A different EU immigration policy for Scotland would not result in a hard border with the rest of the UK, the chief executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce has said.
Liz Cameron said the business community is pressing the case for a separate deal on immigration which would allow freedom of movement to continue north of the border following Brexit.
She said the group has already held discussions with London's deputy mayor to consider whether a joint plea can be made to the UK Government on the issue.
Read more: Second referendum will be result of 'sheer intransigence', says Nicola Sturgeon
London and Scotland are both reliant on EU workers, Ms Cameron told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme.
On a separate deal on immigration, she said: "I have heard that it is not practical and too complicated. We don't accept that.
"I believe that there could be put in place an effective and efficient process, and management of that which would not necessitate putting in border controls between Scotland and the rest of the country."
Control of immigration is one of the key demands contained in the Scottish Government's Brexit proposals.
The SNP administration also wants Scotland to remain in the European single market through membership of the European Economic Area.
Read more: Second referendum will be result of 'sheer intransigence', says Nicola Sturgeon
But First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has expressed disappointment with progress in talks with UK ministers.
Commenting on the UK Government's response to calls for a separate immigration deal, Ms Cameron said: "In meetings they say they are listening, we measure that listening in terms of what actions they are going to put in place.
"We've not seen that yet, but we will continue to press the case very strongly for the Scottish business community."
Read more: Second referendum will be result of 'sheer intransigence', says Nicola Sturgeon
SNP MSP Joan McAlpine said: "The Tories' rhetoric on the prospect of a hard border and the claim that a separate deal on freedom of movement for Scotland isn't feasible is just not washing with anybody anymore.
"The SNP Government will continue to call for tailored immigration powers to match Scotland's demographic needs - because it will be our businesses, universities and research facilities that miss out on talent, and our economy that falls behind."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel