Scotland will not have an “open door” immigration policy after independence, Nicola Sturgeon has insisted.
The Deputy First Minister was speaking after she addressed a packed Buchanan Lecture Theatre at St Andrews University in her first major address of the year.
Despite the venue being upgraded following a surge in demand, spectators were still forced to sit in aisles as Ms Sturgeon laid down challenges for the Better Together campaign to address.
The Scottish Government’s White Paper on independence suggests a points-based immigration system and ministers have said a greater influx of skilled workers from overseas could counteract the economic impact of an ageing population.
Ms Sturgeon said: “We need to take a very pragmatic view. I talked about sensible migration. We just have a straightforward economic self-interest in making sure we have got sensible, managed migration.
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“Nobody’s suggesting uncontrolled and unmanaged immigration but we need to make sure we’ve got the skilled workforce that can be the bedrock of a growing economy, but we’ve also got to get more of our own young folk staying here, maximising good jobs and more women in work as well.”
Despite criticising Ukip and Conservative policies, Ms Sturgeon conceded there are not “radically different” views on immigration between Scotland and the rest of the UK.
She reiterated her call, revealed in Monday’s Courier, for either the Better Together campaign or the UK Government to publish a case for the Union in the same vein as the SNP’s vision for independence in the White Paper.
Ms Sturgeon added: “So far, the No campaign has told us why they think independence is bad, but they haven’t told us why they think continued government by Westminster is good. They have asked and had answered a multitude of questions about what will happen if we vote Yes, but the many questions about what will happen in the event of a No vote go completely unanswered. That’s not good enough.
“There are many, many questions that need to be answered by the No campaign.
“They deserve to be answered not for my benefit but for yours. To enable you to make an informed decision.”
A spokesperson for Better Together said: “The SNP are the ones saying that we should take the risky step of leaving the UK, but they cannot even answer the most basic questions like what currency we would use if we go it alone.
“People understand that devolution inside the UK works for Scotland. We have the best of both worlds. Our Scottish Parliament allows us to make decisions on the areas that matter most like health, education and childcare and we get the strength and security of being part of one of the world’s biggest economies.”