A statement from AMES said MyAMES Chat had been officially launched by Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Minister Andrew Giles.

MyAMES Chat functions as a coaching tool and aids migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds to improve their speech, language, and professional skills .

The app also personalises a user’s learning experience and aids in the mastery of workplace language, Australian idioms and job interview techniques.

AMES Australia chief executive Cath Scarth said: “The app affords added flexibility to newly arrived migrants and refugees studying English. They can study in their own time and at their own pace.

GetMee Founder Balendran Thavarajah, Immigration Minister Andrew Giles, AMES Australia chief executive Cath Scarth, app user and medical scientist Dr Mujibur Rahman and app user and product developer Anh Nguyen. Supplied

“It augments the support they get from the AMES Australia Skilled Professional Migrant Program teachers and it will also help them acquire digital skills.

“The app is an extension of work we have been doing over many years in supporting newly arrived migrants and refugees re-establish their professional careers in Australia.

“We’ve all heard the stories of migrant and refugee surgeons, engineers and architects driving taxis. MyAMES Chat is one response to this egregious waste of talent.”

Giles said: “We want everyone who comes to Australia to be able to realise their ambitions and to take up fulfilling and meaningful places in our society, and this app supports that idea.”

IT company GetMee, founded by Sri Lankan refugee Balendran Thavarajah, developed the app.

Said Thavarajah: “My experience as a refugee has made it a passion of mine to help people travelling the same journey I did. That’s why we created the app.

AMES student and app user Anh Nguyen, a product developer from Vietnam, said: “The app has been really helpful. It’s helped me understand the idioms used in Australia. It has taught me about the language of the workplace and it has given me more confidence in my search for a job.”

Dr Mujibur Rahman, a medical scientist from Bangladesh, said he had found the app very useful.

“The app has been very useful to me. It means I can work on improving my English at times that are convenient for me. It has helped me with the pronunciation of difficult words and it has given me insights into the job market here in Australia,” Dr Rahman said.