A referendum on whether Scotland should be an independent country will take place on Thursday 18 September 2014. Following an agreement between the Scottish Government and the United Kingdom Government, the Scottish Independence Referendum Bill, setting out the arrangements for this referendum, was put forward on 21 March 2013, passed by the Scottish Parliament on 14 November 2013 and received Royal Assent on 17 December 2013.The Scotland referendum question, as recommended by the
Electoral Commission, will be “Should Scotland be an independent country?”.
The vote will be held on September 18 September 2014 on whether Scotland should become an independent country.
Scotland Referendum A National Vote
The legality of any British constituent country attaining de facto independence (in the same manner as the origins of the Irish Republic) or declaring unilateral independence outside the framework of British constitutional convention is uncertain. Some legal opinion following the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision on what steps Quebec would need to take to secede is that Scotland would be unable to unilaterally declare independence under international law if the British government permitted a referendum on an unambiguous question on secession. Rather, the SNP claims that a positive vote for independence in a referendum would have “enormous moral and political force… impossible for a future [Westminster] government to ignore”, and hence would give the Scottish Parliament a mandate to negotiate the passage of an act of the UK Parliament providing for Scotland’s secession, in which Westminster renounces its claims to sovereignty over Scotland.
Scotland Referendum – Its Effect On UK Immigration
What will an independent Scotland’s policy be on immigration? How will it be different from the rest of the UK?
The following answer was given by the Scottish Government: Scotland’s differing demographic and migration needs mean that the current UK immigration system has not supported Scotland’s migration priorities. The current Westminster approach is strongly focused on reducing the overall numbers of migrants and introducing number caps for certain categories of skilled individuals.
With independence, each of these decisions would, in future, be for Scottish governments, with policy choices taken on the basis of Scotland’s needs and priorities.
For non-EU nationals, independence will enable us to develop and operate a controlled, transparent and efficient immigration system that best meets Scotland’s needs and supports our future growth. The current Scottish Government will take forward a points-based approach targeted at particular Scottish needs. A particular issue for Scotland is the post-study work visa. There are more than 45,000 international students from every corner of the world studying in Scotland, bringing important investment, diversity and welcome expertise to Scotland. The current Scottish Government plans to reintroduce the post-study work visa.
We plan also 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. This will open up greater opportunities for key skilled individuals from overseas who could play important roles in our society and economy, filling vital vacancies in individual businesses.
Useful link –
Chapter 7 Justice, Security & Home affairs http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/11/9348/11