An Indian-born transgender immigrant was recently elected as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) on the Edinburgh & Lothians East list for the pro-independence Scottish Greens. The issue immediately became a matter of serious contention. While achieving firsts is typically a milestone that receives positive reception marked by thunderous applause, Q Manivannan’s recent success was largely defined by controversy.
The self-described “queer Tamil immigrant,” who identifies as non-binary, has lived in Scotland since 2021. Instead of praise, Manivannan’s political rise in the UK was mostly viewed with skepticism regarding their immigration status and previous social media history.
On the contrary, rules earlier suggested that foreigners could only become an MSP if they had Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or “settlement’ in the UK, which Manivannan doesn’t have as a non-UK citizen. Notably, they are believed to have originally arrived in Britain on a student visa.
The relaxation of rules in their case is attributed to Holyrood or the Scottish Parliament’s introduction of the Scottish Elections (Franchise and Representation) Act in 2020, which greenlit the qualification of candidates if they had leave of any type, including a short-term study visa, according to The Telegraph.
🟢 @q_ueering elected to represent Edinburgh & Lothians East region!
— Scottish Greens (@scottishgreens) May 8, 2026
Q is one of four Scottish Green MSPs elected in Edinburgh & Lothians East today, taking our total across Scotland to seven – so far! pic.twitter.com/H2UePDCrU2
Q Manivannan crowdfunded graduate visa for MSP election
Beyond the rule changes, Q Manivannan’s case has become the central focus of heightened attention and scrutiny in light of multiple UK reports, including those from The Telegraph and The Daily Mail, suggesting the Indian-origin candidate appealed for thousands of pounds of funding for a temporary graduate visa.
The Scottish Daily Express also reported earlier this week that Mannivannan launched a fundraiser, asking party members to donate money for a visa to stay in the UK, with a goal of garnering £2,089. It would grant him three additional years to work and live in the United Kingdom before applying for another visa.
The appointment of Q Manivannan, who is also an anthropologist and a poet, to the Scottish Parliament, will now put him on the taxpayer-funded MSP salary of £77,711, according to The Telegraph.
Backlash against ‘queer Tamil immigrant’ candidate on X
Sharing The Telegraph’s coverage of the candidate’s election, Shahrar Ali, former Green party deputy leader, fumed on X, “This is called taking the pi**.”
Andy Ngo, an NYT best-selling author, wrote, “A trans Indian migrant who arrived in the UK a few years ago and is not a citizen or permanent resident was elected to the Scottish parliament as a member of the woke Green Party. Scotland allows non-citizens to become elected to office. “Q Mannivannan” is set to earn over $100k USD despite not having the right to work full time on his temporary visa.”
Steering clear of identity politics, Robert Jenrick, a member of Parliament of the UK, restricted himself to calling out Manivannan’s immigration status.
“Dr Manivannan may be a nice young person,” he wrote on X. “But I don’t want to live in a country where people on student visas can become elected representatives to national parliaments. He’s crowdfunding from Green Party members for his graduate visa for pete’s sake.”
Dr Manivannan may be a nice young person.
— Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) May 9, 2026
But I don’t want to live in a country where people on student visas can become elected representatives to national parliaments.
He’s crowdfunding from Green Party members for his graduate visa for pete’s sake. https://t.co/dj5lc0Ht9Y
UK political party defends Indian-origin MSP
Despite the debate raging on social media, the Scottish Greens have come to Manivannan’s defence, insisting that they have a valid visa to work in the UK.
Downplaying the speculation about their immigration status, the party issued a statement via spokesperson to The National, saying, “The Scottish Parliament rightly and explicitly chose to permit everyone with the right to live here to stand in elections, including new Scots on visa.”
“Q is on a valid visa with the right to work and live in Scotland, and is a Commonwealth citizen. The UK’s visa system is needlessly expensive and hostile, and we are determined to replace it with one that welcomes people with care rather than throwing up hurdles and barriers.”
As quoted by The Telegraph, the party spokesperson also asserted that Q is in the UK on a valid visa with the right to work and live in Scotland. “The UK’s visa system is needlessly expensive and hostile, and we are determined to replace it with one that welcomes people with care rather than throwing up hurdles and barriers,” the Greens added.
Manivannan’s social media history has also compelled the Scottish Greens to issue a statement or two in the past. Back in 2023, they appeared to support the vandalism of posters featuring Israeli hostages of the October 7 incident. Similarly responding to a post by the Auschwitz museum asking for support, Manivannan said, “Just unfollowed you,” in 2024.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Greens responded to the former post, highlighting Q had responded to the museum’s original statement that sought to downplay the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. They further underscored that Q was not in favour of the posters’ defacement either.
“The Scottish Greens unequivocally condemned the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th,” they said, as quoted by The Telegraph. “From the start we called for an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and an end to Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.”
What did Q Mannivannan say after MSP election?
With Manivannan on their their side, the Greens secured three seat in the Lothians regions. It further helped the party score a record of overall 16 Green MSPs’ election, including two trans people.
“My name is Dr Q Manivannan, I am a transgender Tamil immigrant, my pronouns are they/them,” the former PhD student proclaimed upon securing their seat. “I am to some in this country everything that the hateful despise, and I am standing here as your MSP now with care. They say politics is the art of the possible. A politics of care expands what is possible for everyone left behind, pushed out or never invited in.”
Born in Tamil Nadu, India, Q pursued an undergraduate degree in liberal arts and humanities at OP Jindal Global University in Delhi. After that, they moved to Scotland for a PhD in international relations at the University of St Andrews.
When asked about their lack of lives experience in Scotland in an interview with The Edinburgh Reporter, Q replied, “We want parliament to be representative of Scotland, and Scotland includes immigrants. The response I have found on the doorstep is that people don’t really care about where I’m from, despite what the right wing would like you to believe.”
