Green member says she was blocked from standing for Holyrood over her visa status
The would-be candidate says she was told to withdraw from the election, despite another candidate on a student visa being allowed to stand and ultimately be elected.
A Scottish Green member says she was forced to stand down as a Holyrood candidate because of her student visa status, despite another candidate in the same situation being allowed to run.
Sai Shraddha Suresh Viswanathan alleges she was asked to withdraw by party officials as they were concerned she could not serve a full parliamentary term without a new visa.
This is despite Q Manivannan being elected as an MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East while on a student visa.
The Scottish Greens said no candidate was blocked because of their visa status.
Ms Viswanathan is originally from India and is currently president of the National Union of Students Scotland. She had hoped to stand in the North East regional list, and was ranked third after internal party relations last year.
However, she said a party official called her in July last year and asked her to withdraw as a candidate. She said the party told her they had received legal advice suggesting she would not be able to become an MSP because she could not guarantee her right to stay in Scotland for a full five-year term.
She said she was “thrilled” so many Greens had been elected at the Scottish Parliament election, but being asked to withdraw had taken a “significant toll on [her] health and wellbeing”.
In a statement she said: “Ultimately, there has been a discrepancy in how different candidates have been advised by the party.
“Immigration is a sensitive subject for many migrants like myself who should be allowed to take part in the election process, as the latest election results have shown us.”
Given the Scottish Greens won just one seat in the North East, Ms Viswanathan would not have been elected even if she had been allowed to stand.
Legislation was passed in 2024 allowing those without a permanent right to stay in the UK to stand in the Scottish Parliament elections. However, if they lose the right to stay in the UK they would not be allowed to continue sitting as an MSP.
Currently Manivannan is in the process of moving from a student visa to a graduate visa which will allow them to stay in Scotland for another three years. They are planning to apply for a global talent visa, which if granted would allow them to serve out the full five-year parliamentary term.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Greens said: “Candidates are responsible for ensuring they meet all legal and eligibility requirements before standing for election, including any matters relating to their own visa status.
“We cannot comment on individual candidates or internal selection processes, but we can confirm that nobody has been blocked from standing for the Scottish Greens because of their visa status.
“Overall, the party is satisfied that it has acted appropriately and provided relevant guidance to all candidates, where required.
“The Scottish Greens are proud to see our biggest ever cohort of MSPs elected, who represent a diverse range of communities including New Scots, and we look forward to getting to work delivering the progressive platform on which they were elected.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.