On Monday, The Herald brought us the scarcely believable story of how Dr Philip and Jilda Clark, parents of two children, are being kept apart by the UK Border Agency.

Why? Because the agency decided Mrs Clark has failed to prove that she can speak survival English.

Mrs Clark has a BA and an MA in English, is head of an international school in Turkey and teaches English as a second language.

Dr Clark has returned to Ayr with the children while Mrs Clark went to a centre to sit her survival English test and appeal the decision.

And, while it emerged yesterday that she had won her case, it still highlights that confidence in the UKBA in Scotland isn't exactly running on a high.

We have just learned Glasgow is stage two of the "Go home" campaign directed at 'illegal immigrants'. I didn't see any announcement telling us about the decision, let alone any consultation with the Scottish Government. But then, immigration is a reserved power so our Government has absolutely no control over how it's handled in Scotland.

The office now sports "Ask about going home" stickers along all the seats in the waiting area. There's a poster on the wall that adds: "Going home is simple" and you can even have the staff book your flights though there's no indication of who pays the bill.

The Home Office line is that it is providing "sensitive advice and assistance to help them return home with dignity". That's not what I'm hearing either anecdotally or from my own clients. Although very unwilling to criticise the government of the country they wish to reside in, some people have spoken out publicly of the bullying, threatening interviews they have undergone in London.

Jilda Clark must have thought the UK exists in some kind of parallel reality where a degree in English is insufficient to prove you can manage to buy a bus ticket.

What I struggle most with, as a Muslim and an Asian woman, is the sheer negativity and foolishness of the Westminster Government's own behaviour. The latest campaign seems to be designed to inflame racial tensions and label every immigrant as either an illegal or, at best, a benefit-scrounging extended family living off the grace and favour of the British taxpayer.

Scotland has a supportive and compassionate approach for would-be immigrants. The Scottish Government manages to uphold the human and caring values that seem to be deserting other countries.

We have good structures in place to help people arriving from the very countries the UK has gone to war with - notably Afghanistan and Iraq - who have had to abandon everything they had in the hope of finding a safe place to begin a new life.

Many are young, alone and traumatised, have often been abused on their way and have not yet developed any English language skills.

The Scottish children's charity Aberlour runs the Scottish Guardianship Service which helps young people in that kind of situation understand the processes and work through them. Each is appointed his or her own case worker who will help them through the bureaucracy, providing both emotional and practical support in the child's language if necessary.

The Scottish Refugee Council provides support to hundreds of people determined to build a constructive and positive new life here in Scotland. They are not coming to abuse a welfare or health system. They want a chance to earn an honest income and rebuild what they have so tragically lost.

Read the real-life stories on the SRC website and you'll quickly learn how the Home Office responds to the fear, isolation and basic human rights to things like a bed and food.

The Scottish Government can help mitigate the damage through third sector support but it is helpless to change Westminster policies. With independence, we make our own policies about how we manage the inflow of people. We will do better.