Michael Gove has claimed an Australian family, who are facing the prospect of deportation, would be able to stay in Scotland if the UK was not in the EU.
The Justice Secretary said the Brain family faced being chucked out of the Highlands because of “the way our law operates as a result of our membership of the EU”.
Last month Gregg and Kathryn Brain were granted a stay of execution after the Home Office said they had until August to get their visa application approved.
But Mr Gove, who was campaigning for Vote Leave in Scotland yesterday, said quitting the EU would help avoid similar situations arising in the future.
Aberdeenshire East MP Alex Salmond has dismissed Mr Gove’s intervention, claiming that the Conservative MP was “talking nonsense on ermine-clad stilts”.
Mr Gove, who is also the Lord Chancellor, added: “Under the proposals we have put forward, we believe that a points-based immigration policy – similar to the one actually put forward as a model for an independent Scotland by Nicola Sturgeon – would be the right approach.
“At the moment, we have an unfortunate situation where a family in Dingwall – an Australian family – who, as a result of the way the law operates, [because of] our membership of the EU, are going to have to leave.
“They came here, they settled down, they brought skills and talent to this country and, if we leave the EU, we can change the approach to migration.”
The director of Scottish Vote Leave, Tom Harris, has also written to Bute House to outline how he believes a Brexit vote would deliver more powers over immigration to the Scottish Parliament.
But former First Minister Mr Salmond said: “The truth is that the Brexiteers will say anything at this stage in the campaign.
“They run about England telling people they are going to slash immigration and now Gove comes to Scotland to tell us we will be able to attract more people.
“The Lord Chancellor is talking nonsense on ermine-clad stilts – what is standing in the way of Scotland having the immigration powers we need isn’t the EU, it’s the UK government.”
