The service will provide information and offer appointments to New Scots who’ve moved and are settling into life here. It will also help businesses to navigate the immigration system, including advice from qualified advisors.

The first phase of the service is now open, available to people who have moved to Scotland within the past six months, and international students in their final year at a Scottish university or college who want to remain in Scotland after graduation.

It’s also accessible for employers based in Scotland who want to hire international workers, and investors based in another country who would like to set up or expand a business in Scotland.

An expanded service, which will include support for individuals located outside of Scotland with an interest in moving to Scotland, will come sometime later this year.

Speaking on both the service and the importance of workers and businesses moving to Scotland, Emma Roddick, the Scottish government’s migration minister, said: “New Scots make an enormous contribution to Scotland’s society by helping grow our economy, address skills shortages and contribute to public services. They are also vital to meeting our population needs.

“The first few months after arrival in a new country are the most significant in terms of making people feel welcome and encouraging them to stay for the long term. This service will support people in those crucial weeks, helping ease the process of settling into life here.

“We also want to mitigate the complexity and bureaucracy of the immigration system – particularly post-Brexit – to encourage businesses to hire talented people from overseas and expand their operations here. By providing advice and information, we will help employers and investors grow businesses and attract talent.”

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• How Can Scots Firms Facilitate Inclusive Hiring and Plug the Digital Skills Gap?
• Tackling the Tech Skills Gap from the Roots
• Comment: Is Quiet Hiring the Solution to the Tech Skills Shortage?

The launch of the migration service comes amid a pervasive tech skills gap in Scotland – something which outside talent can help to close.

In Scotland, 67% of small- and medium-sized enterprises across a range of sectors have cited digital tech as a prominent area where they’re facing shortages in skills. Meanwhile, for Scots tech companies themselves, 37% have reported a lack of advanced digital skills among their existing workforces and 23% of firms have cited a lack of basic data skills.

Commenting on the potential helpfulness of Scotland’s new migration service, Ioannis Fotiadis, who’s a civil engineer and who moved to Edinburgh from Greece in 2021, said: “This service promises to be an invaluable resource for migrants, offering support and guidance that can significantly ease the transition process. Reflecting on my own journey to Scotland, I can’t help but wish that such a comprehensive resource had been available to me.

“The challenges of relocating are manifold, and having access to dedicated support would have made a world of difference. I’m hopeful that this service will fill that gap for others, making their move smoother and more manageable.”