Following the 2016 Brexit vote, it is estimated that 200,000 UK-based Poles returned home due to issues with uncertainty and bureaucracy.

But most — as many as 800,000 — stayed on, determined to build their lives here. Reporter Dee Lukasik spoke to five people about what attracted them to Britain and why they remain.

Almost overnight, life changed for IT specialist Radek Glinski, who’d happily lived in Chatham for 10 years before Britain voted to leave the EU.

Usually friendly contacts suddenly started questioning him about his status, and the whole tone of daily interactions seemed to sour.

It was a bitter blow and at times bewildering for someone who’d lived here without any issues at all.

He said: “People who knew me asked if I had the right to be here and work legally and made me show them my documents.

“Maybe they had to do it for official reasons, but they were not nice at all. Before Brexit, these kind of things never happened.”

As fellow Poles decided to head back to eastern Europe, Radek, 54, and wife Ania questioned whether they’d be better off leaving too.

It wasn’t just a new feeling of being unwelcome, there were now many new legal and financial obstacles to contend with, like applying for residency.

Interpreter Ania, 55, admits to feeling a sense of betrayal at the time of Brexit — as an EU citizen, she had moved to the UK with full rights, only to now be required to prove herself.

She said: “The conditions under which I came had changed — before, I didn’t need any kind of status or paperwork to justify my right to be here.

“And then, suddenly, I did. How do I describe it? I felt like I had been deceived.”

The decision to stay in the UK was based on a number of factors but mainly came down to the fact they’d built successful lives with good jobs, friends and three children.

Ania added: “I have great friends, mainly centered around the Polish school I founded in 2014.

“While many students come from Polish families, a significant number are now from mixed Polish-British households.”

For these children, the school serves as a bridge between both cultures, reinforcing their roots while they grow up in an English-speaking environment.

Although a fondness remains for Poland, Kent is very much home for the family.

Rochester residents Agnieszka and Damian Krogulewski moved to the UK 21 years ago, having struggled to make a living in Poland with few prospects for their future.

Living in London at first, their intention was to work hard, save lots and move back home.

However, after a while they decided to stay in England and relocated to Kent to buy a more affordable house than what was available in the capital.

Damian says he was drawn to the UK due to his lifelong fondness of British culture.

He said: “I just love the humour, dry, sarcastic and straight to the point. People here don’t take themselves too seriously, and that suits me perfectly.

“Add to that, old British movies, James Bond and the history all around — why would I live anywhere else?”

According to 42-year-old Agnieszka “he may not sound like a Brit, but he feels properly English”.

She teaches at a pre-school in Rochester and was actively involved in a Polish Saturday school.

They consider themselves part of the local community, attending an English-speaking church and socialising mostly with British friends.

Despite all the new legal hurdles, they found the biggest inconvenience of Brexit was the difficulty of traveling with their dog due to new health certificate requirements.

Their eight-year-old son Antos enjoys visits to Poland but feels more at home in England, and when asked if he would like to move there permanently, he simply says ‘no’.

For him, Polish is a difficult language, and English feels natural.

Their connections to their homeland remain strong, with regular visits, and their teenage children even bring British friends along.

But, like Radek and Ania, home is where the heart is, and for the time being, that’s here.

For many Britons, stereotypes of Poland abound, with many seeing it as a poor, former communist country where it’s always cold and food scarce.

The truth is enlightening — although the UK boasts higher wages, Poland is considerably more affordable in most aspects like food, housing and transportation.

It also has about 400 more hours of sunshine each year.

Sittingbourne resident Gosia Koszela-Zarska came to the UK 16 years ago to join her husband, who was already working here.

A school counsellor back home — a job she loved — the idea of living apart from her partner was never an option for the 47-year-old.

“The beginning was hard,” she said. “A new language, new culture, starting from scratch. But with time, I fell in love with this country.”

As a child, she was painfully shy, something which followed her into adulthood.

That changed when she became a mother. The need to transform herself, to be stronger, to push beyond her limits led her to fitness.

“At 12, I discovered sports and realised that movement can turn any moment into something magical,” she said.

That passion led her to become a personal trainer, helping others find their strength.

In 2019, she entered the Miss Generation competition and was crowned Miss Public’s Choice — a moment that showed how much she had changed.

She genuinely feels like she has found her place in the UK, but unfortunately applying for British citizenship has not been an option.

With an overall cost of £1,780 per person, it is simply too high for her family.

The mum-of-four says Brexit brought uncertainty: “I saw so many Poles leaving, and I wondered — should we go too?”

“But with my children growing up here, this is their home as much as mine. I know I made the right decision.”