Migration: helping Scotland prosper

Summary of key proposals

Vision, Values And Principles

• Scottish Government will consult on values to inform a Scottish approach to migration policy, if agreement reached on need for a tailored policy.

A Tailored Approach For Scotland

• Responsibility for migration should be devolved to Scotland, as part of a UK framework, to allow new routes to be created for migration to Scotland.
• Scottish Government will consult on delivery models for a Scottish Visa, if agreement reached on need for a tailored policy.

A Place-Based Route For Migration To Rural Areas

• Scottish Government and UK Government should work together to design, develop and evaluate pilot schemes to encourage migration to rural areas.
• The Scottish Government will commission the Expert Advisory Group on Migration and Population to consider what a pilot approach to migration in remote areas would need to achieve in order to benefit Scotland’s rural and island communities.

Key Features Of A Scottish Visa

• Eligibility criteria set according to needs identified in Scotland, clear rules leading to greater certainty
• Scottish Ministers accountable to Scottish Parliament for policy and decisions
• Migrants holding Scottish Visa required to live in Scotland
• An additional option alongside all other UK visas
• No sponsorship role for employers in this route – so no sponsor licencing costs or bureaucracy
• Not liable to Immigration Skills Charge, as currently defined by UK Government
• No salary threshold in this route
• Online application process
• Offers pathway to permanent settlement in Scotland

Influencing Change In The UK System

• Targets to bring down migration to the UK should be ended.
• Fees and charges for UK immigration, settlement and citizenship applications should be reduced.
• All existing routes in the UK immigration system should be reviewed and simplified, removing financial and administrative burdens on applicants and sponsors.
• A new points-based system for the UK should follow international examples and include regional or devolved schemes.
• Family migration should be significantly reviewed, looking at definition of family members, costs, and children born here.
• The Scottish Government will commission the Expert Advisory Group on Migration and Population to look more closely at the impact that current family migration rules have on families in Scotland.
• The employer-sponsored visa should have a lower salary threshold.
• The proposed transitional 12-month visa should be extended to 24 months and made a permanent option for EU citizens after the UK leaves the EU.
• Arrangements for working visitors should be extended to six months, and a broader range of activities should be allowed.
• Youth mobility schemes to the UK should be extended for a year if young people live in Scotland during that time.