SNP MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Alasdair Allan, has urged any island businesses who have not yet submitted a response to his rural visa survey to do so ahead of next week’s deadline.
The islands’ MSP intends to close the survey by the end of April in order to begin analysing the collected data, publish results and make fresh representations on constituency businesses’ behalf regarding the potential for the introduction of rural visas.
The Scottish Government is supportive of the introduction of tailored visas for rural and island areas, having developed proposals for a visa scheme of this kind in 2022 in collaboration with local authorities and business sector organisations. However,
“I would like to thank all the island businesses who have already submitted responses to my survey. The information gathered through this exercise will, I believe, be very helpful in determining what levels of support there are across our islands for a rural visa scheme, and also how the lack of flexibility within the current system negatively impacts the ability of island businesses and organisations to recruit the staff they need at present.
“This remains a very challenging time for businesses, due to a combination of factors such as inflation, labour shortages, and ongoing export difficulties as a result of Brexit. Depopulation continues to detrimentally affect recruitment both for businesses and public services, and the inflexibility of the UK Government is very frustrating when it comes to, for example, minimum income requirements for non-UK workers, or tailored visa solutions which would benefit our island economies. Currently, the power to legislate on all matters related to immigration, as well as employment law, unfortunately remains reserved to the UK Government.
“I look forward to analysing and sharing the results of the survey, and would encourage any local island business or organisation that has not yet been able to complete the short online form to do so ahead of the 30th April.”
The survey can be accessed here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XFZVFZX
