Immigration: the contentious issue that pushes the boundaries

The Sunday Post examines how the hot potato of immigration could affect an independent Scotland.

Experts offer their views on the issue of immigration.

Expert View Dr Scott Blinder, Director of the Migration Observatory at Oxford University

The Scottish Government’s White Paper proposes a ‘points-based system’ for managing immigration.

This system would be more open to high-skilled migration, designed to encourage migration into more remote areas and to bring in key skills for important business sectors in Scotland.

The UK has operated a points-based system since 2008, but has been adding restrictions that have helped reduce migration among non-EU nationals, including the highly-skilled.

Points-based systems can be designed to select migrants both for skills and for geographical destination.

However, these two objectives may be in some tension with one another. International migrants to Scotland are primarily drawn to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, major centres of population and of economic activity.

If this is where high-skilled migrants prefer to go, then incentives to bring them to Scotland’s more remote areas might conflict with efforts to bring them to Scotland in the first place.

The White Paper’s less restrictive approach to immigration, compared to current British immigration policy, also raises some questions about plans to remain a part of the Common Travel Area (CTA), allowing

passport-free movement around the British Isles.

The UK Government has stressed the need for such plans to be negotiated and agreed by all members of the CTA, and suggests that maintaining a borderless region will limit just how far an independent Scotland’s immigration policy could differ from that of the remaining UK (and Ireland).

The Migration Observatory’s public opinion research has shown that a large majority in Scotland would like Holyrood rather than Westminster to make immigration policy for Scotland.

Expect View Professor Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of Glasgow

Scotland has some of the world’s best universities. With five universities in the top 200 in the world, we have a strong brand.

It’s not surprising that some of the best students from around the world want to study here. What is surprising, however, is that the UK Government is trying its best to destroy a global brand. Reducing net migration is a stated objective of the UK coalition Government.

These figures include student numbers, even though the target itself makes no economic sense.

It cannot be effectively controlled by Government because it includes flows the Government cannot control, such as the numbers of Britons choosing to move overseas.

Nevertheless the Government has refused to abandon it. This sends a negative signal to prospective students choosing between the UK, and other popular higher education systems, such as Australia, Canada and the USA.

The result? In the last two years fewer international students are coming to the UK, with numbers in the sciences and medicine falling.

There might not be quotas for overseas students in the UK, but the impact of the

UK Government’s

anti-immigration rhetoric has had the same effect. Add to this the posturing around the current Immigration Bill and it’s not surprising that student numbers from India and Pakistan have fallen sharply, and numbers from many other regions, including the Middle East and North America, are static or falling back.

As an advanced economy Scotland needs to return to having an immigration policy which suits our economic needs, a policy which encourages highly skilled graduates to engage in post-study work, as used to be the case until 2010.

Our competitors, including Canada, Australia, Germany and New Zealand have explicit strategies to expand international student recruitment. We must consider how Scotland can compete on the same terms, whatever the political settlement

post-September.

Yes Vote Pete Wishart, SNP Westminster Home Affairs Spokesman

With independence, Scotland will have the full range of powers needed for a positive and sensible approach to immigration.

The Scottish Government’s White Paper ‘Scotland’s Future’ lays out our approach.

We plan a controlled points-based system to support the migration of skilled workers for the benefit of Scotland’s economy. An independent Scotland will have an inclusive approach to citizenship and a humane approach to asylum seekers and refugees.

The Scots are exposed to the same anti-immigrant rhetoric of the right wing press, and Nigel Farage is as ever-present on Scottish TVs as he is south of the Border.

In Scotland we have to lump inappropriate Westminster immigration laws, and we are constantly told that they must become even more restrictive to protect us from the various ‘floods’ of ‘foreigners’ who are to erode our way of life.

Scotland votes for a Government at Holyrood that couldn’t sound any more different from the UK Tory Government on immigration and we are a better country for that. The difference in how the two Governments see immigration is best demonstrated in their various responses to the annual census of net migration.

In Scotland, when we see an increase in our population given our history of depopulation, we celebrate the good news. At Westminster it couldn’t make the politicians more miserable.

Scots are also becoming increasingly aware of our own population and demographic requirements. Only 20 or so years ago there was a real fear that our population would dip below five million. Although our population is currently growing at a healthy and welcome rate, there is still a realisation that our population levels remain more fragile than south of the Border.

We can only properly deal with that if migration policy is decided in the Scottish parliament, not by Westminster.

Scotland has always accommodated new people coming to our country and one of the greatest sayings in Scotland is that ‘we are all Jock Tamson’s bairns’.

No Vote Yvette Cooper, Shadow Home Secretary

Immigration has been important for Scotland and the UK over many centuries. Our institutions have been built on the ideas, ingenuity and hard work of people who travelled from abroad. And immigration will continue to be important to Scotland in future, but that is why it needs to be controlled.

For the United Kingdom we’ve called for reforms to the immigration system with stronger border controls to tackle illegal immigration, action against employers who exploit migrant labour to undercut wages and jobs, but more action to welcome overseas graduates who bring billions to our economy.

What would an independent Scotland’s immigration policy be? The SNP haven’t given any answers.

We know that an independent Scotland will need significantly higher immigration to meet the rising costs of pensions. But how will the SNP do that when European citizens, high skilled workers and University students can already come to Scotland?

The SNP need to tell us what kind of immigration system they plan. Staying part of the UK has big advantages.

Keeping pensions British means Scotland doesn’t need to fill the gap with higher taxes, spending cuts or less targeted migration.

And sharing the same immigration system helps share the costs of border security systems, visa processing and enforcement.

Most importantly, it means we enjoy our common travel area. Ireland has a similar immigration policy to the UK that’s how we’ve been able to maintain a common travel area where people don’t need their passports checked as they travel between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

By staying together we can create a stronger, more progressive immigration policy, which will contribute to Scotland’s economic growth and continue to enrich its culture. Scotland can have the best of both worlds.