Trans Green Party candidate with no British visa elected to Holyrood

[IwantToRetire]

Q Manivannan, who identifies as non-binary, was elected as an MSP on the Edinburgh & Lothians East list for the pro-independence Scottish Greens.

It was reported earlier this week that the former PhD student has appealed to colleagues for £2,089 of funding for a temporary graduate visa.

This would give the anthropologist and poet a further three years to work and live in the UK, picking up the taxpayer-funded MSP salary of £77,711.

Manivannan is said to have told colleagues this would help buy time to save up the £5,047 cost of applying for a global talent visa, the UK immigration category for promising individuals in specific sectors.

The self-described “queer Tamil immigrant” was only able to stand in the election after SNP ministers loosened the rules over who could be a Holyrood candidate.

Full article https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/09/trans-green-party-candidate-migrant-elected-holyrood/
And at https://archive.is/LhZYy

Reform couldn't have dreamed for a better headline!

Well actually it's the dictionary definition of "job", which is the word the poster used.

That may be the dictionary definition of a job but being an MSP or an MP is not a job in the sense of employment as the individuals are office holders. The Green bloke who is taking the piss couldn't apply for a work visa to be an MSP as it's not a job.

He's probably making a point on behalf of Iris Duane (who won't want to do it themselves in case they are outed...). Oh, and grandstanding.

From Pam Gosal on Facebook:

"This is a person who may leave the UK before the Parliamentary term ends and who lied about his background.
He now thinks he can make laws for people who were born here and have lived here for decades by putting women at risk.
Q Manivannan and the Greens are out of step with public opinion.
Instead of listening to 51% of the population, they have decided to cater to 0.5%.
But let’s not forget that the SNP and Greens refuse to drop Nicola Sturgeon’s dangerous gender self-ID policies.
The Supreme Court made it clear that 'sex' refers to biological sex.
It's time Q Manivannan, the Greens and the SNP followed the law."

That was my point.

The poster was picked up for saying it was a job.

But all the criticism was about it not being employment when the original poster never even used the term.

It is a job, whether it's one that qualifies for a work visa or not. Lots of jobs don't qualify for work visas.

The award for pedantry is certainly going to this thread so far today!

🏆

The other poster was picked up for saying that Q had a job which would make him eligible for a skilled worker visa. That poster was wrong.

The other poster was picked up for saying that Q had a job which would make him eligible for a skilled worker visa. That poster was wrong.

Apparently it's pedantry to point that out.😀

Whatever his official status he’s suggesting the parliament breaks the law.

That’s the point, not stupid nitpicking to distract from the actual issue

And I’m sure his constituents have more pressing issues needing dealt with than where he wants to pee. Madness, these people are so fucking grandiose

In every photo I’ve seen of him, he just drips arrogance

Perhaps the person who wrote that answer should have written more clearly that they were not picking on the terminology of employment versus job, but were pointing out that the job doesn't actually qualify for a skilled worker visa. That was not at all clear.

It's quite astonishing, isn't it? An MP standing in Parliament advocating breaking the law.

I looked at the quote history and there was no mention of a skilled worker visa.
I read the parts of the thread I missed and that poster repeatedly referred to this job meeting the income requirements for a graduate visa.

Not at all astonishing, every day members of parliaments all over stand up and advocate for a change in the law. As the legislative powers who write laws and overturn or edit already passed laws, it is part of their job.

The assisted dying bill was a case of hundreds of MPs standing up and asking to change or ‘break’ the law banning euthanasia.

Tory and Reform MPs have recently stood up and asked parliament to ‘break’ the laws that give women the right to an abortion.

They have asked to ´break’ the laws that guarantee workers rights to overtime pay or to not be sacked if pregnant.

He’s not asking for a change, he’s saying to disobey it

No, he is calling for Holyrood to lift the ban. It’s part of the job of a lawmaker to propose changes to laws.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26183814.manivannan-urges-holyrood-bosses-lift-trans-toilet-ban/?ref=rss

I don’t agree with him at all, but to imply he is advocating breaking the law or disobeying it without evidence is dishonest.

It’s not a ban, it’s the law

he’s asking Holyrood to ignore the law

They can’t “lift the ban”, that’s not a thing

Love Pam Gosal. Such a loss to the SP (and I’m not a Tory). She is an absolute champion for women and girls.

His stance suggests he knows nothing about the trials and tribulations of trans ideology in the Scottish Parliament, never mind the legal position.

Equality law is outwith the preview of the Scottish parliament so he cant propose changes to it, what he is trying to do is have the Scottish parliament ignore and/or breach the equality act and actively discriminate against women

Exactly. It’s not even their law to change either as I think the court established.

Oops cross post.

Amazing how desperate some people are to defend this ridiculous situation and his appalling behaviour.

It's never been disputed that he's eligible for a graduate visa. With a PhD, he is eligible for a 3-year graduate visa which can't be extended. This is not long enough to see out his full term of 5 years as an MSP. He would need to obtain another type of visa to complete the term. He's not eligible for a skilled worker visa, so he'd need to get another type of visa for those 2 years such as a global talent visa, and he may be unsuccessful.

There are no income requirements for a graduate visa. He just needs to pay the application fee of £937 and an annual health surcharge of £1035. Because the PP was talking about income requirements, I assumed they were referring to a skilled worker visa, where there are income requirements, and had incorrectly referred to it as a graduate visa.

Expect more of this when children are allowed to vote.