Student Visa Rejected for my Stepson

[gormee]

I have a spouse who is on a LTVP and I am a citizen of SG born and bred. We have recently tried to bring our stepson over but as my wife is currently on a LTVP, I can't apply to adopt him so we decided to apply for a student visa as a stop gap measure for our son.

He will be starting K1 at PCF Macpherson, a govt kindergarten. However his application got rejected and I have been told to go down to ICA to make an appeal. My lawyer friends have said that due to tightening restrictions on foreigners in SG, my chances of a successful appeal are slim to none and that I should approach my MP.

Does anyone have any success stories appealing for rejected student visas? I really have no clue what I should write in my appeal letter.

Thanks in advance.

PS
Any advice on what type of visa I should apply for him if his appeal gets rejected would be greatly appreciated.

[taxico]

I have a spouse who is on a LTVP and I am a citizen of SG born and bred. We have recently tried to bring our stepson over but as my wife is currently on a LTVP, I can't apply to adopt him so we decided to apply for a student visa as a stop gap measure for our son.

He will be starting K1 at PCF Macpherson, a govt kindergarten. However his application got rejected and I have been told to go down to ICA to make an appeal. My lawyer friends have said that due to tightening restrictions on foreigners in SG, my chances of a successful appeal are slim to none and that I should approach my MP.

Does anyone have any success stories appealing for rejected student visas? I really have no clue what I should write in my appeal letter.

Thanks in advance.

PS
Any advice on what type of visa I should apply for him if his appeal gets rejected would be greatly appreciated.

your "lawyer friends" are "specializing" in immigration law in singapore or were their comments anecdotal? i believe the "tightening" they mentioned are specifically for foreign labor sources (and possibly their family), not ALL foreigners (foreign spouse/family of a singaporean, etc).

if you've been told to appeal in person at ICA, and given that your stepson is young, and if you and your spouse have been properly married and in accordance with government guidelines, AND on paper it seems likely it's a marriage that may last, and you have proof of your willingness to adopt your stepson, i think there's no need for an MP's letter right now. (my opinion)

you may want to save it as a last measure.

prepare your case well, and go forth. good luck!

[Sporkin]

In my experience in an unrelated matter, writing to your constituency MP does nothing useful if it concerns something which is explicitly stated or legislated. The MP will write a letter to the ministry involved, and in a month or two you will receive a letter from said ministry informing you that they have received a letter from the MP but they cannot do anything about it.

That said, if you want to approach your minister you just have to find out who is the minister for your constituency, find him under http://www.parliament.gov.sg "Find my MP", print out your letter and meet him at the dates that they do their rounds. Your letter will be vetted by his underlings first though.

I have a spouse who is on a LTVP and I am a citizen of SG born and bred. We have recently tried to bring our stepson over but as my wife is currently on a LTVP, I can't apply to adopt him so we decided to apply for a student visa as a stop gap measure for our son.

He will be starting K1 at PCF Macpherson, a govt kindergarten. However his application got rejected and I have been told to go down to ICA to make an appeal. My lawyer friends have said that due to tightening restrictions on foreigners in SG, my chances of a successful appeal are slim to none and that I should approach my MP.

Does anyone have any success stories appealing for rejected student visas? I really have no clue what I should write in my appeal letter.

Thanks in advance.

PS
Any advice on what type of visa I should apply for him if his appeal gets rejected would be greatly appreciated.

[Sp1d3rMan]

Is your Stepson under your wife custody?

[PNGMK]

Is your Stepson under your wife custody?

Good question.

[gormee]

Stepson has his biological father absent from the time of my wife's pregnancy and his whereabouts are currently unknown. Due to the absence of the father, we cannot go to a court in my wife's home country to have his fatherly rights absolved, however we have gone to the commissioner of oaths at the supreme court here in SG to swear that the child is under her care and that the father cannot be found / contacted.

I have just been to see my MP to speak with her about the situation, she says she will write a letter to ICA, however I'm not sure how much attention ICA will pay to it. I can only hope and pray now, and if anyone has written a successful letter of appeal it would be nice to know what was written.

[zzm9980]

in my wife's home country

And which country is this? You should realize this is quite important detail for anything when dealing with ICA.

[gormee]

China.

I know they are quite strict on the adoption conditions for China babies, hence why I'm applying for a student visa as a stop gap measure until I can get PR for my wife.

[PNGMK]

China.

I know they are quite strict on the adoption conditions for China babies, hence why I'm applying for a student visa as a stop gap measure until I can get PR for my wife.

....and ICA of course know or suspect that.

[Sp1d3rMan]

China.

I know they are quite strict on the adoption conditions for China babies, hence why I'm applying for a student visa as a stop gap measure until I can get PR for my wife.

....and ICA of course know or suspect that.

The first thing you should settle is your stepson custody. If not mistaken, your wife must need to go back to origin country Court to apply for the custody. Don't think so Singapore Supreme Court can give consents of this.

Correct me if i'm wrong pls.

[PNGMK]

[/quote]

The first thing you should settle is your stepson custody. If not mistaken, your wife must need to go back to origin country Court to apply for the custody. Don't think so Singapore Supreme Court can give consents of this.

Correct me if i'm wrong pls.[/quote]

If you wife can get PR she can apply for the son. It's not so easy a non custodial father.

[gormee]

....and ICA of course know or suspect that.

This was how I was advised by the ICA staff at the counter. Don't think this is really an issue with them.

Custody of my stepson is a long and drawn out process, which can only be started once my wife gets her PR which is itself another tedious process. In the mean time my stepson has no one to look after him back home in China, hence the Student pass application.

Even if my wife goes back to her home county to get the custodial certificate, I can't legally adopt him as my son until my wife gets PR. So its all swings and roundabouts really. Hence the frustration on my end, I can't do A without B but B needs A to proceed..

The statutory declaration is to reaffirm my intention to provide and care for the boy, it does not give me any custodial rights whatsoever and its also a required document for a step parent when applying for a student visa.

[the lynx]

Even if my wife goes back to her home county to get the custodial certificate, I can't legally adopt him as my son until my wife gets PR. So its all swings and roundabouts really. Hence the frustration on my end, I can't do A without B but B needs A to proceed..

Both of you are legally married, so once she gets her custodial certificate over her son, it will make everything easy. Whether she is a PR or not, that's a different problem. But at least you have your stepson as your legal charge and you can have him over under any pass allowed by ICA, and subsequently his status as a student here is more assured.

[PNGMK]

Even if my wife goes back to her home county to get the custodial certificate, I can't legally adopt him as my son until my wife gets PR. So its all swings and roundabouts really. Hence the frustration on my end, I can't do A without B but B needs A to proceed..

Both of you are legally married, so once she gets her custodial certificate over her son, it will make everything easy. Whether she is a PR or not, that's a different problem. But at least you have your stepson as your legal charge and you can have him over whether under any pass allowed by ICA, and subsequently his status as a student here is more assured.

+1 and good luck. You're doing the right thing.