Singapore Expats

cerealkiller wrote:9 mths ago i've applied for my wife (pregnant 2mths) for a Long term social visit pass and was rejected and given 6mths. 6mths passed and I re-applied again and got rejected and was given 1mth. by then we've already have a baby girl.

A few weeks after applying for a long term social visit pass, I applied PR status for her, giving them our daughter's birth cert., as I am self-employed, I have all the relevant documents. And now I am afraid her PR application will be rejected as well. (if they've rejected her LTSVP application, whats there to stop them from rejecting the PR application)

Sorry guys, I'm just upset cos' it seems to me that Singapore does not want us around despite calls for having more babies, the rules are extremely weird here.

You can actually appeal thru the member of parliament of the area you are staying. In this way, it will be easier for you to know what is the rejection reason and also get the PR with their letter to ICA.

Hello,
What are the benefits and advantages of becoming a PR.

I am currently on EP, and my girlfriend is on a social pass.

I want to know, if I apply for PR, will I lose my other citizenship. Do I have to give them up. I am currently a citizen of UK and HK SAR. I would like to keep both.

If I have to give one of them up, or even both, what are the benefits of being a PR here.

louy wrote:Hello,
What are the benefits and advantages of becoming a PR.

I am currently on EP, and my girlfriend is on a social pass.

I want to know, if I apply for PR, will I lose my other citizenship. Do I have to give them up. I am currently a citizen of UK and HK SAR. I would like to keep both.

If I have to give one of them up, or even both, what are the benefits of being a PR here.

You wont lose any other citzenships by becoming a PR like I am.

The biggest advantage of PR is the companies don't have to apply for an EP to employ you. You are also free to change jobs easily.

Give us a shout if you need more info

I currently reside in Sg on EP (employment pass). My family is on DP (dependant pass). I want to apply for PR (mostly to enroll my children in local schools and contribute to CPF assuming the US government doesn't tax me anyhow on those contributions in which case CPF doesn't help me defer taxes), but don't want my son forced into NS when he turns 18.

Now, since I know this is a sensitive topic, let me just briefly state my position clearly: My son is 1 (citizen of USA). We may stay in Sg for 20 years or 2 years (I am employed as a local - i.e. no expat contract with a time commitment). I don't know. My goal is 20, but my company may relocate me or I might get a new job or who knows. If we are here for 2 years, then I don't want my son being forced to return for NS. What if the country we move to or the one we are from (hypothetically) have mandatory NS also? How can he serve in both places? If we are here for 20 years, then NS is no problem. I don't have a problem with him protecting a country that he lives in, loves, etc. But, if he leaves Sg when he's still a child, then I do not agree with the requirement that he returns for NS.

Background (for people not familiar): If I switch to PR from EP, then my EP gets canceled along with the DPs tied to my EP. Thus, all of my family will be without immigration status unless I move them to PR, Student Pass or Long-Term Social Visit Pass (LTSVP).

Okay, so, here are the questions I am faced with...

1. Can a 1-year old apply for a Student Pass so he can remain in the country and not get deported?
2. How long can he stay on a LTSVP? My understanding was that this pass was only valid for 6 months and could not be extended beyond that. What then? He has to leave and re-enter?
3. If I apply for PR for everyone in my family but him, will he be able to get PR status later down the road if we end up staying around for the 20 years I mentioned above? Would he be able to get an EP (or PR) should he return in his 30s (e.g. leaves at 6 years old and returns when he's 33)?
4. What are the long-run implications of denouncing PR (in the event that the answer to #3 is not favorable and I get him PR now)? I don't want to limit his future options. I think Sg is great and would hate to make it difficult for him to work/live here in the future should he so desire. But, he is a baby and I don't know what his future holds, so I want to keep it as flexible as possible.

I will add that the difference in benefits for Citizens and PRs seem fairly substantial. It does strike me as odd that both are required to make the same commitment, yet receive different levels of benefits. Perhaps I'm missing something.

Thanks.

Saint wrote:

louy wrote:Hello,
What are the benefits and advantages of becoming a PR.

I am currently on EP, and my girlfriend is on a social pass.

I want to know, if I apply for PR, will I lose my other citizenship. Do I have to give them up. I am currently a citizen of UK and HK SAR. I would like to keep both.

If I have to give one of them up, or even both, what are the benefits of being a PR here.

As far as I am aware, PRs have the following advantages:
CPF (tax benefits associated with that, though I am still unclear on whether or not your home country would recognize that benefit if your home country employs a global tax system like the US*)
Local schools (PRs get same priority enrollment as citizens)
Certain housing/schooling subsidies (though these are limited even for PRs - http://www.ica.gov.sg/data/resources/do ... 080429.pdf)

The biggest issue with PR that everyone struggles with (myself included) is that their sons are required to perform 2 years of mandatory National Service at 18 years of age.

* Global tax means that you must pay your Federal Taxes of your home country regardless of the tax rate where you reside. In Sg, the max tax is 20%. In the US, it's 35%. In effect, I will pay 20% to Sg and 15% to the US for a total of 35%. The part that is unclear is whether the US will tax me on tax-exempt retirement schemes in the Sg (like CPF). While the Sg government allows you NOT to pay taxes on CPF contributions, the US may still take 35% of that income. I am waiting to hear back from my tax adviser.

I am a Q pass holder and just had so much trouble with visa applications to some of the embassies that I have to travel for work. Embassies here said since I am not yet a PR, I'll have to go back to my home country to apply the visas personally! Since I've been only working here for 01 month, I am wondering whether I can successfully get the PR??? Just to get rid of all those visa troubles!!!!

More info, I am in service industry and earn 50k/year.

Appreciate very much if anyone can share their experience, info.

littleHanoian wrote:I am a Q pass holder and just had so much trouble with visa applications to some of the embassies that I have to travel for work. Embassies here said since I am not yet a PR, I'll have to go back to my home country to apply the visas personally!

That's very strange -- most embassies accept a copy of your EP as proof of local residence. What country's embassy are you talking about?

Since I've been only working here for 01 month, I am wondering whether I can successfully get the PR??? Just to get rid of all those visa troubles!!!!

Until recently the answer would have been "maybe", but with the way the economy is right now, the answer is now "probably not". Doesn't necessarily hurt to apply, but the general rule of thumb is to try after a year.

Hi all,

I plan to apply PR including my wife and son who are in DP. I knew that PR processing time will be maximum 3 months. After my PR gets approved, do I need my wife and son personally to collect their PR ICs?

Because for some reason they might need to go back to home country within 3 months (before I knew the PR result) and will return to Singapore after 3 to 4 months time.

Please suggest me, what can i do in this case.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Jpatokal,

Thanks for the reply. It's Russian Embassy. Strange indeed, and extremely irritating! That's because I'm a developing country passport holder. Tried to talk to them a few times but failed and going back home to apply for the visa!

jpatokal wrote:

littleHanoian wrote:I am a Q pass holder and just had so much trouble with visa applications to some of the embassies that I have to travel for work. Embassies here said since I am not yet a PR, I'll have to go back to my home country to apply the visas personally!

That's very strange -- most embassies accept a copy of your EP as proof of local residence. What country's embassy are you talking about?

Since I've been only working here for 01 month, I am wondering whether I can successfully get the PR??? Just to get rid of all those visa troubles!!!!

Until recently the answer would have been "maybe", but with the way the economy is right now, the answer is now "probably not". Doesn't necessarily hurt to apply, but the general rule of thumb is to try after a year.

Hi all,
Both me, my husband and my daughter 1yr+ are PRs here. We were planning to bring my parents here to stay with us permanently so had tried to apply for long term and got rejected twice. Both of us are working and had submitted all the required documents. They never state any reason for rejection. Any suggestions, I saw one of post earlier suggesting to go thru MP of that area for a similar problem. Awaitng ur valuable suggestions/

Hi,I was wondering, is it possible for a Diploma holder to apply for LPR?coz I heard people said that the minimum requirements is have to hold a bachelor degree..is it true?
right now i'm working so hard to find a way to get a job in Singapore
coz I really fell in love with the city
my application for EPEC was already rejected,so I have to find another way now..*sigh* I think its because I dont have bachelor degree..
why is it so hard to get to Singapore?its like they dont welcome other citizens anymore.Singapore used to be more humble than now..*disappointed*..
btw,this forum really help me get a lot of new info ^^ thx

I've heard from a friend that those who becomes SPR through Employment Pass cannot apply for their parents (to become PR). Does anyone know if this is true? I know there's different kind of Employment Passes and I believe I will be getting P1 since my salary will be over $3500 each month. I checked ICA and MOM a few times and can't seem to find any information on it. Any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks

ms_lee wrote:I've heard from a friend that those who becomes SPR through Employment Pass cannot apply for their parents (to become PR).

Sounds bizarre, since becoming PR through working in Singapore with an EP is (AFAIK) the most common route to PR! PR is PR, the only distinction between PRs that I'm aware of is that first-generation PRs ("on merit") don't have to do NS and the second generation does.

jpatokal wrote:

ms_lee wrote:I've heard from a friend that those who becomes SPR through Employment Pass cannot apply for their parents (to become PR).

Sounds bizarre, since becoming PR through working in Singapore with an EP is (AFAIK) the most common route to PR! PR is PR, the only distinction between PRs that I'm aware of is that first-generation PRs ("on merit") don't have to do NS and the second generation does.

Thanks jpatokal!

cerealkiller wrote:9 mths ago i've applied for my wife (pregnant 2mths) for a Long term social visit pass and was rejected and given 6mths. 6mths passed and I re-applied again and got rejected and was given 1mth. by then we've already have a baby girl.

A few weeks after applying for a long term social visit pass, I applied PR status for her, giving them our daughter's birth cert., as I am self-employed, I have all the relevant documents. And now I am afraid her PR application will be rejected as well. (if they've rejected her LTSVP application, whats there to stop them from rejecting the PR application)

Sorry guys, I'm just upset cos' it seems to me that Singapore does not want us around despite calls for having more babies, the rules are extremely weird here.

Hi there am Malini , Malaysian Married to a singaporean 2 years ago n now my daughter is oredi 20 month old n my PR been rejected for 4th times. I also dunno wat else can i do. But when went down to ICA i saw a bunch of CHINA Gals in their early 20's only stayed in singapore for 8monhts n got their PR . Singaporeans r only encouraging CHINESE to have lots of babies not other races. My husband to CDC west side , n our consultant told my husband' Y dun your wife go for HOPE scheme" n I only hv one kid . THIS IS NOW FAIR...