Scotland’s newest parliament has barely opened its doors, and one of its freshest faces is already at the centre of a national immigration row. Q Manivannan, a Tamil immigrant just elected to Holyrood, is on a student visa that expires before the end of the year. The Home Office has now been formally urged to investigate whether they broke UK immigration law.
Who Is Q Manivannan?
Manivannan, born in Tamil Nadu, India, arrived in Scotland in September 2021 to study for a PhD in international relations at the University of St Andrews. Before that, they had completed a Bachelor of Arts at O.P. Jindal Global University in India and an MPhil in international peace studies at Trinity College Dublin.
They identify as non-binary and queer, using they/them pronouns. Alongside fellow Scottish Green MSP Iris Duane, Manivannan became one of the first two openly transgender people ever elected to the Scottish Parliament.
Before Holyrood, Manivannan worked as a community organiser, teacher and adviser with the United Nations, trade unions and human rights groups. They also contested a local council by-election for the Greens in Edinburgh in 2025.
Manivannan was third on the Green regional list for Edinburgh and Lothians East. The Greens had their best-ever election result in 2026, winning 15 seats in total, which was enough to carry Manivannan into parliament.
“I am a transgender Tamil immigrant. I am to some in this country everything that the hateful despise, and I am standing here as your MSP now with care.”
Those were Manivannan’s words on election night. Powerful, personal and instantly controversial.
The Visa Problem at the Heart of the Row
Manivannan is currently in Scotland on a student visa, which is due to expire later this year. The parliamentary term they have just been elected to serve runs for five years.
Before the election, reports surfaced that Manivannan was fundraising to cover the £2,089 cost of a graduate visa. That visa, available to those who have completed a UK degree, grants holders the right to live and work in the UK full-time for up to three years. It is also not expected to be difficult to obtain. In the year ending March 2024, more than 99% of graduate visa applications were successful.
Manivannan has also applied for a global talent visa. At £5,047, this would allow them to remain in the UK for five years, covering the full parliamentary term. However, this visa is far harder to secure. It is reserved for senior or emerging leaders in digital technology, academia and arts and culture.
There is also a timing wrinkle. Manivannan is not expected to officially graduate until later this year, which adds a layer of complexity to the transition process.
Here is a clear picture of the three visa types at the centre of this debate:
| Visa Type | Who It Is For | Duration | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student Visa | Those enrolled in a UK course | Duration of study | Varies |
| Graduate Visa | Those who have completed a UK degree | Up to 3 years | £2,089 |
| Global Talent Visa | Leaders in tech, academia or arts | Up to 5 years | £5,047 |
Why Critics Are Calling for an Investigation
The debate is not just about Manivannan’s future visa status. Some critics believe the terms of their current visa may already have been broken.
Scottish Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr has written directly to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, urging her to open a formal investigation. His argument centres on one specific rule: student visa holders are only permitted to work a maximum of 20 hours per week.
Kerr stated publicly that he was “almost certain” Manivannan had already exceeded that limit during the election campaign alone.
The concerns being raised across multiple parties include:
- Running a full election campaign almost certainly requires far more than 20 hours of work per week.
- The job of an MSP is a full-time role and cannot realistically be carried out within a 20-hour weekly cap.
- Manivannan stands to earn an estimated £77,000 to £80,000 per year in taxpayer-funded salary without holding permanent immigration status.
- If a visa renewal is refused, there is no clear legal framework governing what happens to a sitting MSP who loses the right to remain in the UK.
Former SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford reportedly said it “beggars belief” that Manivannan was allowed to stand while on a student visa. Reform UK’s Malcolm Offord called the Scottish Greens “reckless” for clearing the candidate.
On their first day at Holyrood on Monday, May 11, Manivannan was escorted into the building by party officials and did not answer questions from reporters about their visa situation. A party official asked journalists to “have some dignity.”
What Changed in the Rules, and When
Until recently, standing for election to the Scottish Parliament required a candidate to have indefinite leave to remain in the UK. That meant permanent residency was effectively a prerequisite for anyone seeking elected office.
In 2024, the Scottish Parliament voted unanimously to change that. Under the updated rules, non-UK citizens with any valid form of leave to remain, including temporary or study visas, became eligible to contest Scottish elections as candidates.
That rule change is precisely what allowed Manivannan to stand. As a Commonwealth citizen legally resident in Scotland, they qualified under the new framework.
The Scottish Parliament’s own spokesperson confirmed that checking candidate eligibility is the responsibility of individual political parties, not parliament itself. The Greens, in other words, made the call to put Manivannan on the list.
The Scottish Greens Hit Back
The party has not taken the criticism quietly. Senior Greens accused opponents of launching what they called “disgusting” and “nasty” attacks on their newly elected MSP.
Co-leader Gillian Mackay told the BBC’s Sunday Show that there would need to be a visa renewal during the parliamentary session, but was clear that the party would support Manivannan through the process. She said she did not think it was “likely” that the Home Office would refuse.
The party issued a formal statement insisting that Manivannan was on a “valid visa with the right to work and live in Scotland.” They also argued that the UK visa system is “needlessly expensive and hostile.”
Manivannan spoke directly on Instagram, describing the coverage as “invasive” and containing “misinformation.” They pointed out a fact that has been largely overlooked in the row: having passed and completed their PhD, they are now eligible to work full-time regardless of the student visa label still attached to their status.
“Every MSP from every party represented in the Scottish Parliament unanimously voted to allow everyone with the right to live here to stand in elections, including new Scots on visas like me.”
That is a hard point to argue against. Every party that is now criticising this outcome voted for the rule that made it possible.
Scotland now finds itself wrestling with a question that no rule book fully anticipated: what happens when a newly elected lawmaker must navigate an uncertain immigration process while also trying to represent thousands of constituents? The controversy surrounding Q Manivannan is not just about one person and one visa. It is a defining test of how far Scotland’s democracy has moved, and whether the systems supporting it have kept pace. Whatever happens next in the Home Office, in Holyrood, or at the visa processing centre, one thing is certain: this debate is far from over. Share your thoughts in the comments below. Should people on temporary visas be allowed to serve as elected lawmakers in the UK?
