Singapore Expats

Applying for PR Tomorrow

Relocating, travelling or planning to make Singapore home? Discuss the criterias, passes or visa that is required.
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PNGMK
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Post by PNGMK » Sun, 13 Jul 2014 2:03 pm

Look you've given the exact reason why ICA can afford for you to wait...

"I have no qualms about waiting - I am in a good job and I am earning relatively well -"

That may be in contract to desperately sought after talent that ICA or EDB or TDB or a large MNC or whatever is trying to get into Singapore.... Do you get it? You're here.... and ok - so ICA is not going to be in a rush for you.
Manoj.K wrote:My sons are liable for NS! I have no doubt about that and I really want them to go through NS. The elder one is preparing already. He tried for NCC - was refused (because he is a foreigner)! Then tried NCDCC - got in, then refused the uniform! Some security check being conducted for 1 year!! Seriously? Security Check on a minor?? No one knows what that check is, either.

Then, just a couple of weeks back, he was the only Sec1 boy from his school, selected for a inter-school parade competition. Hyuk! Now I am getting to know the teacher is getting the uniform for him. That teacher has single-handedly restored my faith in the Singapore system.

Dear Teacher - Thank You!

For people who think 6 months is nothing, I wish you read my post completely - its not about the time, its about some people getting through OR failing BUT me being in limbo. I have no qualms about waiting - I am in a good job and I am earning relatively well - maybe a bit less than what I would be earning back in India but that is a small price to pay.

The Big Wait & Watch continues....

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Post by Manoj.K » Sun, 13 Jul 2014 2:22 pm

They can tell when I get a better paying job offer in, say, the US? & will time the PR so they can check my so-called "commitment" ?
PNGMK wrote:Look you've given the exact reason why ICA can afford for you to wait...

"I have no qualms about waiting - I am in a good job and I am earning relatively well -"

That may be in contract to desperately sought after talent that ICA or EDB or TDB or a large MNC or whatever is trying to get into Singapore.... Do you get it? You're here.... and ok - so ICA is not going to be in a rush for you.
Manoj.K wrote:My sons are liable for NS! I have no doubt about that and I really want them to go through NS. The elder one is preparing already. He tried for NCC - was refused (because he is a foreigner)! Then tried NCDCC - got in, then refused the uniform! Some security check being conducted for 1 year!! Seriously? Security Check on a minor?? No one knows what that check is, either.

Then, just a couple of weeks back, he was the only Sec1 boy from his school, selected for a inter-school parade competition. Hyuk! Now I am getting to know the teacher is getting the uniform for him. That teacher has single-handedly restored my faith in the Singapore system.

Dear Teacher - Thank You!

For people who think 6 months is nothing, I wish you read my post completely - its not about the time, its about some people getting through OR failing BUT me being in limbo. I have no qualms about waiting - I am in a good job and I am earning relatively well - maybe a bit less than what I would be earning back in India but that is a small price to pay.

The Big Wait & Watch continues....

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Post by Wd40 » Sun, 13 Jul 2014 2:55 pm

Mr K,

The 1st time I applied for PR (in Jun 2012), they kept me waiting for 11 months and then rejected. There were plenty of others as well in this forum who applied almost at the same time as me and then rejected around the same time that I got rejected. We all thought like someone there in the ICA suddenly pressed a button and rejected a huge bunch en masse. You will find my thread somewhere in this forum.

I have reapplied in early Feb this year again and the wait continues. So, no, its not just you who has been placed in a limbo. I would imagine the majority of people of "our kinda" profile typically have a wait time of around a year, before being mostly likely rejected and if you are very lucky enough being accepted.

BTW, you made and interesting comment "I am in a good job and I am earning relatively well - maybe a bit less than what I would be earning back in India". Did you mean on the absolute salary figure or on a purchasing power parity/savings basis? because off late I have met several people who have been saying the same thing to me, that now in India, you can actually get your exact Singapore salary and there is no reason why they would stay here and have quit. They are all in Banking technology though.

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Post by Manoj.K » Sun, 13 Jul 2014 3:51 pm

Wd40! Whoa. I see... I will answer your question instead of reacting to what you said. What I state is applicable to many fields, nothing to do with me & most definitely true. I am still in touch with most of my previous colleagues / direct reports in separate fields (technical support, software publishing, technical writing, marketing & customer care). Several of them were reporting to me & now hold positions in industry, similar to what I was holding. Some have moved cities & are in Tier 2 towns but heading up large teams (eg Genpact in Jaipur or Sutherland in Kochi). I can only take a guess when they buy property (when I am selling similar sized property) or the BMW 5-series or travelling to the US/Europe for month long vacations, how much they have grown in economic might from 7-10 yrs ago. I also know these people very closely as I have paid their salaries at one time, or been their peer at another. I very recently got a job offer in Mumbai giving me a 20% hike. In terms of savings power, I will most definitely save much more in India than I can ever save here. I am betting it's the same with you.

After writing that ... You got me thinking! Kidding...... :cool: :cool:

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Post by PNGMK » Sun, 13 Jul 2014 5:18 pm

There is always value in moving to economies where the growth rate is good. Singapore is not one of those.
Manoj.K wrote:Wd40! Whoa. I see... I will answer your question instead of reacting to what you said. What I state is applicable to many fields, nothing to do with me & most definitely true. I am still in touch with most of my previous colleagues / direct reports in separate fields (technical support, software publishing, technical writing, marketing & customer care). Several of them were reporting to me & now hold positions in industry, similar to what I was holding. Some have moved cities & are in Tier 2 towns but heading up large teams (eg Genpact in Jaipur or Sutherland in Kochi). I can only take a guess when they buy property (when I am selling similar sized property) or the BMW 5-series or travelling to the US/Europe for month long vacations, how much they have grown in economic might from 7-10 yrs ago. I also know these people very closely as I have paid their salaries at one time, or been their peer at another. I very recently got a job offer in Mumbai giving me a 20% hike. In terms of savings power, I will most definitely save much more in India than I can ever save here. I am betting it's the same with you.

After writing that ... You got me thinking! Kidding...... :cool: :cool:

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Post by Manoj.K » Sun, 13 Jul 2014 5:33 pm

I believe one should live in a place where one thinks is home. For me that place is Singapore. For my younger child it will never be anything other than Singapore. As for my elder one, he has seen several countries and therefore, he is at ease/peace. My spouse has so many friends and social networks, it will be a pain to separate from Singapore. That's why we are here, until that day when the anti-foreigner tirade makes us set sail...

If it was about money, we would have stay put in the US ;)
PNGMK wrote:There is always value in moving to economies where the growth rate is good. Singapore is not one of those.
Manoj.K wrote:Wd40! Whoa. I see... I will answer your question instead of reacting to what you said. What I state is applicable to many fields, nothing to do with me & most definitely true. I am still in touch with most of my previous colleagues / direct reports in separate fields (technical support, software publishing, technical writing, marketing & customer care). Several of them were reporting to me & now hold positions in industry, similar to what I was holding. Some have moved cities & are in Tier 2 towns but heading up large teams (eg Genpact in Jaipur or Sutherland in Kochi). I can only take a guess when they buy property (when I am selling similar sized property) or the BMW 5-series or travelling to the US/Europe for month long vacations, how much they have grown in economic might from 7-10 yrs ago. I also know these people very closely as I have paid their salaries at one time, or been their peer at another. I very recently got a job offer in Mumbai giving me a 20% hike. In terms of savings power, I will most definitely save much more in India than I can ever save here. I am betting it's the same with you.

After writing that ... You got me thinking! Kidding...... :cool: :cool:

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Post by JR8 » Sun, 13 Jul 2014 5:53 pm

Manoj.K wrote:I believe one should live in a place where one thinks is home. For me that place is Singapore. For my younger child it will never be anything other than Singapore. As for my elder one, he has seen several countries and therefore, he is at ease/peace. My spouse has so many friends and social networks, it will be a pain to separate from Singapore. That's why we are here, until that day when the anti-foreigner tirade makes us set sail...
All that after just 3 years here ? :o

I think it would be fair to suggest that most expats here stay for perhaps an average stint of 3 years without sleeping under a national flag bedsheet and having an alarm clock that plays Majulah Singapura. I don't think I'd try and pull that 'proud to almost be Singaporean' line on any ICA officials! :) :wink:

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Post by Manoj.K » Sun, 13 Jul 2014 6:05 pm

1. I don't want to tell any ICA ppl about this.
2. I don't think any of them are here OR care anyway.
3. Someone's inclination cannot always stereotyped
4. I got goosebumps listening to "Boomi" by Syed Tabare Alam & put up the national flag even in the first year I arrived
5. My family can sing Majulah Singapura, all of us!

Most importantly, none of the above matter but that doesn't mean it's not true. It's about making those bonds & we have made them & are proud of it. Nothing else really matters, at some level. We have made mostly wonderful memories & will cherish those to the grave

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Post by Wd40 » Sun, 13 Jul 2014 9:02 pm

Manoj.K wrote:In terms of savings power, I will most definitely save much more in India than I can ever save here. I am betting it's the same with you.

After writing that ... You got me thinking! Kidding...... :cool: :cool:
No, Mr K, for my skills I can get about realistically 24L in a banking technology role in Bangalore or Pune. May be 30L if I stretch it.(To those who don't know what Lakh is 1L INR ~= S$2k so 30L = 60K) But the income tax rates in India with maximum slab of 33%. I don't see how I can save more than Singapore. My Singapore salary is low P1/high P2 range. May be because my living stds here is like very close to local, i.e I rent 2 bedder HDB and my daughter hasn't started schooling yet, is why my savings here is like 50% of my salary.

But the "matter of fact" way in which you have put it across has got me thinking!

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Post by rajagainstthemachine » Sun, 13 Jul 2014 11:16 pm

^

and what wd40 said there makes a lot of sense for many Indians to work in Singapore than in India, also remember if you have property loans back home, the interest rates are anywhere between 11-13%, exorbitant and often requires both husband and wife to slog away, added to that is infrastructure woes, all this definitely makes Singapore a much better proposition.
also curious, how does one develop a sense of patriotism for a nation in three years?I couldn't do it in fifty years or a hundred.
To get there early is on time and showing up on time is late

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Post by zzm9980 » Mon, 14 Jul 2014 2:40 am

rajagainstthemachine wrote:^

also curious, how does one develop a sense of patriotism for a nation in three years?I couldn't do it in fifty years or a hundred.
I don't think there is a fixed time-based formula, but just a sense of how welcome and comfortable one feels with a place. You've never been somewhere where you instantly feel comfortable and at ease? Doesn't have to be a country (or even city) sized place. I felt this way in remote parts of Bali. Like I could just buy a nice Villa and want to stay there forever, and work to improve the place. And yah, I'm sure I'm not the first Bule to think that either.

For non-city, strangely the HKG airport feels like the most "home" place to me. Even if I'm just transferring through... Maybe that could be its own thread.

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Post by Manoj.K » Mon, 14 Jul 2014 8:37 am

zzm9980 wrote:
rajagainstthemachine wrote:^

also curious, how does one develop a sense of patriotism for a nation in three years?I couldn't do it in fifty years or a hundred.
I don't think there is a fixed time-based formula, but just a sense of how welcome and comfortable one feels with a place. You've never been somewhere where you instantly feel comfortable and at ease? Doesn't have to be a country (or even city) sized place. I felt this way in remote parts of Bali. Like I could just buy a nice Villa and want to stay there forever, and work to improve the place. And yah, I'm sure I'm not the first Bule to think that either.

For non-city, strangely the HKG airport feels like the most "home" place to me. Even if I'm just transferring through... Maybe that could be its own thread.
Thanks ZZM. eloquently put. Much appreciated.

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Post by the lynx » Mon, 14 Jul 2014 8:54 am

Manoj.K wrote:For people who think 6 months is nothing, I wish you read my post completely - its not about the time, its about some people getting through OR failing BUT me being in limbo.
If you notice from this forum, we have been having more waits and no's than yes's. So consider yourself lucky that you're not rejected, yet.
Last edited by the lynx on Mon, 14 Jul 2014 10:22 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by PNGMK » Mon, 14 Jul 2014 9:15 am

the lynx wrote:
Manoj.K wrote:For people who think 6 months is nothing, I wish you read my post completely - its not about the time, its about some people getting through OR failing BUT me being in limbo.
If you notice from this forum, we have been having more waits and no's then yes's. So consider yourself lucky that you're not rejected, yet.
+1

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Post by JR8 » Mon, 14 Jul 2014 12:58 pm

zzm9980 wrote: I don't think there is a fixed time-based formula, but just a sense of how welcome and comfortable one feels with a place. You've never been somewhere where you instantly feel comfortable and at ease? Doesn't have to be a country (or even city) sized place. I felt this way in remote parts of Bali. Like I could just buy a nice Villa and want to stay there forever, and work to improve the place. And yah, I'm sure I'm not the first Bule to think that either.
I think there's two different things -
- Going on holiday and wishing you could buy a place there.
- Moving to another country temporarily, and almost instantly being more patriotic than a lot of the citizenry.

For example on any of your various postings, has your family unit ever learned the national anthem of the host country and (essentially) started singing it and saluting their flag, as if they were your own?

Oh well, not that it matters. There's an expression back home 'trying a bit too hard', aka, 'over-egging it' (making a cake mix too rich/strong). It means making a case for yourself, but doing so in such an unnecessarily exaggerated way it ends up detracting from it.

Ho hum, 2c, maybe that doesn't translate from my culture to others... :)

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