Visa for parent of Employment Pass holder

[ravi26]

Hi group!

I have recently relocated to Singapore from India and have joined a European bank under Employment Pass. My mother is dependent on me and needs to join me here. Salarywise, I am eligible to bring my parents along. However, my bank's policies do not allow it to sponsor dependent pass for parents.

I was considering bringing her on short term visitor visa as a workaround but I have been led to believe she cannot stay more than 30 days at a time. I am also worried about requesting extensions every time.

I will really appreciate if anyone has any suggestion? I welcome all suggestions!

Thank you in advance!

Ravi

[x9200]

Hi group!

I have recently relocated to Singapore from India and have joined a European bank under Employment Pass. My mother is dependent on me and needs to join me here. Salarywise, I am eligible to bring my parents along. However, my bank's policies do not allow it to sponsor dependent pass for parents.

I was considering bringing her on short term visitor visa as a workaround but I have been led to believe she cannot stay more than 30 days at a time. I am also worried about requesting extensions every time.

I will really appreciate if anyone has any suggestion? I welcome all suggestions!

It's not your bank. The parents are simply not eligible to have DP under your EP.

http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permit ... ligibility
You can get a pass for the following family members:

Legally married spouse.
Unmarried children under 21 years old, including legally adopted children.

If your salary is above 10k you can try to get an LTVP for your mother:
http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permit ... ligibility

but again, your company needs to sponsor the application. Are they also not happy to do it for LTVPs?

Short term visa will only work for 1-3 extensions/reapplications and then she will be asked (at best) to wait half a year or so before coming again.

[BBCWatcher]

There is a possible solution. First, apply for a Personalised Employment Pass, assuming you meet the higher financial requirement (at least $12,000 per month if you're an Employment Pass holder). If approved, then you can apply for a LTVP for your parent as your own sponsor, without your employer's involvement or even knowledge.

The PEP is granted a maximum of once per lifetime and has a three year lifespan. It is not renewable. Before the end of the three years you either must upgrade to Permanent Residency or downgrade to an Employment Pass (or other work permit) -- or leave Singapore. I'll have to do some more checking to see what happens to the LTVP holding parent in those cases, but my understanding is that the parent can stay assuming you stay and continue to meet the income requirements.

[ravi26]

Hi BBCWatcher,

Thank you so much for your kind response. I receive fixed salary (including pension benefit in cash) just under 12000 per month so I am not sure I qualify for Personalised Employment Pass.

Even if I were eligible, in your experience/knowledge, how open is an employer to allowing such pass to be applied for seeing as how easily it allows the expat employee to switch jobs?

Do you think/know of any other way my mother may be allowed to stay at least 6 months a year (alternating 2 months in and out of Singapore each)? Does MoM make exception on a case to case basis?

I know I am likely asking stupid questions but I am desperate for a solution.

Regards,

Ravi

[ravi26]

Hi group!

I have recently relocated to Singapore from India and have joined a European bank under Employment Pass. My mother is dependent on me and needs to join me here. Salarywise, I am eligible to bring my parents along. However, my bank's policies do not allow it to sponsor dependent pass for parents.

I was considering bringing her on short term visitor visa as a workaround but I have been led to believe she cannot stay more than 30 days at a time. I am also worried about requesting extensions every time.

I will really appreciate if anyone has any suggestion? I welcome all suggestions!

It's not your bank. The parents are simply not eligible to have DP under your EP.

http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permit ... ligibility
You can get a pass for the following family members:

Legally married spouse.
Unmarried children under 21 years old, including legally adopted children.

If your salary is above 10k you can try to get an LTVP for your mother:
http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permit ... ligibility

but again, your company needs to sponsor the application. Are they also not happy to do it for LTVPs?

Short term visa will only work for 1-3 extensions/reapplications and then she will be asked (at best) to wait half a year or so before coming again.

Thanks a lot for your taking the time to respond.

I earn over 10k a month. My employer is a large bank and has refused to sponsor anyone beyond my spouse and child (I think it's because it's very sensitive to exposing itself to regulatory/legislative attention). I am groping for answers. I admit I accepted the job assuming I will be able to persuade local HR to come around or bring my mom under short term visa (she will as it is want to limit her stay to 2-3 months at a time). I am not at loss to find a solution.

Kindly let me know if you think or know of any way this may be possible.

Best regards,

Ravi

[nakatago]

It's not your bank. The parents are simply not eligible to have DP under your EP.

http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permit ... ligibility
You can get a pass for the following family members:

Legally married spouse.
Unmarried children under 21 years old, including legally adopted children.

If your salary is above 10k you can try to get an LTVP for your mother:
http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permit ... ligibility

but again, your company needs to sponsor the application. Are they also not happy to do it for LTVPs?

Short term visa will only work for 1-3 extensions/reapplications and then she will be asked (at best) to wait half a year or so before coming again.

Thanks a lot for your taking the time to respond.

I earn over 10k a month. My employer is a large bank and has refused to sponsor anyone beyond my spouse and child (I think it's because it's very sensitive to exposing itself to regulatory/legislative attention). I am groping for answers. I admit I accepted the job assuming I will be able to persuade local HR to come around or bring my mom under short term visa (she will as it is want to limit her stay to 2-3 months at a time). I am not at loss to find a solution.

Kindly let me know if you think or know of any way this may be possible.

Best regards,

Ravi

Singapore's visa/immigration rules are pretty black and white so a DP is a definite no even if your bank employer was willing. You (well, your mother) would qualify for LTVP (because > 10k) but you need your employer to agree. They don't so unless you can convince your employer, forget that.

Your options:
* Plan 2-3 trips for your mother and space them out; e.g. 1 month every 4 months. Banking on visa extensions is a gamble
* Relocate here in JB (caveat emptor: I don't know the immigration rules for Malaysia).
* Accept the fact that you will be an absentee son and move on
* Don't move to Singapore

Why is Singapore doing this?
* to avoid "4 for the price of 1" immigrants (one EP holder plus spouse, child and a parent)
* parents are old, need a lot of care and in the eyes of the government, just a burden on its social welfare systems. They don't care how much love and attention you have to give to parents. Let me repeat: Singapore doesn't care.

[x9200]

Ravi, the only thing I could think of is to talk one level higher above your standard HR level. Admittedly I don't know the banking environment but I had once somehow similar situation of HR refusing to sponsor my than unmarried spouse. I went to the HR director and managed to convince him. Try the same, you have nothing to lose. Prepare some supporting story/documents why do you think it is critical that she joins you in Singapore.

[x9200]

I'll have to do some more checking to see what happens to the LTVP holding parent in those cases, but my understanding is that the parent can stay assuming you stay and continue to meet the income requirements.

Why do you think it is possible? What would be the incentive for the Singapore gov. to do it? I believe the practice so far was just opposite, once a pass was expired/revoked all the dependant passes were revoked or exchanged to short term visit passes.

[saran]

Hi,

Did you try whether HR can sign "Part 5- DECLARATION BY LOCAL SPONSOR".

http://www.mom.gov.sg/~/media/mom/docum ... form14.pdf

If so you can consider to apply LTVP through appointed employment agent (or) by Post. check below link for more details on how to submit an application.

http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permit ... pplication

[BBCWatcher]

Even if I were eligible, in your experience/knowledge, how open is an employer to allowing such pass to be applied for seeing as how easily it allows the expat employee to switch jobs?

An employer cannot stop you from applying for a PEP and isn't even notified. (Well, not routinely anyway.) An employer only learns of your newfound PEP status after the fact.

Why do you think it is possible? What would be the incentive for the Singapore gov. to do it?

Both EP holders and PRs can also sponsor parents for LTVPs, with income requirements. For EP holders the minimum income requirement is explicit, and for PRs the income requirement is implicit. There is no change in immigration privileges here, so the status quo (continuation of the parental LTVP) would be the default, assuming income adequacy and absent something in writing that says otherwise. I haven't found anything in writing that says otherwise.

The only difference between an EP and PEP holder is that the EP holder needs an employer's one-time, initial cooperation to bring a parent into Singapore on a LTVP. When a PEP holder downshifts to an EP, it's possible MoM would seek the employer's consent for LTVP continuation. In my view that's not likely -- at that point it would be giving the employer the power to kick a parent out, not to block a parent from coming in -- but it's possible. I haven't found anything in writing that offers an answer. If anyone is concerned about that scenario, then just ask MoM. They're pretty good about answering questions.

[x9200]

EP can not sponsor their parents - please prove me wrong with some gov based link, but I guess this thread is a sufficient proof of it. PEP is seen as a bridge to PR and if you land back on EP it is like taking a step in an opposite direction.
EP - can not -> PEP - can -> RP - can. There seems to be some logic in it.

[sundaymorningstaple]

EP can not sponsor their parents - please prove me wrong with some gov based link, but I guess this thread is a sufficient proof of it. PEP is seen as a bridge to PR and if you land back on EP it is like taking a step in an opposite direction.
EP - can not -> PEP - can -> RP - can. There seems to be some logic in it.

x9200, yes you can bring in your parents (if you are the EP holder and earning in excess of 10K/mo) however you may not bring in your in-laws so no problems with mother-in-law!

http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permit ... /key-facts

First item, second sentence.

Who it is for
Common-law spouse, step-child or handicapped child of an eligible Employment Pass or S Pass holders. Those earning over $10,000 can also bring in their parents.

http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permit ... /key-facts

[x9200]

Yes you can bring in, but the question was not whether you could bring in but whether you could be a sponsor. That's exactly the problem of the OP. He can (theoretically) bring his mother in but he can not sponsor her application and his employer refuses to sponsor it.

[sundaymorningstaple]

^^^Fair enough. I missed that little nugget of information.

[ecureilx]

When a PEP holder downshifts to an EP, it's possible MoM would seek the employer's consent for LTVP continuation. In my view that's not likely -- at that point it would be giving the employer the power to kick a parent out, not to block a parent from coming in -- but it's possible.

Interesting !!!!! At a time when the government wants to shed excess baggage.....