Privacy policy

With this privacy policy we explain how Permits Foundation responsibly handles your personal data and complies with the requirements set by the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

PRIVACY POLICY & LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Permits Foundation (hereafter called “the Foundation”) is responsible for data processing, including data provided via this website.

In handling your personal data, the Foundation:

clearly states the purposes for which we process personal data;
restricts our processing of personal data to only the personal data necessary for those purposes;
will first ask for permission to process your personal data in cases where your permission is required;
takes appropriate security measures to protect your personal data and also requires this from third parties that process personal data on our behalf; and
respects your right to provide, correct or delete your personal data on your request.

Where the Foundation may process your personal data

By using this website (www.permitsfoundation.com) you share information with us via cookies. You may also submit personal data yourself to the Foundation, for example if you send the Foundation an email, submit a contact form or sign-up to receive the Foundation’s newsletter. We only keep and use the personal data provided within the framework of the activities you request from the Foundation (for example receiving our newsletters). The primary lawful bases we rely on for processing this information are legitimate interest and your consent. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time (see Your rights section below).

Below we provide further detail for each activity on the type of personal data we process, why we process it and how long we retain it for.

Emails & contact forms

If you send the Foundation an e-mail or submit a contact form, the personal data you send will be kept for as long as is required to answer and process the inquiry. If we believe that your email/contact form contains information that might contribute to the purpose of the Foundation, or our research and knowledge databank, we reserve the right to retain the email/contact form until it is no longer relevant to the goals of the Foundation. It is then deleted. You can also ask for your data to be deleted sooner (see Your Rights section below).

Newsletters

We distribute our newsletter to inform interested parties about our global advocacy work. You will only be added to the list of subscribers with your prior consent. When subscribing to our newsletter you are asked to provide your name, email address and company/organisation. Your data remains on our mailing list unless you ask for it to be removed. Each newsletter offers the option to unsubscribe in the footer.

Surveys

Where the Foundation runs feedback polls/surveys, responses will be treated confidentially. No individuals will be identified in the reporting of the survey data. We use a third-party platform (Alchemer) to host our surveys. The platform is GDPR compliant and data is not stored outside the EU.

Each year Permits Foundation carries out surveys of our Board and focal points. These surveys request participants names and this data is stored securely until the information is no longer relevant.

For all other surveys, data will be deleted from the survey platform within 12 weeks after the survey closing date. Survey data is anonymised and stored securely on our system indefinitely as statistical data that serves as an evidence base for our work (see the Security section below).

Cookies

When you visit the Permits Foundation website, you are asked to manage cookie consent. Cookies help us make the website function properly, make it more secure and provide better user experience. Our website uses first- and third-party cookies. First-party cookies are mostly necessary for the website to function in the right way. They do not collect any of your personally identifiable data. The third-party cookies used on our website are mainly for understanding how the website performs, how you interact with our website and keeping our services secure.

What types of cookies do we use?

Necessary: Some cookies are essential for you to be able to experience the full functionality of our site. They allow us to maintain user sessions and prevent any security threats. They do not collect or store any personal information.

Functional: These are the cookies that help certain non-essential functionalities on our website. These functionalities include embedding content like videos or sharing content from the website on social media platforms.

Analytics: These cookies store information like the number of visitors to the website, the number of unique visitors, which pages of the website have been visited, the source of the visit, etc. This data helps us understand and analyse how well the website performs and where improvement is needed.

When you land on our website there will be a pop-up bar where you can manage cookie consent. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL of the cookies listed. However, you may visit “Cookie Settings” to provide controlled consent. Once you have made your choice, you can manage your cookie consent at any time. Look for the “Manage Consent” pop-up.

Google

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA, the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply here.

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to keep track of how visitors use our website. We use this knowledge to optimise our website for our visitors. The IP-address of the visitor is anonymised.

Security

We have taken appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unlawful processing. For example, we have taken the following measures:

All persons who have access to your data on behalf of the Foundation are bound by a confidentiality agreement in their employment contract.
We require multi-factor authentication to access our systems.
Our employees have been trained in (cyber)security awareness, informed about GDPR compliance and the importance of the protection of personal data.

Third-party websites

This privacy policy does not apply to websites of third parties that are connected to our website by means of links. We cannot guarantee that these third parties handle your personal data in a reliable or secure manner. Accordingly, we encourage you to read the privacy policies of these websites before visiting them.

Changes to this privacy policy

Because we do not exclude the possibility that the Foundation’s activities will change in the future, we reserve the right to alter this privacy policy. We advise you to consult this privacy policy regularly so that you are aware of any changes that have been made. This privacy policy was last updated on 15 September 2025.

Your rights concerning your data protection are outlined in Chapter three of the GDPR and can be summarised as follows:

Your right to information on and access to personal data – You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
Your right to erasure – You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to restriction of processing – You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to object to processing – You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to data portability – You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.
Your right to request that decisions based on automated processing concerning you or significantly affecting you and based on your personal data are made by natural persons, not only by computers. You also have the right in this case to express your point of view and to contest the decision.

To get in contact with us regarding your rights or with questions about how your personal data is handled by the Foundation, please email contact@permitsfoundation.com. We will respond to your request within one month.

The Foundation’s website: legal disclaimer

We have compiled country information and associated links on our website for general information purposes only. We cannot guarantee that it is accurate or up to date e.g. as immigration regulations change frequently. Permits Foundation accepts no responsibility for any (personal) loss resulting from reliance on any information on this site or any other sites to which it is linked. If you require specific advice about working in a particular country please contact the relevant immigration authorities or an immigration lawyer.