Chances of being able to move to Singapore

[kingpin]

Hello,
I just wondered if anyone could help me understand my chances of being able to move to Singapore please. I'm a UK citizen, my girlfriend is a SC. We are going to get married next year and are trying to decide where we will live. If we get married will my employment/ educational achievements still be taken into account? I'm not a degree holder so wouldn't qualify for S Pass or employment pass but I've read that if you marry a Singapore Citizen you aren't counted in the same quota as foreign workers. I'm a bit confused if this means I could get any job or if I'd still need to be earning a certain amount first to be accepted?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[BBCWatcher]

You and your fiancée can submit an application for a Pre-Marriage Long-Term Visit Pass Assessment. While not a guarantee, a favorable assessment can be helpful.

As background, there are four basic options theoretically available if you wish to move to Singapore with your spouse:

1. Qualify on your own merits (and on the basis of an offer of employment in Singapore) for an Employment Pass, Personalised Employment Pass, EntrePass, S Pass, or Work Permit, as applicable. You mentioned you have concerns about this possibility, although you're free to look for job opportunities in Singapore. A degree is not a strict requirement for any of these passes/permits -- take another look at the Ministry of Manpower's requirements.

2. Singapore Permanent Residency (SPR). This is at least somewhat tough to get when you're newly married but theoretically possible. The government has been approving roughly half of SPR applications from citizen-foreigner married couples at last report. It is possible to lodge an application from overseas via one of Singapore's embassies.

3. Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP).

4. Long-Term Visit Pass Plus (LTVP+). For both the LTVP and LTVP+ it is generally possible to accept employment in Singapore, but your prospective employer must obtain a Letter of Consent (LoC) from the Ministry of Manpower before you start. The LTVP and LTVP+ are quite similar, but the LTVP+ includes some fairly minor medical care benefits (lower prices at public hospitals and clinics). Generally you need at least three years of marriage or a child together to qualify for the LTVP+.

In all except #1 your wife's income and wealth are taken into account. The government wants to have some assurance that your household will have adequate financial means to take care of itself (and particularly to take care of you, the foreigner in the household).

[kingpin]

Thank you for your reply. I've done the self-assessment online for employment pass and was told I wouldn't qualify. I'm classed as a low skilled worker, I've read the Singapore government are wanting to stop low skilled foreign workers entering the country so I'm concerned either they wouldn't approve the marriage or I wouldn't be granted permission for residence, is this likely to happen?

[sundaymorningstaple]

They will probably approve the marriage, and allow for an LTVP, but it's doubtful unless you wife is earning at +/- $5K/mo salary herself. It's not a pretty picture, truth be told.

Add to that, as you are not coming from a traditional source country the odds of even getting a "work permit" is slim to nil.

[BBCWatcher]

I agree with SMS. To net it out, if your wife can meet at least minimum income requirements, it's "probably" no problem. She can then drag practically any non-criminal spouse with a pulse into Singapore with her.

If she can't meet the financial requirement, then you and she will probably have to find another country at least for the time being, assuming you want to live together. (Most spouses do.) Singapore's financial-related immigration requirement is a common one. The United Kingdom, for example, requires you (the U.K. citizen in the household) to demonstrate an income of at least £18,600/year (2015 figure) in order to sponsor your wife for settlement in the U.K. (I'm assuming either her status in the U.K. is temporary or she's not in the U.K. at the moment.)

I understand you tried the EP assessment. Have you and your fiancée tried the Pre-Marriage LTVP Assessment I linked to? That's a different assessment.

If you and your fiancée cannot meet the minimum financial requirements in either home country, then try to fix that. If you both cannot, then you could consider one of the EU/EEA countries where you have an EU treaty right of abode. You'll still need to be economically self-sufficient in your chosen EU country, but the income requirement is generally lower than it is in the U.K. for U.K. citizens bringing non-EU/EEA spouses into the U.K., and the bureaucratic burden is much lower and much less expensive. I'm not necessarily recommending an EU country outside the U.K., but it's an option.

Above all else make sure you and your fiancée agree together on your future plans, subject to the constraints you face. It's not a good idea to start your married life together any other way.

[kingpin]

Thank you both. That's what I thought, just wanted to clarify before we made our final decisions on where we'd both be happy living, looks like we'll have to go with plan for now at least. I'll have a look at the pre-marriage assessment too thanks.