Moving to Singapore with my GF

[Sethide]

Hello,

My GF and I are currently preparing our move to Singapore at the end of January 2017.
I have few questions and would appreciate any advice. Thank you in advance.

We are both European citizen living in London.
My monthly salary will be ~s$8000.
She won't be working at the beginning.
My company pays for the move.

1) GF LTVP/Visa
My company will apply EP for me and LTVP for her only if we are married and here comes the first issue.
Is there anyway other way around this?
A friend of a friend managed to get his GF a LTVP only with a common law certificate from the French embassy in Singapore, he reckon that he got lucky. That was 4 years ago...
As European citizen, are we allowed to stay 30 or 90 days without visa as a tourist?

2) Accommodation
My company will pay up to 2 months of temporary accommodation.
My workplace is at Portsdown Road (not far from Queensway shopping center).
I was told Holland and Orchard are good options but I don't really know much.
I would like to have a 1Br condo around s$2000-s$2500/mo.
Any suggestions or recommendations are welcome.

Thank you.

[Strong Eagle]

Hello,

My GF and I are currently preparing our move to Singapore at the end of January 2017.
I have few questions and would appreciate any advice. Thank you in advance.

We are both European citizen living in London.
My monthly salary will be ~s$8000.
She won't be working at the beginning.
My company pays for the move.

1) GF LTVP/Visa
My company will apply EP for me and LTVP for her only if we are married and here comes the first issue.
Is there anyway other way around this?

No. If not formally married, then Singapore requires a letter stating that the couple is married by common law, coming from the high commission or similar source. Since the UK doesn't formally recognize common law marriage, no letter gets issued and therefore, no spousal pass from Singapore

A friend of a friend managed to get his GF a LTVP only with a common law certificate from the French embassy in Singapore, he reckon that he got lucky. That was 4 years ago...

In countries where common law marriage is recognized, the embassy will issue a letter or certificate. But, not the UK.

As European citizen, are we allowed to stay 30 or 90 days without visa as a tourist?

What's a "European" citizen? Whether one is granted 30 or 90 or some other time period is dependent upon the passport you are carrying.

2) Accommodation
My company will pay up to 2 months of temporary accommodation.
My workplace is at Portsdown Road (not far from Queensway shopping center).
I was told Holland and Orchard are good options but I don't really know much.
I would like to have a 1Br condo around s$2000-s$2500/mo.
Any suggestions or recommendations are welcome.

Thank you.

[x9200]

OP, for your GF it all depends on:
1) your embassy/high commission
2) your employer

The UK HC used to provided letters certifying common law marriage but they stopped doing it some time ago. In other words, if you are Brits (I guess not) or expected to get it from there, you are pretty much *beep*. Other countries - check the relevant embassies. Even if the country formally doesn't recognise the common law marriage (as of the registration), they may provide a certifying letter based on some proofs of cohabitation etc.

For the 2nd point, your employer will be a sponsor of your GF's application so regardless of the p.1. they still have to agree and as you wrote: "My company will apply EP for me and LTVP for her only if we are married" you better check with them what this means. It happens relatively frequently the companies refuse to sponsor if you are not legally married. It's a cultural thing.

[Sethide]

Thank you Strong Eagle.
Thank you x9200.

OP, for your GF it all depends on:
It happens relatively frequently the companies refuse to sponsor if you are not legally married. It's a cultural thing.

This is a very interesting point I have not considered.
They are insistant on the fact we must be married. This could explained it.

I am French citizen but we live in London, do you think that the French Embassy in Singapore could still issue this certificate?
Thanks.

[Strong Eagle]

I am French citizen but we live in London, do you think that the French Embassy in Singapore could still issue this certificate?
Thanks.

You are asking them to certify that you are common law married when they don't know the first thing about you. Further, unless you can demonstrate that you are common law married in France I don't think they will issue a letter for you when you're living in London where common law marriage isn't recognized.

[x9200]

OP, nobody can answer this question but your embassy. It will depend on the law of your country, internal procedures and the judgement of your case by the person in charge.
MoM doesn't emphasise on the registration certificates of such marriages. They only seem to require to have such legal construct recognised within the law of the country. For example, if your c.l.m. would be seen by French authorities under the French law as sufficient for you to legally inherit from your spouse similar way as it is for the standard marriage, this is IMHO already such recognition. Again, just an example, there could be other aspects.

[Sethide]

They have asked us to come with our passport.
Will keep this forum posted when I get there.

Again Thank you for the answers.

[Sethide]

Hello Guys,

I thought I would give a quick update.
I got my EP approved by MOM. Yay!
My 2 months temporary accommodation will be in Bishan near the MRT station. Is it a good neighborhood?

My plan was to search once we are actually in Singapore, is it reasonable for me to think that I would find a 1BR apartment in 2 months?

Thank you.

[ecureilx]

Hello Guys,

I thought I would give a quick update.
I got my EP approved by MOM. Yay!
My 2 months temporary accommodation will be in Bishan near the MRT station. Is it a good neighborhood?

My plan was to search once we are actually in Singapore, is it reasonable for me to think that I would find a 1BR apartment in 2 months?

Thank you.

Congrats.

Bishan is a nice place. Get to know the busses so you will know how central the place is

two months is enough but 1 bedroom apartments are rare, unless you are looking for 1 bedroom condo.

In buyer's market, take your time, don't get pressured into committing.

Welcome to Singapore

[Sethide]

Hello guys,

Just want to give an update, we have been in SG almost a month.
I got my EP (the physical card). We are looking actively into a 1+1(study) condo, we didn't find HDB really advantageous in our case since we don't really need a 2BR apartment.
HDB with 1 + 1 locked room or HDB with 2 rooms are not really cheaper that 1+1 condo in our research. Maybe we are not looking correctly?

In the end the HR of my company will apply LTVP for my partner, initially I also thought it could be a cultural issue, that maybe they had an issue with non legally married couple.
I carefully explained to her that LTVP that just like the DP is related/linked to my EP with printout from MOM. I think she wasn't fully aware of the requirements of a LTVP in particular the EP's sponsor part.
She talked to MOM who confirm that in our case it should be LTVP.

So now fingers crossed, I hope MOM will approved my partner LTVP!

Thank you very much again for your advice guys.
I hope my experience could be useful to some new comers.

Cheers.