UNDER a hot early sun, about 60 Romanians queued in a vacant lot across the road from the British Consulate. The goal — the treasured permit to work in Britain.

The applicants, mostly young, skilled workers or degree-holders, are the vanguard of jobseekers who some in Britain fear will flood across the Channel once Romania and Bulgaria join the European Union in January.

“I don’t know why the British are worried,” said Eva, 31, who wants to join her Romanian husband, a computer worker living in West Croydon. “Most of the Romanians go there for a limited time and pay their taxes. They help the economy, spending half their money just living because it is so expensive.”

With household incomes ten times higher than in Romania, Britain is a big attraction, but not as much as other European countries. The queues outside the Italian and Spanish consulates are far longer.

Up to two million Romanians, about 20 per cent of the working-age population, are in the western EU, sending £2 billion a year home. The Romanian Government said that 350,000 to 500,000 would leave Romania after January. “The Romanians prefer the south — Spain and Italy,” Leonard Orban, the Secretary of State for European Integration, said. “At the most, 10 per cent will go to the UK, which is less than 50,000 people.”

In the British waiting pen, Radu, 29, wanted to return legally to London, where his pregnant wife lives. He had worked without papers for three years in Blackheath as a bricklayer. “It’s very good money. I would like to live there, but not forever,” he said. “A lot of people think Britain is good. The pay is good and they treat you well. More will want to come but it won’t be a rush.”

Ionela, a 25-year-old English graduate, who has never visited Britain, hoped to work as an au pair. “If I can stay on after that, I would do so with pleasure for a while. I have studied a lot about Britain and admire it.”

Robert Muller, 30, a construction worker, wanted to join his wife, Elena, a social worker for Greenwich Council. “There will be more Romanians coming over if it is made easier, but people should not be worried. There is work for everyone with the Olympic Games.”

The British Embassy issued 3,600 permits to Romanians in the past year, the bulk of which went to seasonal farm labourers and workers in the hotel, health, catering and building industries. An unknown number of tourists have also used their visas to seek work.

The British Government is deciding whether it should restrict access to jobs, as most older EU states are expected to do. About half a million people from the eastern bloc have come to Britain since 2004, according to figures, adding to pressure for an end to the open door. Frank Field, the former Social Security Minister, said yesterday that Tony Blair should agree that “if the majority of other EU countries restrict Romanian and Bulgarian immigration, then that will be Britain’s policy too”. The Government said that the deciding factor would be the impact on the economy, but it is clear from Bucharest that this will be hard to predict.

Some experts said that restrictions would have little impact because Romanians would be able to visit Britain under the EU’s freedom of movement. “There will be little change after January 1,” said Sorin Ionita, of the Romanian Academic Society, a leading think-tank. “Any Romanian can come as a tourist and look for work. You cannot do anything about it except posturing by politicians ... but I do not believe there will be a rush.”

EU diplomats know that tough restrictions will force workers underground and into the hands of criminals. They also admit to having little idea of the likely flow. “The Romanians tell us that they do not see the UK as a primary destination,” one said. “They are likely to take the well-trodden path to southern Europe.”

Daniel Moldoveanu, the head of DLT Ital Construct, which hires skilled workers for British and other foreign companies, said that few Romanians were working in Britain because of tough existing limits. “After January 1 many skilled Romanians working in Spain and Italy will switch to Britain if they can. They get £8.50 an hour there and only £2 in Spain. And the conditions are better.” George Savva, his partner, a British Cypriot, added: “If we put out a sign saying jobs in Britain, 99 out of 100 of our applicants will go for it now.” Younger Romanians said that Spain and Italy would continue to attract the less-skilled workers, who prefer Latin nations like their own; the more ambitious and educated would head to Britain.

The attractions were on view on a giant advertisement for British Airways in the heart of Bucharest. “Daily flights: London is closer than you think,” says the slogan beside pictures of Big Ben and red buses. A straw poll near by did not reveal a desire to head to London. “It’s cold and it’s difficult to work in Britain,” Monika, 25, said. Michael, 40, said: “Sure, I would like to make all that money, but I’m too old. And we prefer the sunny countries.”

Another argument against the stampede is Romania’s own boom. The country is enjoying high growth and low unemployment, and even though Bucharest still has its packs of stray dogs and crumbling Ceausescu architecture, it is abuzz with enterprise and foreign investment. Workers are even being brought in from China. Dan Visoiu, a lawyer, said: “The biggest danger is jobs being relocated to Romania and Bulgaria. They will bring the work to where they pay less. It’s the market.” Romania is already producing clothes for Hugo Boss and cars for Renault.

Mr Orban said that he was saddened by the furore because Britain had helped Romania a lot to prepare for the EU. “Some of the media articles are very funny,” he said. “We have been very pleased by the precious support from the British Government so it is a little sad to see that we have become part of a debate that is driven by internal politics.”

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