OD IMIGRACJI DO INTEGRACJI PO STATUS MNIEJSZOŚCI NARODOWEJ. PRZYKŁAD POLAKÓW W AUSTRII

The article shows the characteristic features of the Polish immigration to Austria. A description of the emigration to Austria as well as detailed statistical information concerning the number of foreigners, among them Poles, in the second half of the twentieth century are presented in the article. Moreover, it focuses on the results of the research which was conducted amongst the Poles staying in Austria. The research concerned the strategy which was adapted with reference to the departure and the time of stay of the Poles in Austria and the attitude taken towards the integration with the environment. There is a difference in the approach towards emigration life depending on the time of departure. People who left their countries in the 1970s were planning mainly a temporary stay, however, because of favourable currency rates they prolonged their stay. Seeing the advantages of living in Austria, they usually did not plan to return to their homelands. Those who had been persecuted in Poland or stayed abroad illegally, closed their way of return. Thus if they had not been planning to emigrate to more distant countries, they integrated quickly in the new environment. People who left their homelands in the 1990s live in two worlds, working in Austria while spending and investing back in Poland. People who have recently left their countries of origin, have been driven mainly by non-economic reasons, for instance they went to study. They are not attached to certain places but they choose the place of living so as to find better professional opportunities. Finally, some remarks are included concerning the efforts to acknowledge the Poles as the national minority in Austria.