Government policy, not the economy, is the overwhelming driver of immigration to the UK, according to research.
Changes to the UK's immigration policy and the expansion of the EU account for 75 per cent of new migration since the 1990s according to a report published by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Even the 'friends and family' effect, in which migrants attract relatives to move to the same country once they are settled, has more of an effect than the economic performance of either country.
The research by James Mitchell and Rebecca Riley for the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) also suggests that migration from India and Pakistan, China and the EU 'expansion countries' accounts for almost all of the increase in net migration to the UK since the 1990s.
However the report admits that there are still more unknowns than certainties when it comes to immigration, "not least because of the importance of policy, which is difficult to predict".
A separate report, also published on Tuesday by Ana Rincón-Aznar and Lucy Stokes for the NIESR, said that London remains the most common destination for migrants with around a third of new arrivals settling in the capital between 2004 and 2008.
While the proportion of migrants moving to London has fallen over time, recent data suggests it has risen since 2008.
"In comparison, the proportion of new immigrants going to other regions such as the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber has shown some increase," the report says.
Migrants from Asia and the new EU countries tend to move to areas with higher regional employment and lower house prices, the research suggests.
However it also admits that "dfficulties in accurately measuring migration, particularly at sub-national level, are widely acknowledged", and says that more research is needed.
"The longer-term impact of the recession on the location choices of immigrants remains to be seen," the report concludes.