Three Romanians already living and working in the UK give their opinions on the lifting of migration restrictions.
- Leonard Bacica, 32, Freelance theatrical lighting designer, London
- Cristina Coceban, 22, Accountancy student, Northampton
- Samuil Marusca, 29 , Teaching assistant, London
It probably sounds silly, but the reason I came to Britain has a lot to do with the Premier League – I’m a huge follower of Manchester United. I also studied Wittgenstein at university and he stayed in Cambridge for most of his professional life. I think I have a cultural affinity with the UK.
It wasn’t at all hard to find work, and within a month I had found a job in a coffee shop in north London. Unfortunately, although they had promised to sort out the paperwork, a year later they had a phonecall from the Home Office and fired a couple of Romanians and Bulgarians.
I wasn’t entirely aware of the work restrictions when I came. My idea was that if I hadn’t found a job I would work as a freelance, which is what I am doing now. It took me two months to get my first commission, but I’ve been working fairly continuously since.
Immigration: what do the Romanians think?
