Following the 2022 population count, the Scottish Government identified a significant demographic challenge: the average age of the population was rising, birth rates were declining, and inward migration had slowed due to Brexit and UK-wide immigration policies. To secure the country’s long-term economic and social wellbeing, Scotland needed a reliable influx of new talent.
I led the strategic immersion, insight development, research design and service definition. My role included analysing two years’ worth of existing data, identifying knowledge gaps, shaping a new research programme, defining audience needs, naming the service, and working with UX and support partners to ensure the final service was accessible, inclusive and grounded in real user experience. I also collaborated closely with government policy teams, employment advisers and legal experts to ensure all recommendations were practical and aligned to immigration regulations.
This was a large, multi-stakeholder project involving extensive research, cross-departmental coordination and strict confidentiality due to government policy. We built on two years of existing insight, carried out new qualitative research with multiple audiences, and designed a service that could work nationally and internationally. The work also included defining user journeys and content for a future website, developing a clear and legally viable name, and ensuring compliance with sensitive immigration regulations. Measuring success added further complexity, as migration data is not publicly available.
The service needed to meet the needs of three primary groups:
Skilled professionals and workers abroad considering Scotland as a destination.
Individuals weighing whether to stay post-study and needing clarity on support, pathways and sponsorship.
Organisations interested in hiring or sponsoring global talent, and investors exploring business expansion opportunities in Scotland.
The project began with a full immersion into the two years of existing research, over 100 documents of qualitative and quantitative evidence gathered both internationally and within the UK. I led this immersion myself, identifying gaps, contradictions and new opportunities that had not yet been explored. From this, I designed a new research programme that included:
Prioritising key opportunity markets identified in previous studies.
Exploring what support they would need to stay and build their future in Scotland.
Understanding challenges, legal barriers and the types of support businesses would value.
Mapping priorities for business expansion, UK sector opportunities and long-term growth potential.
Throughout this phase, we also tested and refined terminology, including the use of immigrant, migrant, and wider language barriers. That was to ensure the service would feel respectful, inclusive and accessible for a global audience.
After four months of new research, clear audience needs emerged. We developed a comprehensive service framework that outlined:
• Required content and support streams for each user group
• Tone, language and guidance formats
• Step-by-step migration journeys
• Employer and talent support requirements
• Investor touchpoints and decision-making needs
Part of the brief was to name the service. After testing multiple routes, the strongest performer was the simplest:
Scotland’s Migration Service.
A practical, direct name that was preferred by every audience group.
We then briefed UX teams to build the initial content structure and user pathways. At the same time, we onboarded support partners who would deliver 1:1 advisory appointments:
supporting migrants, students and international talent
supporting employers and investors with legal and sponsorship guidance
The service launched with an appointment-based model, allowing users to book direct support tailored to their needs, from visa advice to navigating job searches, employer sponsorship licenses, and relocation logistics.
Although government confidentiality limits the amount of data that can be publicly shared, early indicators strongly exceed expectations. Within the first six months of launch, the forecast expectation was 10 appointments per month, per service. This was surpassed by 50–60%, driven by high interest from both migrants seeking to move or remain in Scotland and employers seeking sponsorship guidance.