John Swinney has revealed he would be open to working with a Starmer-led Labour government to relax immigration rules in Scotland.
It follows Scottish Labour’s deputy leader Jackie Baillie raising prospects of a separate Scottish immigration system.
Net migration to the UK hit a record high of 745,000 in 2022, though the figure is only around 20,000 in Scotland.
The SNP has challenged Labour to implement a “bespoke Scottish visa scheme” within 100 days of taking power, should Labour win Thursday’s general election.
However, the independent Migration Advisory Committee has previously said Scotland’s needs are “not sufficiently different” from the rest of the UK to justify a “very different” system.
But the SNP argue that a rapidly ageing population and declining workforce means a more liberal visa system is required.
More than a million people in Scotland – around a fifth – are now over 65, with that total rising by nearly a quarter (22.3%) since 2011.
Writing in the Herald, Ms Baillie said: “So we would do what the Tories have not done, which is to marry those two together because I know there are skill shortages in different parts of the UK including in Scotland – for instance in the care sector,” she said.
“So how do we make sure to match our immigration system to skills is something that is very firmly on the agenda at a UK level and Scotland would benefit from that.”
She added: “Given the levels of immigration that there are – and that’s become a hot topic – actually not many people are ending up in Scotland and we need to understand why that is and whether there is something we can do to incentivise people to come more to Scotland once they have reached the UK, that is a job for us to think through.”
Mr Swinney confirmed discussions had yet to begin but said he welcomed Ms Baillie’s intervention.
However, he added he was a “wee bit doubtful” about whether this would transpire as Labour promises to clamp down on immigration on “every UK television channel”.