UNCERTAINTY over Brexit has not discouraged European citizens from making their homes in Scotland, with official figures showing their number rose by 26,000 last year to 235,000.
The amount of non-EU nationals also increased by 14,000 to 142,000, according to National Records of Scotland (NRS) data, giving a combined total of 378,000 non-British nationals living here – a 12% rise in 2017, which is 7% of Scotland’s population.
Separate figures, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), put the total number of non-British nationals living in the UK at 6.2 million, a rise of 4% on 2016’s total of 6m – a smaller rise than that recorded between 2015 and 2016, when the number rose by 8%. The ONS said 3.8m (61%) of the 6.2m non-British nationals living in the UK last year held EU nationality – roughly the same proportion as 2016 (60%).
The figures have triggered further criticism of the UK “hostile” immigration policy and another call for immigration to be devolved.
External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “These figures underline the key role inward migration plays in supporting further population growth across Scotland’s communities and rural areas.
“As we face challenges in relation to the recent, welcome increase in life expectancy, migration flows to Scotland help us ensure we can grow our working-age population and support our social and economic needs, now and in the future.
“Scotland already benefits significantly from the contribution made by those who have chosen to live, work and study here, bringing new skills and expertise and helping to underpin future economic growth, and we are committed to doing all we can to ensure inward migration to our country can continue.
Hyslop added: “However, the current UK Government’s hostile immigration policy and unrealistic migration targets are detrimental to Scotland’s economic growth and wider wellbeing.
“This is why, in our recently published paper, we have set out the need for the Scottish Parliament to be granted devolved powers on migration.”
“This would allow us to continue to grow our country’s economy and tackle current demographic challenges while also creating a more welcoming environment for those migrants and their families who have chosen to make Scotland their home.”
The NRS statistics showed that Polish was the most common non-British nationality with an estimated 99,000 residents, or 26% of Scotland’s total non-British population, and an estimated one million living in the UK.
The other top five countries of origin are Ireland, India, Italy and Pakistan.
Aberdeen was the council area with the highest proportion of foreign residents, with 21% or 48,000 holding non-British nationality.
The ONS figures put Romanian as the second most common non-British nationality in the UK – the number of Romanian nationals living here in 2017 was estimated at 411,000 – a jump of 25% on the previous year, and the largest increase for any country.
Romania has overtaken the Republic of Ireland and India to move from fourth to second place in the list.
Around 350,000 Irish nationals lived in the UK in 2017, while there were 346,000 Indians.
Nicola White of the ONS migration statistics division said: “Poland-born residents and Polish nationals were the most common populations from outside the UK.
“However, the largest increases in population were seen from those born in Romania and those with Romanian nationality.”
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