Calls by a cross-party group of MPs for control over immigration to be devolved to Scotland has been welcomed by the Scottish Government.
A spokesman in Edinburgh said the current system failed to recognise Scotland’s “specific circumstances or serve our economic or societal interests”.
MPs on the All Party Parliamentary Group on Social Integration called on Theresa May’s government to consider devolving the powers across the UK as they criticised the “one size fits all” system.
Labour MP Chuka Umunna, who chairs the group, said that Brexit gave the UK the chance to design a new immigration policy.
He warned that too many people felt that they had been hit by a “whirlwind” of new arrivals.
While calls to shut the borders would be a “betrayal” of Labour’s values, he said, he attacked those advocating open doors.
“If we deny that population change poses a challenge to communities, then the communities we represent will feel that we have got our heads in the sand because undoubtedly migration flows can cause problems for community cohesion and local labour markets. But it doesn’t have to be that way if you implement the right policies,” he said.
Mr Umunna, who briefly threw his hat in the ring to become Labour leader last year, also said that the “vast majority” of people wanted immigration to be managed.
The group also recommended that immigrants should be expected to learn English before coming to the UK or have to take language classes when they arrive.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called for Scotland to have control over immigration, as well as continued membership of the single market, after the UK quits the EU.
But No 10 has rejected that demand, saying that the UK needs a united policy on the issue.
Earlier this year the Scottish Secretary David Mundell told the Commons’ Scottish Affairs Committee: “If you are asking me if Scotland needs a different immigration system, then obviously the answer to that question is no.”
An spokesman for the Scottish Government said that the UK Government’s approach was driven by a desire to reduce the numbers of migrants coming to the UK and failed to understand Scotland’s different needs.
He said that it was well-known that Scotland’s population requirements “are different to the rest of the UK’s and we have consistently called on the UK Government to consider a more flexible approach.”
He added that the Scottish Government already recognised the need to “assist” integration and said that its strategy understood that “refugees and asylum seekers should be welcomed, supported and integrated into our communities from day one”.
A UK Government source said that applying different immigration rules to different parts of the UK would “complicate” the immigration system, harming its integrity and causing difficulties for employers who need the flexibility to deploy staff around the country.
A spokesman for the government added: “Our country has long been home to lots of different cultures and communities, but all of us have to be part of one society — British society.
“That is why we are rolling out a £20 million fund for English Language provision and have also made £140 million available through the Controlling Migration Fund to local authorities to manage impacts on communities caused by issues such as poor English language skills.
“However, we must also recognise that uncontrolled, mass immigration makes it difficult to maintain social cohesion and puts pressure on public services.
“Our priority is to build an immigration system that works for everyone in the UK and delivers the control we need.“
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