The Ethnic Card: From Diaspora Policy Instrument to Migration Policy Trigger. The Case of the Pole’s Card

Initially, kin-states introduced ethnic cards to strengthen ties with kin-minorities. Today the ethnic card has transformed into an important and effective tool of migration policy, aimed at attracting new immigrants and potential future citizens. Its purpose has changed from reinforcing identity and cultural ties with a diaspora to encouraging the holders to settle and filling labor and demographic gaps in the kin-state. The article presents the evolution of the ethnic card as an instrument of kin-state policy using the example of the Pole’s Card. Since its introduction in 2007, the Card’s provisions have changed profoundly; not only have its subject and material scope been significantly expanded but there has also been a noticeable shift in the narrative about its role in the state’s policy toward the Polish diaspora. Based on a review of legislative documents, transcripts of parliamentary sessions on the Act on the Pole’s Card, as well as expert interviews, the authors trace this evolution, analyze the motives behind the process, and examine the impact of the Card on current migration flows to Poland.