The Banff and Buchan MP has been in discussions with organisations including the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and the Scottish Seafood Association to hear their views about the changes to UK visa requirements.

He will now feed these to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Steve Barclay MP, and call for concessions to be made for industries such as fishing and seafood processing.

To be eligible for a skilled worker visa to come to the UK, your job offer must meet a minimum salary requirement. At the moment, this is whichever is highest out of £26,200 per year, £10.75 per hour or the “going rate” for your job. From next spring, it has been announced that this will rise to £38,700 per year.

David Duguid is calling for concessions to be made for both sectors.

Mr Duguid said: “I have asked the UK Defra Secretary, Steve Barclay, to meet with me and members of the seafood and fisheries sectors to discuss ways of helping with food security amid concerns raised about the changes on skilled worker visa rules.

“I welcome measures taken to combat the abuse of our legal migration systems, but I want to make sure key parts of our North East economy are not impacted through unintended consequences.

“During the meeting, I will also discuss offshore spatial planning for renewable energy as well as the impact of HPMAs and other marine conservation measures.”

MP calls for concessions to be made for fishing and seafood processing on new visa rules ahead of meeting with UK rural affairs secretary