Ministers set to commit nearly £4m to help businesses navigate 'expensive, bureaucratic and complex' immigration system

Ministers have committed almost £4 million to a project designed to help businesses tackle the immigration system and bring talented foreign workers to Scotland.

The Talent Attraction and Migration Service, which was announced in April by business minister Ivan McKee, will see two separate advice systems set up for businesses and incoming workers.

One will focus specifically on immigration support for employers, with the other dedicated to helping workers settle in Scotland.

Ensuring a high level of immigration of workers to Scotland is viewed by the Government as a key way of supporting Scotland’s economic growth. The impact of Brexit on immigration has been cited as one of the many reasons key industries such as the health service have struggled to hire enough staff and continue to have large numbers of vacancies.

It is also viewed as part of the solution to the reduction in the size of Scotland’s population.

A contract notice, published by the Government on Public Contracts Scotland, states two services will be set up – immigration support for employers in Scotland and reception support for people moving to Scotland.

This will cost almost £4m and help employers tackle a “complex, bureaucratic and expensive” immigration system.

It is expected this will also increase the number of organisations holding a “sponsorship licence”, required if a company or business wishes to sponsor foreign workers or students to come and work and study in the UK.

Around £4m has been committed to help businesses navigate the immigration system.

The advice will range from a website with up-to-date information, to blogs, social media content and newsletters, to one-and-one advice and support for employers who “continue to face barriers using the immigration system”.

The service for reception support is being developed to help welcome people to Scotland, with the Government stating it wants “people not only to move to Scotland, but to stay”, with the first few months “crucial to their overall experience”.

A website is set to be developed, alongside one-to-one advice for those who have moved to Scotland.

A total of £3.8m has been committed to develop these programmes. However, the final contract is yet to be awarded by Scottish ministers.

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