Newton Dee’s Ulrike meets the Home Secretary

The Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP, met representatives from the business sector, the third sector and other sectors when he visited Aberdeen on 3 May 2019.

The meeting was part of the Home Office’s year long engagement programme with businesses and communities seeking “their views on the UK government’s plan to introduce a new skills-based immigration system from 2021”. The Home Office has confirmed that the “new immigration and borders system will be implemented in a phased approach from 2021”, and will be a “skills-based immigration system”.

The meeting with the Home Secretary was attended by representatives from the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, Aberdeen City and Shire Hotels Association, VisitAberdeenshire, Chrysaor, Thistle Seafoods and other organisations. Ulrike Mall attended the meeting on behalf of Camphill Newton Dee.

Following the meeting Ulrike said:

It was helpful having an opportunity to explain to the Home Secretary the unique set-up in which Camphill communities have been providing support and social care across Scotland, primarily based on an international volunteer force who chooses to live and work together.  This has provided members of Camphill communities with learning disabilities and other support needs with a rich cultural experience, as well as creating a valuable social export worldwide.

Camphill started in Aberdeen, and there is now a network of 94 Camphill communities around the world. In this context the meeting also offered an opportunity to raise the urgent need for a Camphill visa (as was previously available) to allow the Camphill communities in Scotland, and across the UK, to continue to provide high quality care and support and education to people with learning disabilities and other support needs, and to develop into the future.

It was reassuring to hear the concerns of business leaders from other industries and sectors in Scotland who all expressed their concerns about the proposals in the UK Government’s White Paper regarding immigration, as most sectors rely heavily on the contribution of European workers to their businesses.