A proposal for everyone living in Scotland on the day of independence to be entitled to citizenship of the country has been backed by SNP members.
Under Scottish Government plans unveiled in July, those entitled to automatic citizenship would include British citizens and individuals who have previously lived in Scotland for at least 10 years, or five years as a child.
People from other countries could also qualify for naturalised citizenship if they have been living in Scotland for at least five years and been “settled” in Scotland for at least 12 months.
However, a motion at SNP conference, which was put forward by Elgin City North councillor Jeremie Fernandes, proposed it should be changed so that everyone residing in Scotland is recognised as a citizen on independence day - regardless of their country of origin or current nationality.
He told delegates: “When the white paper, which prides itself as inclusive, was published this year, it remained that British citizens and British citizens only get the right to Scottish citizenship on independence day.
“This is not inclusive, when you exclude on the very first day of a new sovereign state thousands of people from citizenship for no reason but their origin, then the policy is by definition exclusive not inclusive.”
He said he had first come to Scotland by chance, when he had been offered a job at Aberdeen University.
He added: “Very quickly, with a month or two – certainly not 10 years – as I walked down the cobbled streets of old Aberdeen, a few miles from here, I knew that Scotland would be my home.”
Fernandes said there would be many people like him, who had come to Scotland for different reasons, but would “just know deep in their bones that this country is home".
He went on: “It might well be that some day in the near future, through a referendum or a Scottish Parliament election, we will ask New Scots to vote for independence.
“Are we really expecting them to vote Yes to an independent Scotland, and then bar them from being citizens of the independent country they have just voted for? No chance.”
Gareth Morgan, who told conference he was a New Scot who moved the country in 2016, called for the proposal to be adjusted - but this was rejected.
He said he supported the principles of the resolution, but raised concerns that it would not work under EU law, as it would include, for example, short-term visitors to the country and also did not take into account a need to assess asylum seekers.
Morgan said: “Yes I want to make it open, yes I agree it would not be right that British citizens sometimes get a shortcut whereas EU citizens who wanted to become Scots would have to go through a further process.
"But the resolution as drafted does not make it clear, it talks about everybody who is resident - and therefore I ask conference to remit the motion back so it can be adjusted on those lines.”
The motion was passed unanimously.
