London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

Nicola Sturgeon calls for Scotland to have own immigration powers

Nicola Sturgeon calls for Scotland to have own immigration powers

First minister says country needs strategy to tackle falling birth rate and Brexit impact
Nicola Sturgeon has called for Scotland to have its own visa and immigration strategy to deal with the country’s falling birth rate and the impacts of Brexit.

The first minister urged the UK government to start talks on devolving migration powers to the Scottish parliament, to allow it to introduce a flexible “Scottish visa” without the tight restrictions in force across the rest of the UK.

Holyrood would scrap the hefty application fees, salary threshold and employer sponsorship required by the Home Office, she said. This regional model is already used by Canadian provinces and Australian states.

Sturgeon said the prime minister should accept the need for a more flexible immigration system tailored to meet Scotland’s particular needs during his government’s review of the post-Brexit immigration system.

The UK government announced on Monday it would launch a fast-track visa system for talented scientists on 20 February, amid widespread concern that the UK’s research capacity will be hit by Brexit.

Sturgeon said ending free movement from within the EU would harm the UK as a whole but would be “uniquely” damaging for Scotland’s economy and public services, because it is particularly vulnerable to population decline.

“A common UK-wide approach to immigration simply hasn’t worked in Scotland’s interests for some time now. Brexit will undoubtedly exacerbate what was already a significant challenge,” she said.

The Scottish government would be the sole sponsor of applicants for a Scottish visa and would screen applications. It would then recommend people to the Home Office, which would undertake final security and identity checks, and could refuse entry if applicants failed those tests.

Applicants for a Scottish visa would need to get a Scottish income tax code from HM Revenue and Customs to prove they were resident in Scotland, and that visa would lapse if they left for any other part of the UK.

Sturgeon said Scotland was facing a population crisis because its falling birth rate and ageing population left its economy and public services heavily dependent on migration, both from within the UK and from overseas.

Population forecasts showed Scotland’s pensioners would grow from 19% of the population in 2018 to 23% in 2043, while the working-age population would fall from 64% to 62%, and the number of children drop from 17% to 15%.

Scotland’s population would shrink over that period, while increasing by 9% for the UK as a whole by 2043.

Rural depopulation in remote parts of Scotland would also accelerate, with the working-age populations projected to fall by 33% in sparsely populated areas. To tackle that issue, the UK government should also implement its promise to trial a visa targeted at rural areas, she added.

The proposed Scottish visa was welcomed in principle by Scottish Labour, Universities Scotland, which represents the higher education sector, the industry body Food and Drink Scotland, and immigration campaigners.

While Sturgeon said the Scottish approach would be liberal and flexible, the policy paper she released on Monday, Migration: Helping Scotland Prosper, said there was likely to be a cap or limit to the number of migrants allowed into Scotland.

The paper said that limit would be negotiated with the UK government, as long as it did not involve an arbitrary cap set by UK ministers for political reasons.

The document said other changes were possible, including a regional approach across the UK that allowed some adaptations for local needs which would initially have a lower cap or quota.

Sturgeon said it was too early to be specific on the numbers involved but said it should reflect the needs of specific industries, such as tourism and catering, or rural areas experiencing depopulation. “In principle, the system should be as open and as flexible as possible,” she said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
×