Surinder Singh and Scotland

Hi guys

Hope summer has been good to you.  Some updates:

MM case
Last week the lawyers involved indicated they were still waiting on legal aid approval.  There is some confidence that this will be granted, as will permission to appeal to Supreme Court, possibly for a hearing in February next year. However nothing is for certain yet.  More to come when more is known.

Surinder Singh

Please find here the first version of the Surinder Singh country specific guide.  This collates experience of some members (my sincere thanks to these people) who have exercised treaty rights in various member states, covering Residence Card application process to rentals; from best places to find a job to supermarkets; from mobile phone networks to issues faced in opening a bank account.  There is currently substantive information for Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland and Malta. 

Some have put their hand up to be in-country mentors to those who need more help and these mentors will also organise local meetups.

There are lots of gaps still to be filled in (especially for Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain) so pls do your bit to help us help others by dropping me an email with some pointers along the lines of what you have learnt, what you wish you had known before embarking on your SS journey etc  It doesn't have to be major - can even be something as small as recommended restaurants!

If you have any experience you wish to share or are keen to be a mentor, please let me know.

Amended versions will be uploaded to the BritCits website and http://www.scribd.com/doc/239558037/Surinder-Singh-country-specific-guide  If you have trouble downloading from this website let me know and we will email you the latest soft copy.

Scotland independence referendum

Next week as you're aware is the Scottish independence referendum.  A lot is in the media about what people north and south of the border feel would be best.  Not much however seems to have been said from the perspective of migrants - which is where you guys come in.  You could be the first or second generation migrant; have migrant parents or be the migrant partner.

If this is you, it would be great if you could spend just five minutes this weekend to write a paragraph or two (max 400 words) on the emotions evoked by the words British as opposed to say English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish.  Which one/(s) do you identify with?

This is for Politics.co.uk so please send your contributions to us to forward on, or to them directly, no later than Sunday.

HAGW.

Sonel

For all content on mailers sent out this month, see: http://www.scribd.com/word/document_edit/239570170

Scotland’s liberal approach to immigration

Scotland would move away from Westminster’s aggressive approach to immigration if it gains independence says an independence white paper.

Details of an independent Scotland’s immigration policies were published by the Scottish National Party yesterday as part of a white paper on Scotland’s future. 

With independence, Scotland will create a system that better reflects the country’s migration needs, which are different to those other parts of the UK, says the paper.

This new approach to immigration is in line with the country’s economic rationale for population growth.

“We plan to lower the current financial maintenance thresholds and minimum salary levels for entry, to better align them with Scottish average wages and cost of living,” says the paper with regards to non-EU migration.

The current entry requirements for non-EU nationals are the same for migration to all parts of the UK despite regional variations in earnings.

In the event of independence, Scotland plans to remain part of the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland, which would remove the need for border checks between England and Scotland.

“As a full member of the EU, Scottish borders will remain open to EU nationals exercising their treaty rights,” says the paper.

“Migrants have played an important part throughout Scottish history in enriching and renewing our culture and boosting the economy of the country. We will welcome people who want to come to work and live in Scotland,” it adds.

Other Home Affairs’ policies laid out in the paper include a points-based system for skilled workers, post-study work visas for foreign graduates of Scottish universities, a humane approach to refugees and asylum seekers, and an inclusive approach to citizenship.

The referendum for Scottish independence is scheduled for 18 September 2014. 

Scotland’s Future:Your Guide to an Independent Scotland

Scotland’s future approach to migration

As next year’s referendum approaches and tensions between the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ camps increase, the need for greater details on an independent Scotland’s policies is apparent.

One of the most hotly debated issues surrounding independence is immigration. Holyrood has for some time now been at odds with Westminster regards the latter’s seemingly relentless push to reduce net migration at whatever cost.

Caught up in this push are many cross-border families who are unable to meet the UK government’s stringent new family migration policies, which require the British sponsor to have an income of at least GBP 18,600 per annum to be able to bring a non-EEA spouse, child or adult dependant to the UK.

Such families will be among those keen to read further details of an independent Scottish government’s immigration policies, which are scheduled to be published in a November white paper on migration.

Early indications show homegrown Scottish immigration policies are likely to be more favourable to family migrants than Westminster’s current rules. Unlike Westminster, the Scottish National Party favours immigration.

Add to this Scotland has a low birthrate and a small population of just over five million, and it is easy to see why Scotland’s demographics have placed it at odds with Westminster’s goal to reduce net migration.

The rejection of the anti-immigrant message coming out of Westminster by the Scots, as seen in the unwelcoming reception UKIP leader Nigel Farage received when he traveled to Edinburgh earlier this year, can be seen as demonstrative of their acknowledgement of the need for migrants in Scotland. 

Encouraging are the recent words of spokesman for Minister for External Affairs and International Development Humza Yousaf in a letter to the Clark family after Turkish national Jilda Clark was refused entry to the UK on the grounds she failed to provide sufficient evidence she could meet the spouse visa language requirements – a decision which was later overturned.

The letter stated Yousaf shared, “… anxieties over the UK's current family migration rules". Senior Policy Adviser to the Scottish government Ruth Steele also wrote to the family, stating, "The Scottish government is very concerned that the UK government's restrictions on family migration are having a very damaging impact on many ordinary, hard-working UK citizens and their families”, as reported by the Herald Scotland.

Should we see an independent Scotland, it is hoped it will be defined by fair immigration policies which best suit Scotland’s unique needs and that those policies will be less shortsighted and more evidential-based than the current rules, which are tailored almost exclusively to meet the immigration goals of Westminster rather than Scotland.