Scottish Government proposals for immigration powers to be devolved to Scotland for the purpose of establishing a new “Scottish Visa” system.
Within the context of historical demographic shifts in Scotland that have deviated from the overall UK situation, it makes sense for the Scottish Government to demand new immigration powers that would allow it to build a flexible and effective immigration system for Scotland.
This policy has the potential to allow Holyrood to evade the threats to Scotland that will arise from an excessively strict immigration system rolled out by the UK Government, while addressing the concerns of voters in England and Wales.
Nonetheless, the UK Government appears unwilling to make compromises that would meet Scotland’s needs.
However, it would be a possibility to implement different immigration systems across the British state. The central governments of Canada and Australia, for example, permit regions to run their own immigration systems geared towards their own needs.