Those who call Scotland home are welcome here

It was re-assuring to see then the Scottish Government publish its latest paper in the Building a New Scotland series, tackling this very issue. I was even more relieved to see it promote an approach which works for Scotland and all of us who live here.

Those who remember 2014 and going through the white paper will note that not much has changed in this area. Arguably, why should it? Scotland has an abundance of space with an ageing population and a global diaspora. As such, of course it makes sense to make citizenship a much easier process compared to the UK Government’s hostile environment.

As the paper summarised so succinctly, if you are already a British citizen habitually resident in Scotland, you will be entitled to Scottish citizenship.

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If you were born in Scotland but living elsewhere, or you are living elsewhere but with a parent who was a British citizen born in Scotland, you will be entitled to citizenship.

Or if you are living elsewhere having previously lived in Scotland for at least 10 years, or five years as a child (with a pro rata calculation for young adults), then yes, you too can be a Scottish citizen.

That’s from day one. For those who wish to apply for naturalisation, the process is all quite straightforward too.

British and Irish citizens will be able to apply after five years of residence. A child born in Scotland who is not automatically eligible for Scottish citizenship would be able to register as a Scottish citizen after five years of continuous residence in Scotland, or sooner if either of their parents became a Scottish citizen before that time.

A person who was not born in Scotland but moved here as a child would be able to register as a Scottish citizen after five years of continuous residence in Scotland. EU citizens with settled status can naturalise as soon as they meet the residence requirement (which also includes the time before independence).

I can go on but I would not want to spoil anyone’s excitement by revealing the whole report. If you have not read this paper or the others, I would highly encourage you to do so!

So there will be many options for those who wish to do us the honour of coming here and making their lives in Scotland.

Bringing people together is something to be celebrated and it’s why I’m proud that in Scotland voting is based on residence rather than nationality. This too will be kept when we’re independent because if you’re here, you’re one of us.

Even better, what we are doing is not unusual when it comes to citizenship. In fact, it is the model in Ireland, our friend and neighbour.

When the future paper on migration comes out, I very much look forward to seeing how we will tap into the diaspora and encourage those who have Scottish ancestry to come back and see the land their forebears came from.

On the subject of Ireland, it was good to see reassurance that an independent Scotland will pursue membership of the Common Travel Area (CTA). Such a measure will ensure that for those who frequently travel to see friends and family in Ireland or the rest of the UK, there won’t be anything different – just the colour of your passport which you won’t need to show at the Border.

The message is clear. In contrast to both the Tories and Labour’s bitter obsession with immigration, we know the benefits of having more people come to Scotland and make it their home.

Instead of using foreign nationals as pawns in negotiations, we are clear that those who call Scotland home are welcome here. After all, the point of independence is not to repeat the mistakes of the Union but to build a better Scotland for all.