Need help with LTVP and PR application

[sabbynono]

Hello! I found this forum through Google search, and it has been rather helpful after reading a few responses, so I thought I'd post up my (rather long) confusion over my own situation regarding my husband's applications and eligibility, hopeful to get some advice!

So, the situation is rather confusing:
- I am a Singaporean Citizen, and my husband is French, who has been working in the USA since 2014.
- We just registered our marriage and got married in the USA earlier in Feb 2016.
- We are currently living in the USA.
- We submitted an application for a PR status (for my husband) through the Singapore Embassy in Washington in March 2016, as we were planning to have a PR status for him so that eventually we can come back to Singapore some day again to settle down. The Singapore Embassy said that it would take at least 5 months for it to be processed and for ICA to come back with an approval or rejection.
- However, in the midst of this process, my husband was unfortunately laid off from his current job last week!

My questions are:

1. Will his unemployment status implicate his PR application which is currently "in process"? Do we need to update the Singapore Embassy about this?

2. With his unemployment, we were thinking that he should come back with me to Singapore on a SVP, after which we can immediately apply for a LTVP, so that he can start applying for jobs as well. But, we did not go through the LTVP+ assessment before our marriage registration in USA - How does this affect the eligibility and processing time for a LTVP for him?

3. As aforementioned, since we are "in process" of the PR application, are we even allowed to also apply for a LTVP for him while we wait for (hopefully) an approval of his PR?

4. I am unemployed, no children. My last employment was about 6 months ago, will my unemployment also affect the approval of the LTVP application since there is a requirement for a local sponsor?

If anyone is able to advice and share your experiences, that would really really help!! So headache!!

Thank you all in advance!!

[PNGMK]

1. Yes and yes. IF you husband can quickly get a job in the meantime I'd suggest he does.
2. LTVP requires some level of income (from the sponsoring party) to be able to show you're both financial enough to afford living in Singapore.
3. Yes AFAIK.
4. Yes. See 2. Someone needs an income somewhere or somehow in my opinion.

[sabbynono]

Thank you for reading my long message and your advice!

If, I do get employment in Singapore, do I apply for a LTVP or LTVP+ for him? It seems to me that the application and process times for both are different! LTVP+ requires us to have the approval from the pre-marriage assessment, of which we did not do at all...

He is currently applying for jobs around in Singapore, hopefully there will be positive feedback!

[sabbynono]

1. Yes and yes. IF you husband can quickly get a job in the meantime I'd suggest he does.
2. LTVP requires some level of income (from the sponsoring party) to be able to show you're both financial enough to afford living in Singapore.
3. Yes AFAIK.
4. Yes. See 2. Someone needs an income somewhere or somehow in my opinion.

Thank you for reading my long message and your advice!

If, I do get employment in Singapore, do I apply for a LTVP or LTVP+ for him? It seems to me that the application and process times for both are different! LTVP+ requires us to have the approval from the pre-marriage assessment, of which we did not do at all...

He is currently applying for jobs around in Singapore, hopefully there will be positive feedback!

[BBCWatcher]

If, I do get employment in Singapore, do I apply for a LTVP or LTVP+ for him?

Yes.

It's one application for the LTVP or LTVP+, the same application. You don't get to choose. ICA does. LTVP+ is unlikely, by the way, but don't worry about it. At each LTVP renewal he'll be considered automatically for an upgrade to LTVP+ -- if he isn't a Permanent Resident by then. (LTVP+ is a very minor upgrade.)

He is currently applying for jobs around in Singapore, hopefully there will be positive feedback!

Caution: Since you/he didn't get a Pre-Marriage LTVP Assessment his LTVP could take six months to be decided (per ICA's published time estimate). It could be a long time until an employer could apply for a Letter of Consent on the basis of an approved LTVP. A prospective employer could apply for an Employment Pass, however.

[JR8]

If, I do get employment in Singapore, do I apply for a LTVP or LTVP+ for him? It seems to me that the application and process times for both are different! LTVP+ requires us to have the approval from the pre-marriage assessment, of which we did not do at all...
He is currently applying for jobs around in Singapore, hopefully there will be positive feedback!

It used to be that when you applied for an LTVP, on the form there was a tick-box question - 'Do you also wish this application to be considered for an LTVP+ ?' That was how you made an LTVP+ application, there was no separate form.

According to ICA now, it seems this might have changed...

'The LTVP+ was introduced from 1 April 2012 to provide foreign spouses of SCs with longer period of residency, healthcare and employment benefits. Eligibility for LTVP+ will be considered automatically in all LTVP applications; no separate application is required.
https://www.ica.gov.sg/page.aspx?pageid=175&secid=171

... when they say 'automatically', it could be literal, ie. even that LTVP+ tick-box has gone from the form.

I'm confused by your saying 'LTVP+ requires us to have the approval from the pre-marriage assessment, of which we did not do at all... '

I haven't heard of this before, and it strikes me as rather odd. You're suggesting if you didn't get a PMLA you can't apply for an LTVP+.... I find that hard to believe ... Do you have a source for this information?

[sabbynono]

I'm confused by your saying 'LTVP+ requires us to have the approval from the pre-marriage assessment, of which we did not do at all... '

I haven't heard of this before, and it strikes me as rather odd. You're suggesting if you didn't get a PMLA you can't apply for an LTVP+.... I find that hard to believe ... Do you have a source for this information?

Thank you so much for your advice!!

Hmm, I guess what I was trying to say was... Couples who have an approved PMLA, my understanding is that the chances of approval for a LTVP/LTVP+ seem higher and processing time will be significantly shorter... As compared to couples who did not get a PMLA... I mean... Does it make sense?

But, now with a LTVP application being "automatically" considered for a LTVP+, I guess I can only hope that it would come sooner!!

[jinsuke]

I applied for a LTVP recently. We were married about 3 years ago and have a SC child. There was no PMLA when we got married, so our LTVP was without it. We still got an IPA in 3 weeks (+4 weeks wait for a completion of formalities appointment after that, it was an LTVP+), so I'd say the PMLA does not affect the processing time as much as other factors.

[NZinSG]

I too applied for an LTVP recently (earlier this year), just moved to Singapore, applied within the first week after arrival. Married just over 1 year with a baby on the way. No PMLA either - partner is SPR. I got IPA fairly shortly as well, within a month? - I was granted an LTVP

As side information, I applied for the LTVP, then left the country for a get-away, came back in with a different D/E card and it made no difference at all (Only mentioning this as I looked up on this forum before booking the trip as I was worried about changing my D/E after LTVP submission, and the last mentions of it were several years ago)