Priority 3: Working with Migrants

Migrants come to the UK primarily for economic reasons. They provide skill and labour power, making a positive social and economic contribution to our society. It is important that as a nation we are able to empower our new citizens to contribute to our society. Scotland has an ageing and declining population, which, if left unaddressed, could place residual pressures on economic performance, productivity and on our ability to care for vulnerable members of society. Thus, there is a clear economic and social case for increasing Scotland’s population through the promotion of specific measures within the UK’s policy of managed migration.

The Scottish Executive’s Fresh Talent Initiative aims to do exactly this – to help address the demographic challenge by attracting bright, hard-working and motivated people to live, study and work in Scotland. CSMP will work with the Scottish Executive to promote this initiative.

Yet, a more urgent priority for the Partnership will be to assist those foreign nationals who are already working lawfully in Scotland. Many of these migrants will have come from the Eastern European EU accession states. While these individuals and families have already made a contribution to our society, there are a number of challenges that require to be addressed, not least ensuring that migrants have access to accommodation and English language instruction.

CSMP will also engage with partners to help counter the activities of human traffickers, observing the principles of prevention, protection and prosecution. There is no place for trafficking in Scotland.

Policy Area	Future Activity
International Migration	Collate and share information and research about international migration patterns; Consider policy development at an EU level and assess how that impacts upon the immigration agenda in Scotland; Work with key partners at a European level in taking forward our agenda.
Fresh Talent	Work with the Scottish Executive to ensure that the Fresh Talent Initiative attracts hard-working and motivated people to live, study and work in Scotland; Consider ways in which asylum seekers and refugees can contribute to the primary aims of the Fresh Talent Initiative.
A8 Migration	Clarify the rights and entitlements of A8 nationals living in Scotland; Explore the impact of A8 migration on local authority services (especially housing and education); Assess the impact of the increasing numbers of A8 nationals on community cohesion and employment opportunities for local people. Address the funding, range and quality of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and EAL (English as an Additional Language) classes across Scotland.
Human Trafficking	Work with Local Authorities to assess the scope of the trafficking problem in each area and to implement effective support services to the victims of trafficking; Explore the consistency of protocols across local authority boundaries in relation to people who have been trafficked; Entrench communication pathways and improve information sharing arrangements between key stakeholders; Assist partners to address the difficult issue of child trafficking.