Immigration bosses have agreed to make changes after Scottish farmers raised concerns that their produce was being left to rot due to the slow processing of applications to bring seasonal workers into the country.
Following pressure from the Scottish Affairs Committee, the Home Office has agreed to offer additional support to recruitment firms to bring workers across to the UK.
Scottish farms employ about 10,000 non-UK nationals in seasonal positions in the soft fruit and vegetable sectors each year.
In April, the committee heard that there was a risk that Scottish agricultural produce might be left to rot as workers from Ukraine and Moldova faced expensive and prolonged visa processes.
The Home Office, when it rolled out the scheme, committed to a three-week turnaround for visa applications, but the committee heard that some were taking more than 30 days to process.
After a series of correspondence with committee chair, Pete Wishart, immigration minister Caroline Nokes announced the roll-out of an on-demand mobile visa service in an effort to speed up the processing.
Mr Wishart said: “I welcome the fact that the Home Office has listened carefully to the serious concerns my committee heard about the delay in getting workers to Scotland in time for harvest season.
“It is promising that the visa application process in Kiev will now be quicker and cheaper, and I hope this makes a difference to Scottish farmers.
“However, more action needs to be taken. Prospective workers in Moldova still face an agonising wait for a visa and hundreds of pounds of fees.
“The harvest season is upon us, and the UK Government needs to do everything it can to make sure the seasonal workers scheme is a success, or it risks losing the confidence of agricultural workers in Scotland.”
