Nearly one in six teachers starting in England's schools last year qualified overseas, according to official figures obtained by the Times Educational Supplement (TES).
In the year to March, 6,179 teachers who qualified elsewhere had their qualifications recognised in England, suggests Department for Education data.
This amounts to 16% of 38,746 teachers who gained qualified status that year.
England faces a "major shortage" of teachers, said a head teachers' leader.
"Schools will recruit anybody who meets the standards and has the relevant qualifications," explained Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, which represents secondary heads.
The overall figures on the number of overseas teachers who achieved qualified status in England last year are from the annual report of the National College of Teaching and Leadership.
The TES also obtained Freedom of Information figures on the countries from which these teachers came.
