On March 2, Professor Robert Wright (Economics) was a lead-speaker at a Cross-sector Roundtable organised by Migrant Rights Scotland and Scottish Trade Unions Congress. The topic under discussion was: "Immigration Policy: Impact on Scotland". On March 2, Professor Robert Wright (Economics) was a lead-speaker at a Cross-sector Roundtable organised by Migrant Rights Scotland and Scottish Trade Unions Congress. The topic under discussion was: "Immigration Policy: Impact on Scotland".
He explained how changes in immigration policy introduced by the Coalition Government will make it impossible for the Scottish Government to maintain its desired level of net-migration. He argued that the UK-wide points-based immigration system could be easily adapted, following the leads of Canada and Australia, to explicitly address regional differences in demographic requirements.
However, in the case of Scotland, this would require a partial devolution of responsibility over immigration matters to the Scottish Parliament, which he believes is unlikely to happen any time soon.
On the same day, Professor Wright gave an address at the Annual Conference of the National Union of Students (Scotland). His topic was: "The UK Border Agency and International Students: From Here to Where?" He discussed how the UK Government's so-called "immigration cap" would impact on the ability of Scotland's Further and Higher Education Institutions to attract students from outside the European Union.
He argued that recent changes to immigration policy, and changes that come into effect in April 2012, will seriously damage the ability of Scotland (and UK) to compete for international students. He believes that this will lead to a significant reduction in the number of international students. This will put further financial pressure on institutions and reduce the quality of the academic experience for both domestic and foreign students.