Permits Foundation’s June Headlines
26 June 2025Read on for a quick overview of our latest activities, policy developments, recent collaborations and upcoming events.
South Africa considers spousal employment access in two significant policy developments
Both the National Labour Migration Policy White Paper released on 29 May, and the upcoming iteration of the Trusted Employer Scheme now include proposals to consider direct work access for accompanying partners of highly-skilled international employees. Read more about these developments and Permits Foundation’s advocacy here.
New law in Costa Rica may improve work access for partners
A new law for the attraction of specialised talent in Costa Rica is expected to include improved employment provisions for accompanying spouses/partners. This follows on from our recent recommendation to government, and representation by our Board Member Julia Onslow-Cole at Fragomen’s flagship event supported by AmCham.
UK government’s immigration white paper – impact on families
The long awaited UK immigration white paper was announced on 12 May. Permits Foundation’s focus remains on those policies that could affect accompanying family members of foreign highly-skilled workers. Contact the team for more information or to relay any concerns.
Processing delays: Permits Foundation writes to Irish government
In Ireland, waiting times for certain categories of family members to join has stretched to more than a year. Permits Foundation has flagged concern with the Minister’s Office and will continue to press for reduced processing times in Ireland and other countries raised by our sponsor network.
Supporting the UN Global Forum for Migration and Development (GFMD) Business Advisory Group
The GFMD is an international platform where governments, civil society and other stakeholders develop policies related to migration and development. Permits Foundation has contributed to the business advisory input ahead of the summit, which will take place from 2-4 September. Access the papers here.
Resuming outreach in Singapore post-election
We are continuing to speak with our network to better understand the experience of employers in Singapore since the Letter of Consent route to employment for many accompanying spouses was phased out. We will make constructive proposals to the Ministry of Manpower once this feedback had been gathered.
Permits Foundation’s event collaboration with our network
Over the past few months we were thrilled to: partner for progress with Expat Academy as part of their Bitesize Briefing series, speak on the opening panel at FEM Europe in Amsterdam, deliver two educational seminars to future global mobility leaders at the ESCP Business School under their Managing the Global Workforce Bachelor programme, and host a roundtable at the Relocate Think Women event in London. In addition, Permits Foundation Chair Gill Gordon was recognised by Relocate Global as an Outstanding Global Woman of 2025!
Françoise van Roosmalen’s employment anniversary
We are thrilled to convey our congratulations to Permits Foundation Coordinator Françoise van Roosmalen upon the milestone of 20 years of employment at Permits Foundation. Happy anniversary, Françoise!
Coming up in Q3-4
Through 2025 Permits Foundation will be continuing our work in South Africa, Costa Rica, Singapore, and India. We are also excited to begin activities in Japan and South Korea. Sponsors can meet each other and find out more by joining our upcoming in-person Paris roundtable. And finally, we look forward to launching our new website!
Join our esteemed network
It is the support offered by like-minded globally facing companies that makes our work possible. Together we can do more for international employers, employees and families. If your organisation is interested in receiving further insight about our progress and/or joining our network, click here and discover the benefits of sponsorship.
Contact us
If you work in global mobility/immigration and would like to discuss any of the items featured in this news round-up, talk to the team about international dual careers or countries of interest, you can find our contact details here. We would be happy to speak with you.
