The UK government has dismissed Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon's calls for Scotland to have a different immigration policy to the rest of the United Kingdom, domestic media reported on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th January, 2020) The UK government has dismissed Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon's calls for Scotland to have a different immigration policy to the rest of the United Kingdom, domestic media reported on Monday.
Earlier in the day, Sturgeon spoke in the Scottish city of Edinburgh to outline her future immigration policy plans. She had hoped to create a "Scottish visa," abolish a cap on immigration numbers and scrap application fees as immigration policy would be devolved to the Scottish parliament.
"Scotland has distinctive needs. A one-size-fits-all immigration approach, particularly when the objective of the UK government is to cut immigration doesn't work for Scotland and it will be deeply damaging to Scotland. If we have fewer people coming here, the danger is our population goes into decline again," Sturgeon said during a televised appearance on the STV broadcaster.
However, The Scotsman newspaper reported on Monday afternoon that the UK government had already put a hold on any talk of devolving immigration powers to Holyrood.
"Immigration will remain a reserved matter. The UK Government will introduce a points-based immigration system that works in the interests of the whole of the United Kingdom, including Scotland," a Home Office spokesperson said, as quoted by The Scotsman.
The UK is set to introduce an Australian-style points-based immigration system after Brexit that will assess applicants' skills, qualifications, and deficits in the UK labor market.
