PR Criteria changed in May 2012? - No Income tax statements?

[nomhe]

With ref. to the subject - just found Tax assessment again added in the basic requirement on ICA site.

[ecureilx]

...Typical local motto, it seems: "let's create so many rules that we always have something to bend"...

err .. are you talking of Singapore specifically ??

You haven't been to many other countries I guess ..

[dimpase]

...Typical local motto, it seems: "let's create so many rules that we always have something to bend"...

err .. are you talking of Singapore specifically ??

You haven't been to many other countries I guess ..

I have seen few places, I assure you (I lived in USSR/Russia, Australia, Germany, Netherlands, USA ) But Singapore really beats shit out of them all...

[sundaymorningstaple]

I just finished filling out a visa application for India. Took two days to do it online (all visas to india now have to be filed online on the Indian High Comm site as of 17 Sept). Unfortunately, you don't know what is on it as you cannot see all the pages at once and it will not let you scroll forward until the current page is filled out to THEIR satisfaction. If that's not bad enough, when you try to upload your photo, you will soon find out it's impossible. One screen says a 2" x 2" photo and another page says a 3.5cm x 4.5 cm photo. after 3 hours of trial and error, I gave up and submitted without the damn thing. You would think, for a nation so proud of their IT prowess, that they could do something better on their site (not counting the errors in general on the pages). Guess they all got masters!

AND I hope the US charges more for Indian visas than they do for the rest of the world just like they do for US citizens (Singaporean visas to India are $45 while the US has to pay $110) Russians don't have to pay anything! At least now I know what all is on the visa application, as I've got 7 more to do!

Oh, for anybody else thinking you can go to the visa services life VFS or BLS (mustafa no longer does this), you can, but you must apply online and the Indian High Comm first.

[ecureilx]

...Typical local motto, it seems: "let's create so many rules that we always have something to bend"...

err .. are you talking of Singapore specifically ??

You haven't been to many other countries I guess ..

I have seen few places, I assure you (I lived in USSR/Russia, Australia, Germany, Netherlands, USA ) But Singapore really beats shit out of them all...

nice .. I noticed you haven't mentioned any Asian Countries in that list

As SMS says, try to get a Visa to India or Philippines .. and let us know how easy it went

[Mi Amigo]

I just finished filling out a visa application for India. Took two days to do it online

Wow, we were thinking of a holiday in India next year but maybe we'll go somewhere else that's easier to sort out visa-wise instead.

I'm surprised that dimpase finds the experience here in Singapore so much worse than the other places he mentions (I'm assuming that's what he meant by beating the... etc.). In my experience, both the MOM and ICA have always been efficient and reliable. Supremely meticulous too, it has to be said, as my earlier example above demonstrated. This is why I was suggesting that ignoring an apparent requirement for a certain document is not a good idea; probably it will cause the application to fail at the first hurdle (submission of documents).

Given that the criteria the authorities sometimes mention are only in relation to whether an application will be considered, I don't think they need any more flexibility than they already have. They can reject an application for their own internal reasons that they will not normally divulge to the applicant. So no need for any 'bendable' rules. As SMS has commented previously, it's their ball, their park, so they can decide who gets to join the game and how it is played. And can you blame them?

Our experience in the USA many moons ago was, frankly, dreadful compared to what we've experienced here. It took around six months to secure an L1 and dependants' visas - during which time they managed to lose all the paperwork and it had to be resubmitted. It was a very stressful time in our lives and the US immigration authorities didn't give a damn. Perhaps we were just unlucky and things work well on that front in the states these days, but I can only go by my direct experience of both places.

[ecureilx]

I'm surprised that dimpase finds the experience here in Singapore so much worse than the other places he mentions (I'm assuming that's what he meant by beating the... etc.). In my experience, both the MOM and ICA have always been efficient and reliable. Supremely meticulous too, it has to be said, as my earlier example above demonstrated. ...

See, dimpase hasn't been to many Asian countries, I figure .. or done paperwork in Asian countries ..

[Greenry82]

Hi All - please forgive my ignorance: In PR application it is written:

Official household census list or family register

a bit confusion:

1) Are they asking my family tree (Parents & Siblings) back in home town?

OR

2) They are asking Myself (As head of family) + Singaporean wife + Kids

If they are askign numeber-2. please help me from where I need to get this census list in Singapore?

Much appreciate your quick reponse...

[dimpase]

I'm surprised that dimpase finds the experience here in Singapore so much worse than the other places he mentions (I'm assuming that's what he meant by beating the... etc.). In my experience, both the MOM and ICA have always been efficient and reliable. Supremely meticulous too, it has to be said, as my earlier example above demonstrated. This is why I was suggesting that ignoring an apparent requirement for a certain document is not a good idea; probably it will cause the application to fail at the first hurdle (submission of documents).

It's totally careless of them to list a document that has no analog in Singaporean bureaucratic chain without any explanation. And, needless to say, it's not possible to get them on the phone. The line is just 100% busy during their working hours. So the only way to find out is to go there in person. In my book it's neither efficient nor reliable.

And them asking for submission of mine (as the sponsor) education certificates is ridiculous - 1st of all, they already have a number of copies of my diplomas. In my book, it's not efficient, to say the least.

Given that the criteria the authorities sometimes mention are only in relation to whether an application will be considered, I don't think they need any more flexibility than they already have. They can reject an application for their own internal reasons that they will not normally divulge to the applicant. So no need for any 'bendable' rules. As SMS has commented previously, it's their ball, their park, so they can decide who gets to join the game and how it is played. And can you blame them?

They might not need them, but they can't stop themselves from inventing more and more useless rules all the time. Perhaps that's how they express themselves. That's the experience at my work, too. This is what pisses me off most of all here.

[dimpase]

See, dimpase hasn't been to many Asian countries, I figure .. or done paperwork in Asian countries ..

I did a bit of Japanese paperwork. It was overwhelming in the sheer number of different forms, rules, etc etc., but at least it was always possible to find out what exactly is needed.

And, after all, I grew up in USSR, and it appears to me that it can be counted as half-Asian.

[dimpase]

Hi All - please forgive my ignorance: In PR application it is written:

Official household census list or family register

I'll find this out tomorrow at ICA. Watch this space for an update

[sundaymorningstaple]

See, dimpase hasn't been to many Asian countries, I figure .. or done paperwork in Asian countries ..

I did a bit of Japanese paperwork. It was overwhelming in the sheer number of different forms, rules, etc etc., but at least it was always possible to find out what exactly is needed.

And, after all, I grew up in USSR, and it appears to me that it can be counted as half-Asian.

I'm pretty sure you had family registers in the USSR did you not? And why shouldn't ICA as for this paperwork? It does exist in your country and they have a right to know. After all, it is you asking to come here, not them asking you to come here.

[dimpase]

I'm pretty sure you had family registers in the USSR did you not?

Nope. There was (and still is in present days Russia) a registry of residents, per household, not per family, held by the local police.
Family affairs/civil registry records (marriages/births, etc) are handled by a different body, which does not care about households, only about persons.

And why shouldn't ICA as for this paperwork? It does exist in your country and they have a right to know. After all, it is you asking to come here, not them asking you to come here.

Huh? My family became family in Singapore, we never resided abroad as a family. And they ask for a document that does not exist here.
Another country whose laws I am familiar with is Netherlands, and again there is no equivalent of this document there.
ICA makes sweeping generalisations, for no good reason.

[zzm9980]

I just finished filling out a visa application for India. Took two days to do it online

Wow, we were thinking of a holiday in India next year but maybe we'll go somewhere else that's easier to sort out visa-wise instead.

Everything in India is needlessly complicated, especially when it comes to travel. They have by far the most complicatedly stupid, inefficient, and useless security checks of any airports anywhere in the world, bar none.

[the lynx]

I just finished filling out a visa application for India. Took two days to do it online

Wow, we were thinking of a holiday in India next year but maybe we'll go somewhere else that's easier to sort out visa-wise instead.

Everything in India is needlessly complicated, especially when it comes to travel. They have by far the most complicatedly stupid, inefficient, and useless security checks of any airports anywhere in the world, bar none.

Dang, and here I am, secretly dreaming of another backpacking trip to India. China's visa application was already complicated enough. In my last trip to China, I had to put in ridiculous effort to fill out the forms and among the nonsensical details they wanted to know:

1. Family members
2. Every single trip I've ever made in China
3. Every single trip I've ever made for the last X number of years