The UK attracts more immigrants than any other country in the European Union, new figures have shown.
In 2010, the latest year for which the data is available, 591,000 people moved to Britain – more than double the number who migrated to France, which received 251,200.
Spain reported the second highest influx, at 465,200, followed by Italy with 458,900 and Germany with 404,100.
These top four countries together took in almost two thirds (61.9%) of all immigrants entering EU member states, the figures from Eurostat showed.
The UK also had the highest number of people acquiring citizenship in 2010, at 194,800.
This figure accounted for almost a quarter (24%) of the total number of people gaining citizenship in EU countries.
But UK own investors are getting more and more reluctant to invest in an economy which is likely to undergo another recession.