Jack McConnell
Scotland , a country of some five million people, is actively seeking a flow of Fresh Talent. It is hoped that the new immigrants will flourish alongside native-born Scots and help Scotland secure its place as an essential part of the global economy.
The aim of the Fresh Talent: Scotland scheme is to encourage talented, skilled non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals to pursue careers in Scotland . Graduates of Scottish educational institutions who have successfully completed a degree in Scotland will be able to remain in Scotland and work for two years after completing their studies.
Scotland 's Minister of Finance, Tom McCabe, has launched the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme. Part of this scheme will allow overseas students studying in Scotland to stay and work in Scotland for up to two years without needing a work permit.
Applicants should intend to work in Scotland during the time they are allowed to stay, and either leave the country at the end of the two year period or switch to one of the specified managed migration schemes. If they wish to transfer into work permit employment then their work permit must be for employment in Scotland . They must be able to maintain themselves and any dependants who are in Scotland with them without applying for help from public funds. If they have received sponsorship for a government or international scholarship agency to help pay for their studies, the applicant must also provide a letter stating that the sponsor has no objection to the individual staying in Scotland .
Application forms will be available from the Home Office. Decisions on applications will be made by the Home Office, not the Executive.
The Executive's Fresh Talent initiative encourages people to consider coming to live and work in Scotland .
It was formally introduced by a statement in the Scottish Parliament by First Minister Jack McConnell on February 25, 2004 when he laid out the actions to be taken to address Scotland 's population decline and support Scotland 's continuing economic prosperity.
International students will now have a chance to apply for a leave to enter or remain in Scotland for two years after their graduation.
Those eligible to apply for permission to stay are those who have graduated with a Higher National Diploma from a Scottish Further Education College or a first degree, Master's degree or Ph.D. from a Scottish Higher Education Institution. It does not include students graduating with a Higher National Certificate or postgraduate diploma, recipients of honorary degrees, or people who lived outside Scotland while studying.
Students will have one year from the time they complete their studies to apply. This means that those who completed their course up to one year before the scheme launched are also eligible to apply.
Applicants should intend to work in Scotland during the time they are allowed to stay, and either leave the country at the end of the two year period or switch to one of the managed migration schemes. They must be able to maintain themselves and any dependants who are in Scotland with them without applying for help from public funds. If they have received sponsorship to help pay for their studies, the applicant must also provide a letter stating that the sponsor has no objection to the individual staying in Scotland .
Applications for the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme must be made after the applicant has completed their course. Applications made from within the UK must be made before leave as a student (including as a student nurse, to re-sit examinations or to write up a thesis) expires.
Students who leave Scotland after their graduation ceremony may still apply to take part in the Scheme provided the application is made within a year of the date of completion of studies (taken as the date on the graduation certificate or, for a Masters or Ph.D. graduate, the date of the expiry of leave to enter or remain as a student).
This will provide international graduates the opportunity to work in Scotland after they have completed their studies.
Find more information at: www.workingintheuk.gov.uk
