Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has called for that country to have its own visa and immigration strategy to deal with its falling birth rate and the impact of Brexit
Sturgeon released a policy paper on Monday entitled Migration: Helping Scotland Prosper, and urged the UK government to begin talks on devolving migration powers to the Scottish parliament to allow it to introduce a “Scottish visa” without the restrictions in force across the rest of the UK.
The paper describes the way in which Scotland would get rid of hefty application fees, the salary threshold and employer sponsorship required by the Home Office, replacing the system with one that is already used by Canadian provinces and Australian states. Applicants would be issued with a Scottish income tax code from HM Revenue and Customs to prove they were resident in Scotland and the visa would lapse if they took up residence in another part of the UK.
The Scottish government would be the sole sponsor of applicants and would also screen applications. Applicants approved in the first instance would then notified to the Home Office which would undertake final security and identity checks, and could ultimately refuse entry if an applicant failed the additional screening.
Scotland’s unique position
Sturgeon has argued that ending free movement with the EU, while harmful to the UK as a whole, would be uniquely damaging to Scotland’s economy and public services. Scotland is facing a population crisis because its falling birth rate, ageing population and rural nature leaves its economy and public services heavily dependent on migration both from within the UK and from overseas.
Population forecasts showed Scotland’s pensioners would grow from 19% of the population in 2018 to 23% in 2043, while the working-age population would fall from 64% to 62%, and the number of children would fall from 17% to 15%. Scotland’s overall population would shrink over that period while population growth for the UK as a whole was expected to increase by 9% by 2043.
Depopulation in remote parts of Scotland would also accelerate, with the working-age populations projected to fall by 33% in sparsely populated areas. To tackle this issue, Scotland would like the UK government to implement a trial visa targeted specifically at rural areas.
Sturgeon hopes prime minister Boris Johnson will accept the need for a more flexible immigration system tailored to meet Scotland’s particular requirements during the government’s review of the UK’s post-Brexit immigration policy as a one-size-fits-all approach to immigration has proven not to work in Scotland’s best interests.
