Letters to the editor

Don’t use migrants as bargaining chips

Sir, - Last week First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and cabinet ministers discussed Brexit with concerned EU nationals at a specially-hosted event in Edinburgh.

I am one of about 173,000 people from other EU countries who currently live in Scotland and whose status as an immigrant may or may not be affected by the Brexit vote.

Do I still feel welcome in Scotland? Absolutely.

My daily experience hasn’t changed at all and I feel as much part of my community as ever.

For the people around me, I am still a neighbour, friend or fellow citizen irrespective of my nationality – and I deeply appreciate the way I have been made to feel welcome from the first day of my arrival in Scotland.

Do I feel relaxed about my future status after Brexit? Not really. In political language I have mutated from fellow citizen to an EU national living in the UK.

Will my current status be retained or will I have to prove my right to stay, retrospectively, after 16 years of living in the UK, marrying a British husband and doing my best to be a good citizen?

This will be determined by the Brexit negotiations and EU nationals have an unspecified period of grace until they may or may not be given the all clear.

Ms Sturgeon did the right thing when she emphasised in her speech on the morning after the referendum that EU nationals are welcomed and valued in Scotland.

Beyond that there is precious little she can do about our situation apart from calling on the UK Government to end any uncertainty.

While some EU immigrants may now see Scottish independence as an effective remedy I, personally, don’t want my situation being drawn into the constitutional debate.

It is enough that people like me are bargaining chips in the Brexit negotiations.

The last thing I need is to become a pawn in the SNP’s independence campaign. Regina Erich. 1 Willow Row, Stonehaven.

Picture: Getty. Nicola Sturgeon at last week’s public discussion for EU nationals living in Scotland.