Exclusive:SNP demand Labour support as Scottish visa bill gets surprise second reading

The SNP has challenged Scottish Labour to work with them to create a Scottish visa after the Devolution (Immigration) (Scotland) Bill secured a surprise second reading next month.

SNP MP Stephen Gethins had sought an amendment to the Scotland Act 1998 to establish the unique scheme, with the concept having previously been praised by several figures in Scottish Labour.

SNP MP Stephen Gethins

Last year the Home Office denied plans were being drawn up for a new Scottish work visa, which could see international workers brought directly to Scotland.

Immigration is not a devolved issue, with those wanting to move to Scotland from abroad subject to the same Home Office rules as those looking to emigrate to the UK.

The Bill will now have a second reading in Westminster, with the SNP confident they can get cross-party support.

Mr Gethins, the SNP’s foreign affairs spokesperson, said: “By presenting this proposal, I am putting forward a suggestion that has also been made by other political parties, stakeholders and the leading think-tank Reform Scotland and it is my hope that Scottish Labour MPs can rise above party politics and back our Bill in the interests of Scotland’s economy.

“A Scottish visa presents a chance for both the Scottish and UK governments to come together to support our key industries in the face of a global economic storm and it’s clear there is consensus across both Scottish Labour and the SNP to make this happen.

“There were big promises from [Scottish Labour leader] Anas Sarwar and [his deputy] Jackie Baillie on a Scottish visa prior to the election. So if they’re serious about this matter, then they can back our Bill to allow Holyrood to move forward with the creation of a unique scheme.

“This Bill will allow us to tackle the Brexit-born staff shortages that have inflicted pain and hardship upon our NHS, Scottish business and higher education. It’s no secret that our social care sector is crying out for workers and who can forget the dreadful scenes of fruit left to rot in the fields of Angus and elsewhere because of Westminster’s bloody-minded anti-immigration policies.”

People wanting to move to Scotland from abroad are currently subject to the same Home Office rules as those looking to emigrate to the rest of the UK. | Getty Images

Reform Scotland, chaired by former Labour first minister Lord McConnell, has also backed an independent Scottish visa scheme, writing before the election there was a “danger Scotland’s needs will be overlooked”.

A Scottish Labour spokesperson said: “The needs of our economy are different across the regions and nations, and different sectors have different needs.

“Labour have always said that we will ensure that our migration and skills policy work for every part of the UK.

“Given skills and employment support are devolved we will work with the Scottish Government when designing workforce plans for different sectors.”

The number of births in Scotland fell to its lowest ever recorded level in 2023, with only migration driving any forecasts for population growth.

Alison Payne, research director at Reform Scotland, told The Scotsman: “Scotland is facing a demographic crisis. It is the only part of the UK projected to see population decrease by 2045, and it is ageing.

“We want to see Westminster and Holyrood politicians working together to develop a more tailored Scottish solution within the current system, such as using Scotland’s unique tax code to allow some migrants to work in Scotland, but not elsewhere in the UK, or creating other Scottish only schemes such as a successor to the Fresh Talent Initiative.”

Last year hospitality and tourism chiefs lashed out after UK home secretary Yvette Cooper appeared to reject the plan. Leon Thompson, the executive director of UKHospitality Scotland, described the snub as “very, very disappointing”.

He said: “There needs to be some further conversations at how we have arrived at a situation where it is not being considered at all when it was part of the conversation before the election. “Nobody expected anything like this to happen quickly, but to see it taken off the table altogether will be a blow to the sector."