UK Immigration White Paper 2025: Scottish Government proposals

Delivering for Scotland within the existing immigration system

The proposals outlined in this paper do not seek to devolve control of the immigration system to Scotland, and are presented with the intention of being fully deliverable within the existing UK immigration system.

There is scope for the existing immigration system to deliver better outcomes for the various countries and regions of the UK; partly through redesign, with increased nuance and flexibility within existing routes; and partly through the introduction of new tailored migration routes, with both approaches reflecting the difference in need which face different parts of the UK.

The immigration system as currently designed does not work for Scotland. Too many visa routes have conditions which have increasingly disincentivised or acted as a barrier to migration to Scotland, and are not reflective of the financial or demographic landscape beyond London, the South-East of England, and a selection of other major cities.

There has been a wealth of correspondence from the Scottish Government to both the current and previous UK Governments on the various challenges that the immigration system in its current form poses to Scotland’s ambition to promote economic and demographic growth. A high-level selection of these issues are included within this paper.

The Immigration White Paper represents a clear opportunity to redress the imbalances within the current system, and, through meaningful engagement with national and regional administrations, create a system which is flexible and forward-thinking in its design, and well-placed to promote economic growth across the whole of the UK. Failure to take this opportunity, however, would serve to suggest that the only way for Scotland and other devolved governments to ensure that the immigration system is reflective of their needs would ultimately be through the devolution of those powers.

Scotland is an attractive place to live, work and study for those who were born in Scotland; those who choose to move to Scotland from the rest of the UK and international migrants. However, it is dealing with a structural legacy of outmigration which has meant that Scotland lost not just those individuals but also their descendants. This legacy means that in addition to retaining population there is a need to attract individuals to communities to grow our economy and deliver our public services.