UK immigration rules that create barriers to Scottish business and industry accessing the talent it needs to grow will face fierce opposition, ministers have said.
Scotland's minister for international development and Europe said Westminster policies attempting to drive down migration "will penalise Scottish businesses for employing the skilled migrants they need".
Dr Alasdair Allan said Scottish-specific interests were being ignored in a Brexit debate dominated by migration issues.
He was responding to an inquiry by a committee of MPs into the public’s view on immigration in the wake of Brexit. The Home Affairs Select Committee, chaired by Labour's Yvette Cooper, will tour the UK collecting views.
Dr Allan's comments also follow the UK Government's rejection of a call to consider devolving immigration powers to Scotland and changing visa arrangements to encourage students from other countries to stay on north of the border after graduating.
A Scottish Affairs Committee (SAC) report recommended UK ministers consider ''sub-national migration powers'' for Scotland and a tailored post-study work scheme.
The UK Government response, published on Friday, stated it "does not intend to reintroduce a general post-study work scheme for Scotland" and stressed the immigration system is "designed for the whole of the UK" but takes Scotland's needs into account.
Dr Allan's submission highlights that current UK student visa policies hamper efforts to attract the best international talent to Scottish universities and colleges.
It also presents evidence of the benefits of migration and the importance of inward migration in mitigating the effects of demographic change in Scotland. It has been claimed that 90 per cent of Scotland’s population growth over the next 10 years is projected to come from net migration.
Addressing the Migrant Voice conference in Glasgow, Dr Allan said: “Scotland has a long history of welcoming people of all nationalities and faiths, and of supporting their integration into the Scottish way of life and recognising the vibrancy they bring to our society and culture.
“Our response to the Home Affairs Select Committee underlines that migration is key to supporting sustainable population growth. Any move to limit migration, whether from within or beyond the EU, has the potential to seriously harm our economy.
“There is robust evidence that migrants are not a drain on society and can contribute significantly if they are given the same rights and opportunities as any other citizen. Scotland’s 369,000 migrants from outside the UK are mostly young, economically active and highly qualified.
“Brexit will cause immeasurable harm to our country. Despite her warm words on the issue, the Prime Minister failed to deliver the cast iron reassurance to EU nationals living here in her speech earlier this week.”
Westminster retains control over immigration policy, employment, pensions and the overall funding allocation to Scotland from the block grant while health, housing, social care and some tax powers are devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
In his response to the SAC report, Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell said: "There is a question for the Scottish Government about why, with these significant powers at their disposal and with the high levels of migration we have at the moment in the UK, Scotland is not attracting more migrants to Scotland over other parts of the UK if they deem the current levels of migration in Scotland to be too low."
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