"The UK is one of a minority of older European Union Member States that chose not to restrict the ability of nationals from the eight Central and Eastern European countries, which acceded to the EU in 2004, from accessing its labour market. Relying on extracts from qualitative interviews with Polish migrants, this article reflects on the experience of post-accession EU8 migrant workers in the UK. In particular, it examines how UK law on the registration of migrant workers from the accession countries, and EU law on the recognition of qualifications, may be contributing to the initial occurrence of de-skilling whereby migrants' skills and education are devalued in the host society. It seems that the emphasis in the UK placed on the ‘usefulness' of such EU8 workers may be diverting attention from the occurrence of ‘brain waste'."

Support: Paper