Q. Manivannan, 29, began a fundraiser for a temporary graduate visa before [his] election to Holyrood as an MSP this week.
Dr Manivannan, a non-binary Indian immigrant who came to Scotland in 2021, sent messages to party colleagues asking them to donate to a fundraiser seeking to collect £2,089 for the visa, which would allow [him] three years to work and live in the UK.
A newly-elected regional list MSP who stood in Edinburgh and Lothian East, Dr Manivannan said the time-limited right to stay in the country would allow [him] to save for the £5,047 cost of applying for a global talent visa. …
Former Conservative MSP Sue Webber, who failed to win a seat on Friday, had previously said: “Voters will be astonished that this candidate doesn’t even know if they will be able to stay in the country going forward.”
Dr Manivannan was elected as one of the first two transgender MSPs to sit in Holyrood …
Dr Manivannan was able to stand for Holyrood despite not being a UK citizen because of legislation passed under the SNP Government in 2020.
Under the updated election law anyone with the right to live in the UK, including those with a temporary right to vote, can stand as a candidate at elections to the Scottish Parliament. …<<<Read More>>>...
