AN SNP MP behind efforts to set up a Scottish visa has insisted “all is not lost” in a defiant response to the Home Office shooting down the idea.
Last week, the UK Government dismissed the idea of a bespoke Scottish visa scheme after reports suggested Labour were considering the policy to help combat unique migration issues facing Scotland.
In a Westminster Hall debate, MP for Glasgow East John Grady said the party wanted to bring more workers to Scotland and suggested that the new UK Government may be working on proposals, but the Home Office has since slapped down the suggestion.
However, Stephen Gethins, who has lodged a bill seeking an amendment to the Scotland Act 1998 to enable the Scottish Government to set up a Scottish visa, has written a defiant blog post insisting he is not giving up.
Scottish Labour MP Torcuil Crichton said “it should not be beyond us to devise ways to attract more people to work and settle” in Scotland, and Gethins said he agreed politicians should be working to find a solution.
He said in a blog post for Reform Scotland: “I was initially pleased last week when I heard Labour MPs make positive noises about such a move [for a Scottish visa].
“But we did not have to wait too long for the Home Office to quash this bout of independent thinking from Labour MPs.
“This is the case for a migration system that applies a common policy for Scotland and the south-east of England – two parts of the UK with quite distinctive needs.
“The Home Office’s remarks were disappointing, but all is not lost. My private members bill has been introduced in the very broadest terms. What is more, it does not have a second reading until April next year (unless of course the Government grants it time before then).
“The terms of that legislation means there is scope for compromise and innovative solutions to be introduced. No one in Parliament has a monopoly of wisdom, and people also expect us to find common ground and seek to work together where possible.”
Gethins highlighted how just before the EU referendum, former Tory minister Michael Gove had suggested that Scotland should decide its immigration policy if the Leave campaign was successful.
Meanwhile, Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said just before this year’s General Election her party was open to talks with the Scottish Government on a Scottish visa.
While he is keen to see Scotland rejoin the EU as an independent state, Gethins said in the interim “we all have a responsibility to make things better”.
“We owe it to our world-leading industries to have a better discussion and debate,” Gethins said.
“Working in the higher education sector I saw at first hand how migration is one of the key components that makes the sector a global leader, in the process enriching the learning experience for Scottish students.”
He added: “This is an idea that has cross-party and cross-sector approach in Scotland and would be a great first step in demonstrating that parties, stakeholders and both governments can come together and reach agreement on even the thorniest issues.
“That would be something for us all to celebrate.”
