Swinney: I would work with Westminster on bespoke migration policy for Scotland
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First Minister John Swinney is calling on Westminster to work with him to develop a “tailored” migration policy for Scotland that could allow overseas students to remain in the country after graduation. The SNP leader wants a special Scottish graduate visa to be introduced – and is pledging that he is “ready to put in the hard yards” to make it happen.
But he will claim that the UK Government, which has so far refused to devolve power over immigration to SNP ministers in Edinburgh, is being “dragged in an anti-growth direction” adding that there is a “prevailing political consensus at Westminster which is determined to limit migration and is hostile to EU membership”.
Saying that such a stance does not meet Scotland’s economic needs, the First Minister will tell how he wants to work with industry and others “to draw the UK Government back towards mainstream positions that work for Scotland”. Mr Swinney will call for Labour ministers to work with him on a Scottish graduate visa as he makes a speech in Glasgow on Wednesday.
There he will insist there needs to be a “renewed focus on a migration policy that works for Scotland”, with the First Minister expected to tell the audience: “Have no doubt, right now we need people to come here to live and work to bolster our working-age population.”.
