Question reference: S6W-24810
- Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 25 January 2024
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Current status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 8 February 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of any potential challenges faced by universities and students impacted by new UK visa restrictions, in relation to family members accompanying students, what steps it is taking to support universities in Scotland to (a) adapt to the new restrictions and (b) provide information and guidance to affected students.
Answer
The Scottish Government remains deeply concerned about the new UK visa changes and the impact on Scotland’s ability to attract international students.
The Scottish Government will launch a Talent Attraction and Migration Service in 2024. The service will help address Scotland's demographic challenges and will attract and welcome more workers from outside Scotland, including the rest of the UK, with the skills that our economy needs.
The service will provide immigration support for employers, including our universities and colleges, based in Scotland and for those wishing to set up in Scotland, to enable them to use the UK’s immigration system effectively and efficiently to help meet Scotland’s skills and labour needs.
The service will also cater to immigration queries from people whose leave is about to expire and to international students approaching the end of their studies who wish to remain in Scotland and seek employment with a Scotland-based employer.
We have also recently launched our International Education Strategy which sets out steps we will take to work collaboratively with the sector to support international students to study in Scotland.
As immigration is a complex legal area, students may wish to seek professional advice, as the Scottish Government cannot provide legal or immigration advice. An immigration advisor can be found through the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner which regulates immigration advice and services.