ONS: Net migration increases by 23,000
Figures show net migration to the UK rose from 153,000 to 176,000 people in the year ending December 2012.
The increase appears to buck the recent trend of a decline in net migration - the difference between the number of people coming to and leaving the country.
Critics say it is a blow to the government's aim to bring about a drastic cut.
The BBC's Home Editor Mark Easton reports.