Children of immigrants are more likely to get a university degree than those with British parents

It is thought they are more motivated

Nigel Farage put immigration front and centre during the EU referendum campaign (Rex)

Children of immigrants are more likely to get a university degree than those with British parents, according to a global education report.

Andreas Schleicher, from the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), said this could be down to "greater levels of motivation" and a realisation that education would enable them to "move up the ladder".

The Education at a Glance 2016 report compares the performance and cost of education in several different countries, from early years to university.

The research found that, unlike most countries, third level education in England and Northern Ireland was more common among those with an immigrant background than among those without an immigrant background.

In England, 46% of 25 to 44-year-olds with native-born parents get third level education compared to 58% of those with foreign-born parents.

Similarly, in Northern Ireland 38% of 25 to 44-year-olds with native parents and 53% of those with foreign-born parents get third level education respectively.

On average, among OECD countries, roughly equivalent proportions of children get tertiary education, regardless of their parents' origin, with around two in five doing so.

Mr Schleicher said when someone had poorly educated parents they were less likely to be poorly educated if they were an immigrant than if they were British.

Asked about why he thought there was a difference between children of immigrants and children of native-born parents, he said there were immigrants who "put a great value on education in the UK".

He said the children of immigrants may say to themselves: "If I want to succeed in the UK, I better get my credentials right."

But he added: "What I can't answer is why this doesn't work for British. The same kind of factors should actually also work for people born in Britain."

In a briefing ahead of the report being published, Mr Schleicher said of the success of those with an immigrant background: "We don't know what the source of that is.

"It could be greater levels of motivation. They are coming into a country, see that education is their way to actually move up the ladder."

He pointed out that some people may think immigrants would be more likely to be at the "lower end of the performance spectrum", but said the UK did well "in terms of social mobility, in terms of giving immigrant children a great start".

Adults with immigrant backgrounds often face challenges in education due to barriers such as language differences or difficult financial situations, the report showed.