Okay, I am 21 this year and I'm a 3rd year Indonesian-Chinese male student studying in NTU's Chemical Engineering. I've been studying in Singapore since 2008, which is from the start of Secondary 1, so I took both my O and A levels in Singapore and I will be completing my Bachelors' Degree here too and I also have a 3 year Tuition Grant bond which I have to serve upon graduation in 2018 by working in Singapore, but that is inconsequential as I wanted to work here anyway.
I intend to apply for PR 6 months after I start working, since one of the requirements is that we need 6 months of payslips. So the question is, I don't have to wait for 3 years of Income Tax Notice Assessments right when I start working here right?
What are my chances of approval then? Assuming I get a job with a starting pay of $3000/month which is the typical salary for an NTU graduate, and that I apply after 6 months. It would be less than the $3600/month required for an EP, but in my case I'd get an EP anyway because I am bonded to the government. I'm ethnically Chinese, I've been here since 2008 and I am conversant in Chinese (Took Chinese as a mother tongue in school) and Singlish as well as a result. I can easily pass as a Singaporean because of this since I also have an English first name, so I have pretty much integrated into Singaporean society. This is why I want to apply for PR, I've grown attached to the place and it feels more like home to me than Indonesia.
I would have preferred to become a PR far earlier, I wouldn't have minded serving NS but unfortunately the law doesn't allow it since my parents don't work here and can't apply PR for themselves and me. I'd like to ask if the ICA accepts cover letters along with the required documents? I intend to write a letter saying how much I love Singapore and how it feels more like home to me than Indonesia after living here for about a decade, and that I'll even volunteer part time in the SPF in the VSC section should my PR be approved since I never got the chance to serve NS like all my other male friends, and I feel left out as a result when they talk about it. I would still be in my mid-20s by then, so I'd still be in my physical prime.
So yeah. Long story short, should I apply 6 months after I start working here, assuming I get a salary of $3000/month under an EP with a 3 year bond? Or do I have to wait longer for the 3 years of Income Tax Notice Assessments? Will they read cover letters? And what are my chances of approval? I've lived here since 2008 and I've integrated really well into Singaporean society and I am also ethnically Chinese, so I want to get my PR ASAP.
Thank you if you've made it this far, and I'd love to hear your feedback.
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