We study the approach in which independent variables describing gravity are functions of the space-time embedding into a flat space of higher dimension. We formulate a canonical formalism for such a theory in a form that requires imposing additional constraints, which are a part of Einstein's equations. As a result, we obtain a theory with an eight-parameter gauge symmetry. This theory becomes equivalent to Einstein's general relativity either after partial gauge fixing or after rewriting the metric in the form that is invariant under the additional gauge transformations. We write the action for such a theory.