(LONDON) - Nearly 800,000 people from the eight countries that joined the European Union four years ago have since applied to work in Britain, government statistics said Tuesday.

Britain's interior ministry said there were 790,000 applicants from Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia between May 1, 2004 to the end of December last year.

The figures do not include the self-employed nor Romanians and Bulgarians, whose countries joined the EU on January 1 last year, increasing the number of member states to 27.

Of the 790,000 applications, 766,000 were approved. Some 214,510 work permits were granted in 2007, compared with 234,725 in 2006.

It is not known how many of those people remain in Britain, although British media reports suggest Poles in particular are now returning home in greater numbers.

Separate government data showed that 30,570 Bulgarians and Romanians had applications to work in Britain granted in the last 12 months, while a further 7,295 were allowed to work here under a seasonal agricultural workers scheme.

Britain restricted to 20,000 the number of Bulgarian and Romanian workers after an unexpectedly large influx from former communist states after the 2004 EU enlargement -- and concern about its effect on the domestic workforce.

Immigration minister Liam Byrne said it was too early to assess the impact of Bulgaria and Romania's accession and the restrictions would remain in place for "at least" another year.

"Our indications are that the policy of restricting access to the UK's labour market is helping to ensure that only those who have something to offer the UK are allowed to work here," he added.

Separately, the ministry said the number of asylum applications fell to its lowest level in 14 years. Some 23,430 requests were made in 2007 -- down one percent on the previous 12 months and a quarter of 2002 levels.

A total of 12,525 failed asylum seekers, not including their dependents, were removed last year while 63,140 people, including convicted foreign criminals and immigration offenders, were deported.

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