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Select committee: Scottish Affairs Committee

First Special Report - Immigration and Scotland: Government Response to the Committee’s Fourth Report of Session 2017–19

Published 27 May 2022

Scottish Affairs Committee Immigration and Scotland inquiry Report on parliament.uk ↗

At a glance

The government's response

This document responds to 4th Report - Immigration and Scotland.

This is the government's response, published 27 May 2022.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The Government's response, received on 25 April 2022 and acknowledged as delayed, sets out changes to the immigration system since the 2018 report and addresses the original points "as far as they are still relevant".

  • The Government says the points-based system has made it easier for employers in Scotland to recruit from overseas, citing a lower headline salary threshold of £25,600 (previously £30,000) and no cap on skilled workers.
  • It has retained the Scotland-only Shortage Occupation List, and says the Migration Advisory Committee "will be tasked with reviewing the SOL" later this year.
  • The Seasonal Worker route is extended until the end of 2024, "at which point the position will be reviewed". Visa numbers will "begin to taper down from 2023", as the sector "must do more" to attract resident workers.
  • On engagement, it says it is "keen to ensure that we engage effectively in Scotland" and that a new Home Office policy team "is due to be located" in Edinburgh.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

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