In an open letter to 800,000 Poles, Arkady Rzegocki revealed an “alarmingly low” number of number of Polish people had applied to stay in Britain following the nation’s exit from the EU.He wrote in his letter: “To date, around 27 percent of Poles living in the British Isles have applied for settled status.

“This is an alarmingly low level, meaning that thousands of Polish citizens may be exposed to complications related to the lack of regulating their status.

“With the dynamically developing situation regarding United Kingdom’s exit from the EU and the relatively low rate of applications for settled status by Polish people, I would like to draw your attention to the need to submit such an application if you want to stay in the UK after Brexit.

“I also encourage you to seriously consider the possibility of returning to Poland and to familiarise yourself with the information available on social benefits in Poland, finding employment and finding places in schools for children.”

Mr Rzegocki, who has represented Poland in the UK since 2016, said his nation “regrets” Britain’s decision to unshackle itself from the bloc.

He added: “I also encourage you to seriously consider the possibility of returning to your homeland. ‘The rapidly growing economy of our country creates more and more opportunities for citizens for development and good living conditions in the country.

“Soon, Great Britain, which has been home to thousands of Poles for generations, will most likely cease to be a member of the European Union – which we regret, but we also see this process as an opportunity to strengthen the bond between our two countries.”

Office of National Statistics’ recent data shows 832,000 people born in Poland were resident in the UK in 2018.

This makes it the joint highest overseas born population in the UK with India.

Almost one million Poles arrived in Britain to find work after the Labour Government relaxed immigration controls and Poland became a member of the EU in 2004.

But Polish citizens risk being deported from Britain after Brexit unless they have applied to the Home Office for settled status to grant them permanent residence.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, Mr Rzegocki hailed Poland and the Polish economy, saying: “Life standards are improving. They are much different compared to five to 10 years ago.

“I think it is a very good opportunity to come back to Poland. I think you can achieve your goals in both Britain and Poland.”

When questioned over how many Poles would choose to go back home, he added: “‘It is difficult to predict. Last year 116,000 left the country.

“There are still about a million here but you can see there is a discussion being had.

“We are doing the best to keep our relationship as close as possible as there is a long friendship between our countries”.

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