UK Visa Sponsorship Scheme Conference 2025

Following the success of last year’s UK Visa Sponsorship Conference, Capital City Partnership is once again bringing together employers, policymakers, and community partners to explore the ongoing challenges and opportunities surrounding immigration, sponsorship, and employability in Edinburgh and beyond.

This year’s event will build on the conversations we started in 2024, with expert speakers, practical insights, and a dedicated networking space for employers and stakeholders. Together, we will consider closely UK visa schemes and the barriers faced by both employers and skilled foreign nationals and discuss exploitation that can arise within the UK Visa sponsorship scheme, and how employers, policymakers, and community organisations can work together to highlight the barriers to employment and risk of exploitation due the UK Visa Sponsorship Scheme.

The themes of the conference are

• UK Visa Sponsorship Scheme & Barriers to Employment
• UK Visa Sponsorship Scheme - Exploitation & Actions required

Capital City Partnership, as the anchor delivery body for Edinburgh’s employability strategy, is committed to tackling inequality and poverty while supporting businesses to access the skilled workforce they need.

Who Should Attend:

• Local business and enterprise owners, Business Development Directors and Trustees,

• Talent Managers and HR professionals,

• Sector Specific Experts,

• Policymakers and community leaders interested in employability and diversity,

• Stakeholder Organisations,
• Individuals with lived exprience,

This event offers a unique opportunity to connect with industry experts, gain knowledge, and explore practical strategies that can help bridge the gap between employers and skilled foreign national candidates in Edinburgh.

We would appreciate that if you have booked a space and are unable to attend, to let us know as soon as possible.

The event will be recorded, and photos will be taken. The recordings of each speaker will be available on the JUFB website, access via this link EEPEM Toolkit.

Agenda

Speakers from Passion4Fusion, Seraphus, and the Asian Business Chamber are confirmed to attend the event.

09:30 am- 10:00 am Arrival registration, tea & coffee

10:00 am - 10:30 am Keynote address - Minister for Equalities, Ms. Kaukab Stewart MSP +Q&A

10:30 am - 12:00 pm Session #1 (Speakers)

12:00 pm - 13:00 pm Networking Lunch

13:00 pm - 15:30 pm Session #2 (Cllr Lezley-Marion Cameron's address, Speakers and panel discussion)

15:30 pm -15:35 pm Closing notes

15:35 pm - 16:30 pm Networking session (optional attendance)

Note: The full event agenda will be circulated in due course.

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Host or Publisher Capital City Partnership