again if some of the circumstances change (consult the same website!)

Now, if we go back to previous questions, we can check if we can work there:

Let's check if we can work in Britain as Polish citizens:

 

if you mark 'Work, academic visit or business' as your intention to come to the UK,  you get taken to another page where you have to say if it will be under 6 months or over 6 months and exactly what job you intend to undertake.

• For example, if you further select 'to start a business', you must know English well and have an idea that is not already on the market, meaning it's something new and original. You also need to be experienced in that area. If you are approved, you can stay up to 3 years.

• If you select a digital technology leader, or an academic leader, or working in art, you might be able to stay up to 5 years if approved and do not need a job offer. You do not need to speak good English. however, to be a 'leader' means you have a special talent or skill that is desirable.

• If you select an option that indicates that you have graduated from a top global university, you might get treated as a so called 'High Potential Individual' and be allowed to stay up to 3 years. You need to speak English but you probably already do - because you have high potential.

Unfortunately, the criteria are quite specific, so I am not in a position to advise on your personal circumstances. Try reading through all options and select the one that relates to your circumstances.

If you believe you have extenuating circumstances, be prepared to show proof (print out pages, offer letters from companies, addresses, bank statements to prove your total funds, and so on)

Always check the links above, as they are official links with objective and up to date information. do not trust any articles or entertainment videos that tell you otherwise, you might be denied entry to the UK and be stuck at the airport.

Vocabulary items from above! 

Check if you know those words?

current

hold (a referendum)

exit from (verb)

trade

free trade (economical term)

impact (verb)

feel welcome

bring (a number) down to

intention

report (that)

settled

eligible

fall under (a category)

circumstances

extenuating circumstances / personal circumstances / specific circumstances

digital

leader

valid proof / valid passport

deny entry