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PR application questions

Relocating, travelling or planning to make Singapore home? Discuss the criterias, passes or visa that is required.
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princesssaf
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PR application questions

Post by princesssaf » Mon, 12 Oct 2009 5:22 pm

I am a Singaporean who will be applying a spouse-sponsored PR for my foreigner husband. He is currently living and working in Saudi, where there is no taxation (i.e. no income tax form to submit). Some questions I have:

1) ICA said I should submit a letter from him stating why he does not have to pay income tax. Has anyone had experience writing this as we do not know how to phrase it? Is it really necessary?

2) ICA also said to write a letter stating which forms are not submitted and why. Do we have to do this or we just have to submit what forms we have?

3) The only other document we can't submit is his birth cert as he does not have it with him right now. Is the birth cert compulsory? Can we go ahead to submit the rest of the documents without his birth cert?

Appreciate any help. Am desperate to apply for it just once, right, as I'll be leaving Singapore soon and want to get this settled asap. Thanks.

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sundaymorningstaple
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Re: PR application questions

Post by sundaymorningstaple » Mon, 12 Oct 2009 6:13 pm

princesssaf wrote:I am a Singaporean who will be applying a spouse-sponsored PR for my foreigner husband. He is currently living and working in Saudi, where there is no taxation (i.e. no income tax form to submit). Some questions I have:

1) ICA said I should submit a letter from him stating why he does not have to pay income tax. Has anyone had experience writing this as we do not know how to phrase it? Is it really necessary?

As ICA said so, and it's ICA who will/will not grant your Husband PR, I'd say you probably should do exactly what they say to do. :roll:

2) ICA also said to write a letter stating which forms are not submitted and why. Do we have to do this or we just have to submit what forms we have?

Read my first answer! :roll:

3) The only other document we can't submit is his birth cert as he does not have it with him right now. Is the birth cert compulsory? Can we go ahead to submit the rest of the documents without his birth cert?

Read my first answer! :roll:
I think it's pretty obvious that your husband did not marry upwards academically did he.....


Appreciate any help. Am desperate to apply for it just once, right, as I'll be leaving Singapore soon and want to get this settled asap. Thanks.
Just a pretty face I'll warrant. :wink:
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

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econoMIC
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Post by econoMIC » Mon, 12 Oct 2009 6:30 pm

Hi there. The more you submit, the better your chances of getting it approved and the speedier and simpler things will be. Thus I would recommend doing whatever necessary to get that birth certificate sent to you by courier so you can provide as much documentation as possible.

Funny thing is that I applied for PR that way in the SG High Commission in London in April and I can seriously not remember having to provide my birth certificate but I checked the list and correct, it is required, so put in the effort and provide it with the application.

I remember that Middle Easter Countries, Saudi, UAE, Qatar, Oman all issue residence confirmations/certificates which also confirm usually that a person is also a tax resident but there is no taxation system in place. He should be able to obtain this from the Department of Zakat (www.dzit.gov.sa). Thus I recommend getting one of those. This is what is done in the finance sector and many in many other cases to confirm that somebody is indeed tax resident of a specific place and that they do not pay taxes as there is no such tax system in place. Further I would provide a printout from the Department of Zakat http://www.dzit.gov.sa/en/NewIncomeTaxL ... Law1.shtml , highlight the appropriate parts and state in your latter that this applies to your husband and as he is not a professional... he does not pay income tax.

Cover every angle and aspect possible. Remember, he wants something from your country (PR), so it is up to you two to put in the necessary effort and provide us much information as possible. I provided plenty of payslips and even a copy of my national insurance card here in Britain, more information then they required. Once I submitted my application it was smooth sailing and I just had to wait for the approval letter, which I got three months later because a. ICA is very busy currently and b. the London High Commission delayed forwarding the letter to me by two weeks.

Good luck.
a.k.a. littlegreenman

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econoMIC
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Re: PR application questions

Post by econoMIC » Mon, 12 Oct 2009 6:43 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:
princesssaf wrote:I am a Singaporean who will be applying a spouse-sponsored PR for my foreigner husband. He is currently living and working in Saudi, where there is no taxation (i.e. no income tax form to submit). Some questions I have:

1) ICA said I should submit a letter from him stating why he does not have to pay income tax. Has anyone had experience writing this as we do not know how to phrase it? Is it really necessary?

As ICA said so, and it's ICA who will/will not grant your Husband PR, I'd say you probably should do exactly what they say to do. :roll:

2) ICA also said to write a letter stating which forms are not submitted and why. Do we have to do this or we just have to submit what forms we have?

Read my first answer! :roll:

3) The only other document we can't submit is his birth cert as he does not have it with him right now. Is the birth cert compulsory? Can we go ahead to submit the rest of the documents without his birth cert?

Read my first answer! :roll:
I think it's pretty obvious that your husband did not marry upwards academically did he.....


Appreciate any help. Am desperate to apply for it just once, right, as I'll be leaving Singapore soon and want to get this settled asap. Thanks.
Just a pretty face I'll warrant. :wink:
SMS, where did you leave your manners! Be a bit kinder to the ladies (if you expect them to have a pretty face :wink: ). You are right though, I am annoyed that people expect ICA to run after them to give their spouses PR. It is a privilege to get PR, not a right just because you married a Singaporean. As mentioned above already, I submitted 24 documents with my application. Everything from the wife's birth cert (KK Hospital of course :wink:) to my pay slips and even Her Majesty's Revenues and Customs letters stating my NI Number so they can see my payslip and P60s are actually mine. When I completed the formalities at ICA the auntie at the counter said that this application was one of the tidiest and best arranged they ever received. She also said that I look very handsome! :)
a.k.a. littlegreenman

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sundaymorningstaple
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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:52 pm

At 6'7" she must have been using a step ladder! Or she was standing up while you were sitting down. :lol:
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

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Re: PR application questions

Post by blue_thunder » Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:54 pm

econoMIC wrote:She also said that I look very handsome! :)
AUNTY MAN!!!! How charming
~ I don't want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me

princesssaf
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Post by princesssaf » Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:26 am

Thanks for all your replies, useful or not. Obviously I know that "following what ICA says" is the best way, but I thought people would be more helpful in providing constructive help with their experiences (from what I've experienced from different govt agencies, the helpline officers don't always know what they're talking about).

EconoMIC, thank you for your great advice :) Will be sure to look into that.

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Post by Strong Eagle » Tue, 13 Oct 2009 1:30 pm

princesssaf wrote:Thanks for all your replies, useful or not. Obviously I know that "following what ICA says" is the best way, but I thought people would be more helpful in providing constructive help with their experiences (from what I've experienced from different govt agencies, the helpline officers don't always know what they're talking about).

EconoMIC, thank you for your great advice :) Will be sure to look into that.
Look, they are some of the best and brightest. They have to make valuation decisions that determine if you get your PR or not. They don't like to be overridden so they try to get things right.

They are also government bureaucrats. They have a checklist. If all the boxes are not checked, then nothing happens. Just like most government bureaucrats.

And then you come along with questions like, "Is it really necessary?", and "Do we have to do this", and "Is the birth cert compulsory?", and the question is: Why do you ask these questions when they told you what they need? Are you expecting special treatment? Are you thinking the Singapore authorities are lax and don't really mean what they say?

Do you realize that people from all over Asia are dying to come to Singapore for better opportunities than in their home country and that Singapore must treat all with an even hand?

So, if you think you got harsh treatment, consider why. The ICA told you what was needed and you wanted to know if you could blow it off.

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econoMIC
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Post by econoMIC » Tue, 13 Oct 2009 4:44 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:At 6'7" she must have been using a step ladder! Or she was standing up while you were sitting down. :lol:
If she had a letter I am sure she would have done so because afterwards when I was about to leave and got my passport back she handed me candy with it :lol: I tell you, the Aunties love me. I even had a fan once when I was in the Sengkang Post Office and one auntie started shouting autograph and wanted me to sign her magazine?!?!
a.k.a. littlegreenman

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