FAQs
Some of our most frequently asked questions are answered below.
Frequently asked questions
Permits Foundation’s work is for the benefit of governments, employers and international families.
Our FAQs are grouped accordingly, so you can find the answers that best relate to you.
FAQs from government representatives
Are you a not-for-profit initiative?
Yes, we are a registered not-for-profit, funded by the donations of our sponsor network. Further details about our registration as a stichting (foundation) at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce can be found here.
Which countries are currently the focus of Permits Foundation’s advocacy efforts? How are they chosen?
Our Board of Directors decides on the direction and focus of the Foundation’s efforts. Each year, we ask our Sponsors which countries are of importance in terms of global mobility, international employee numbers and growth plans. We cross check this with wider business surveys. From this, we develop a ‘Top 10’ list of countries of interest. We then refine this down to those we can focus on short term, taking into account countries that are keen to attract international investment and those that are seen as trendsetters in their region. The Permits Foundation World Map displays the 5-6 countries that are the current priority countries selected.
Visit our Promoting Change and World Map pages for more information.
Are you an international umbrella organisation?
Yes, Permits Foundation enjoys a broad base of support from approximately 40 international employers (public & private) and service providers, from diverse sectors with global operations. As an umbrella organisation we carry out our engagement in countries around the world, at EU and at UN level. In carrying out our activities we engage with organisations beyond our sponsor network to ensure that our recommendations best reflect the needs of the international corporate community.
Visit our Sponsors page for more information.
Will granting direct work access to accompanying partners impact the local labour market?
Governments worldwide are balancing policies to ensure protection of the local labour market while addressing future skills needs. The global picture shows that where accompanying spouses/partners of international employees in the highly-skilled categories have been afforded work access, they have not negatively affected the local labour market. This is because this cohort of accompanying spouses/partners is typically small in numbers and highly qualified. Over 80% of accompanying spouses/partners hold a bachelor’s, master’s degree or PhD.
Visit our Governments page for more information.
Do your recommendations focus on accompanying dependants of all foreign workers or only certain categories i.e. highly-skilled employees?
To reflect the needs of our network, our focus is on spouses and partners of internationally mobile employees in highly-skilled categories or in areas where there are skills shortages. Very often these categories include intra-company transferees or critical skills employment permit holders.
Visit our Promoting Change page for more information.
What evidence base do you have to back up your recommendations?
Permits Foundation carries out wide-scale surveys of global mobility professionals and accompanying partners. Data is then made available in our survey reports. We also track global legislation via our interactive World Map tool. Additionally, we are constantly in contact with an esteemed network of representatives from multi-national companies, international organisations and immigration specialists.
Visit our Evidence base page for more information.
FAQs from global mobility professionals/employers
How do you approach countries that are reluctant to change?
Every country faces a unique set of obstacles to progress. Therefore, we listen carefully to concerns relevant to a particular country/region’s work authorisation landscape before making recommendations. When we make these recommendations they are backed by quality research that helps governments understand the importance of partner employment access within a managed migration policy for highly-skilled international staff inside their borders.
We also help a host country compare its regulations with those of other countries, while simultaneously considering best international practices. With help from local networks, including our sponsors and other employers, embassies and chambers of commerce, we organise meetings so that the authorities can hear directly from stakeholders. We aim to show that where changes have been made in other countries that location has become more attractive to international businesses, public sector organisations and highly-skilled staff – and that this is beneficial to the economy and local employment prospects.
If there are still reservations we then seek concessions. For example, a pilot scheme that would be a step in the right direction or extending direct work access only to particular skill levels or professions that meet the needs of the local economy. From there, it should be possible to develop in a way that all countries can eventually accommodate.
Visit our Promoting change page for more information.
How can I stay up to date on the latest advocacy progress and upcoming events?
Permits Foundation provides all of this information on our website. Our World Map shows where we are working now and, within each country page, what advocacy we are carrying out/have carried out there. Latest news alerts and upcoming events can be found on our News, media & events page.
How long does it take to achieve progress?
Change does not happen overnight and timeframes are often difficult to predict with accuracy. In our experience, it normally takes at least one to two years to achieve some legislative progress. Countries that are keen to attract highly-skilled staff may move faster. Others may take much longer, particularly where change is far reaching. For example, our EU Intra-corporate transferee campaign took around 4 years.
While promoting our aims, we are also pleased if governments make phased changes in the right direction, for example, by way of a trial or pilot study.
Progress is worth perseverance; once achieved it greatly reduces cost and administrative burden and changes the lives of tens, hundreds or even thousands of your employees and their families.
Visit our Promoting Change page for more information including a timeline of our success stories.
Which countries are currently the focus of Permits Foundation’s advocacy efforts, how are they chosen?
Our Board of Directors decides on the direction and focus of the Foundation’s efforts. Each year, we ask our sponsors which countries are of importance in terms of global mobility, international employee numbers and growth plans. We cross check this with wider business surveys. From this, we develop a ‘Top 10’ list of countries of interest. Permits Foundation’s Board then refines this list down to those countries we will focus on, taking into account countries that are keen to attract international investment and those that are seen as trendsetters in their region. The Foundation generally focuses our advocacy efforts towards 5-6 countries at a time. To view the Foundation’s current focal countries visit our promoting change page.
How does Permits Foundation convince governments to relax work permit regulations for spouses/partners of international employees?
Our research shows that countries that enable partners to work are attractive destinations for highly-skilled employees. This presents a real opportunity for countries to create an attractive climate for international talent and investment. At the same time, partners themselves are often highly educated. If they are allowed to work, they contribute their own skills and revenue from taxes and expenditure to the host country economy.
When approaching government we offer policy solutions via evidence-based representations in person and in writing. We show that there is broad-based support for our recommendations and convey the feedback received from our network and in our surveys. We also explain the global context, and via our World Map share best practice information and news about governmental progress. When preparing our advocacy in priority countries, we follow a series of key steps preparing research, understanding the country context and sometimes developing a local network of influence.
Visit our Promoting Change page to find out about the process of our engagement with government.
What, as a global mobility professional, can I do to help support my international employees and their families?
Whereas employees usually transfer within their company as part of a career plan, their partners have to uproot themselves from their current job and company at a time they may not have chosen. They face multiple challenges relating to loss of network, professional recognition, language and culture. Employers can take a two-pronged approach; working with the individuals within their workforce (for example via a partner support programme or service provider) while also seeking out systematic change. That is where we can help.
Our advocacy informs legislative change, and the Foundation’s track record speaks for itself. Sponsoring Permits Foundation means that you can help decide where we focus our efforts, increase our chance of success and show your workforce that you are proactively supporting a cause that improves their global mobility experience. Additionally, Permits Foundation encourages pre-move conversations with employees, addressing the concerns of the whole family unit to help manage expectations. Our World Map can be of help here. In this way employers can also be alert to just how important the issue of partner work access is to their workforce.
Questions about sponsorship
Do you ever advocate on behalf of individual sponsors?
We operate as the umbrella of Permits Foundation. We never advocate on behalf of individuals or organisations and we do not mention specific names when carrying out advocacy unless permitted to do so. We treat our sponsors with the utmost care. See our privacy policy for further information about how we handle sponsor/network data.
Who can become a sponsor?
Although we are a corporate initiative, our sponsors hail from both the private and public sectors. Our sponsor base includes companies, organisations and service providers from a range of country and industry backgrounds. These employers all recognise the role of the accompanying family when moving their international staff, be that in large or small numbers. What matters most is that our sponsors work together in the spirit of collaboration toward our shared goal.
How does my organisation benefit from sponsorship?
We have a whole webpage dedicated to this question! In a nutshell, your organisation benefits from: enhanced reputation and ESG credentials, a safeguard against costly failed assignments, contributing to meaningful progress, being kept up to date on policy developments, joining a prestigious and people-focused network and gaining access to our resources and media.
For more information please visit our Benefits of Sponsorship page.
How involved do we have to be as a sponsor?
This is up to you. Some sponsors actively contribute to our advocacy work i.e. meetings, letters, working groups. There is opportunity for sponsors to speak at our events, host roundtables and conferences and/or produce joint content with the Foundation (such as blogs and webinars). Other sponsors simply like to be kept in the loop regarding country developments and upcoming events.
No matter your preferred level of involvement, sponsors are welcome to participate in our local network discussions, suggest which destinations we work on next and relay key issues to inform our country advocacy. If helpful, we can present internally to your network or at your events. Sponsors are also eligible to nominate Permits Foundation Board Members and Patrons.
Is sponsorship a long-term commitment?
You donate for one year of sponsorship. There is no contractual commitment. Each year we ask if you would like to continue sponsorship.
How much does sponsorship cost?
The level of donation is not a fee for a service but rather a voluntary contribution to the work of the Foundation in line with our not-for-profit status. The recommended annual donation for 2026 is €7,900. You can decide to pay more or less than this amount.
FAQs from international family members/employees
How can individuals support Permits Foundation?
The greater our support base, the more that we can achieve. Our work as a not-for-profit organisation is funded by the donations of our sponsors. Please tell people about the work that we do and encourage your corporate contacts to consider sponsorship.
Individuals wishing to talk about sponsorship or donations can contact the team via email at contact@permitsfoundation.com for more information. Information about the benefits of sponsorship and the recommended donation amount can be found on our Become a sponsor page.
You can also share your experience and register your interest to participate in our surveys.
Can I share my relocation experience with Permits Foundation and how is my data handled?
If you are an accompanying partner encountering obstacles because of work permit restrictions (or conversely if you are having a positive experience in a best practice country), it is always helpful for us to hear your story. Feedback from international families allows us to improve our advocacy and add to our body of anonymised case examples. If you feel comfortable sharing your experience with us, please get in touch with the team via email at contact@permitsfoundation.com.
See our privacy policy for more information about how your data is handled.
How can I participate in Permits Foundation’s upcoming surveys?
You can register to participate here. We will then contact you when we run a survey that would benefit from your participation. We greatly appreciate your willingness to participate as the more data we are able to collect the stronger our case for change becomes.
How does direct work access for accompanying spouses/partners benefit international families?
Our surveys show that where the accompanying family member has authorisation to work in the host country, the employee and accompanying partner’s experience in that country is improved, health and well-being increased and chance of assignment refusal or failure reduced. The family unit’s experience abroad generally, and partner work access specifically, is becoming more and more a topic of conversation in the corporate world as dual income is increasingly a necessity, particularly as many top global mobility destinations have a high cost of living.
Does Permits Foundation provide support for individual cases?
As an advocacy initiative, we seek change of government policy and/or legislative change. We do not work with individuals or families regarding their specific situation. We note that many of our sponsor organisations do provide partner support programmes, advice via HR and/or specialised services tailored to help relocating families.
Can I carry out self-employed work in the host country?
It is possible for accompanying family members to carry out self-employed activity in some countries. See our World Map for more information. Please note that our World Map is for general information purposes only and whilst we make every endeavour to keep this platform up to date, we cannot guarantee its accuracy. If you require specific information or legal advice about working in a particular country, please contact the relevant immigration authorities.