This article examines migration flows of labour from Poland to Western Europe. To this end, the author begins with a general historical perspective of migration movements prior to 2004, while identifying a series of “push” and “pull” factors (i.e. expulsion and attraction) that have encouraged the persistence of migrant flows leaving the country since its entry into the EU, as well as offering a few indications as to the impact of this emigration on the development of migration policy in Poland.