Ten years after Tomasz Dyl left his small hometown near Krakow as a 13-year-old to start a new life in Southampton on England's south coast, his personal trajectory has become emblematic of the story of Polish migration to the U.K.
While his parents earned a living picking fruit and packing flowers, Dyl learned English on the playground, launched a marketing business at 17, went on to university, and last year was named Southampton's young entrepreneur of the year. Now 23, he employs six people, is about to collect the keys to a house he has bought on a 25-year mortgage, and cannot imagine ever returning to live and work in his native Poland.
"There is a better standard of life here, and the U.K. gives you more chances. It's fantastic to see the number of Poles starting their own businesses," he said.