Google is to open a new headquarters building in London which could see 3,000 new jobs created by 2020.
The news comes as a major boost to Britain's technology sector.
Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of Google, told the BBC that the UK was still an attractive place to do business.
He said open borders and free movement for skilled migrants were "absolutely" important to the success of the technology sector in the UK.
It was Mr Pichai's first European broadcast interview since he became chief executive last year.
Sources at the technology company also said if barriers were thrown up to skilled immigration following the vote to leave the European Union, some of Google's investment could be at risk.
Turning to the "fake news" controversy in America - and choosing his words very carefully - Mr Pichai said that, at the margin, false stories about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton could have affected the outcome of the US election as the margins were "very narrow".
And that it was important that companies like Google and other social media businesses promoted "accurate" stories to their billions of users.

Although Google refused to be drawn on the cost of the UK investment, development experts said the new building in King's Cross and the cost of employing thousands more staff was likely to put the figure at over £1bn.
At present, Google employs around 4,000 people in the UK, a figure that could now rise to 7,000.
The office space owned by Google in King's Cross will more than double.
"The UK has been a tremendous market for us," Mr Pichai told me.
"We see big opportunities here. This is a big commitment from us - we have some of the best talent in the world in the UK and to be able to build great products from here sets us up well for the long term."

The new 650,000 sq-ft headquarters has been designed by Thomas Heatherwick, the designer behind the "garden bridge" across the Thames.
He was brought in by Google after its founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, rejected initial designs for a new headquarters as "too boring" in 2013. Danish architects Bjarke Ingels Group are also involved in the project.
Many companies raised fears before the referendum that if Britain voted to leave the European Union, foreign investment would be affected.
Questions were raised over whether Google would commit to the new building.
But Mr Pichai made it clear the strength of the UK economy went far beyond the Brexit vote.
"The innovation we see here, the talent we have available here and how on the cutting edge of technology we are able to be here makes it an incredible place for us to invest," he said.
"We do value how open and connected it is and we can bring in talent from anywhere in the world and we value those attributes and we are optimistic that those will stay true over time.
"So we did [make the investment decision] taking into consideration [the referendum], but we are very optimistic."
He said Brexit may have complicated "secondary effects" over the longer term but it was too early to say what they may be.

I asked Mr Pichai what the government's approach should be to immigration controls.
"I want to be respectful," he answered.
"These are important questions for the citizens of the UK to answer.
"I think there are thoughtful debates to be had.
"In our experience as a company, when we have been able to bring people together and operate in an open and connected way it achieves tremendous impact over time.
"Those are the values we cherish, and we have been open and public about how we think about these things.
"When I look at London [I see] a place in which we are able to attract great talent, find great talent in the UK, thanks to a great educational system here, but it has also been a place where people are willing to come from anywhere in the world.
"Increasingly, for the kinds of complex things we do, we need to bring people who are across many disciplines - with many different backgrounds - together to solve problems. That's how you can build newer things, so that is particularly important for us."
He said that he would "worry" if controls on skilled migration were made more stringent.

Sundar Pichai said the US was "deeply divided"
Turning to events in America and the election of Donald Trump, Mr Pichai said it was clear the country was "deeply divided".
"I come from India, I am used to a vibrant democracy, and it is the same in the United States.
"It is important to remember that we had a democratic process and there has been an outcome.
"As you can see the country is deeply divided so I tend to look forward and I think we need to figure out how to constructively engage with the new administration and hear the voices of people, as at Google we care about certain values - be it freedom of expression, the notion of inclusion and fairness, building open systems, building a connected world.
"But it is also important to acknowledge that there are people, through a process like this, who feel left behind, and I am glad the democratic process gives voices to everyone."

Published Date:2016-11-16