EP Cancellation and Job Search. Logistics?

[daveco23]

Hi All,
Need some advice.

My last day at current company will be December 15, on which date my EP will be cancelled. I am currently interviewing for positions in SG and they are slowly progressing, but realistically if I am offered a role it will probably be some time after Jan 14, when my 30 days post-ep cancellation limit is up, so we will have to leave the country on that date. (We= Wife and 2 kids.)

We love living here and very much want to stay. I am hopeful that I will pick something else up soon, but it has been a very slow and frustrating process, and having the Jan 14 date in the back of my head is making for sleepless nights, so I have been mulling over a few things and would welcome some feedback.

We HAVE to leave by Jan 14 or else we get in trouble - no issue with that. I am giving serious thought to keeping everything as is for 3 months (eg keep paying condo rent, kids school fees, etc) in the hope that we will make it back within a couple of months. The plan is to relocate to Australia for the duration and I will go back and forth to SG for interviews, etc. If I don't find anything by march, then we will admit defeat, pack up and reluctantly move to Oz permanently.

Question I have is, is any of the above illegal? I will be renting a condo, and paying school fees without a valid EP for a maximum of three months, and also going back and forth between Oz and SG for interviews. We could pack up and move out by Jan 1, but if I do pick something else up, then it's the added stress of looking for a new condo, schools, etc, and I am reasonably confident I'll get something relatively soon. (Note - I have already utilized a PEP, so cannot reapply for that)

All thoughts and advice welcome.

Thanks.

[bcheng74]

You kids’ DP will also be cancelled so they cannot legally stay here to study even if you have paid 3-month school fee...


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[daveco23]

You kids’ DP will also be cancelled so they cannot legally stay here to study even if you have paid 3-month school fee...

Thanks, yep I'm aware of that. They would be in Australia for as long as I don't have an EP. I would pay the fees in their absence to ensure they have a place if/when we return.

[The Ref]

First up get your children a student pass each and your wife a "study momma" pass - that will hold off any issues with the school and they will have no issue getting the student pass.

Tell the landlord you may need to invoke the diplomatic clause but you are hoping to start a new role before and you will try to continue the lease but give them a heads up.

When your EP is cancelled you get a 28 day pass, after which you should be granted a 90 day social visit pass (assuming your Australia reference means you are an Aussie citizen), if you are up front they may not even require you to leave the country. A visa run after that should be OK but you would be taking a risk and you must have an onward ticket.

The only hard part after that is that you need to afford to be here - and with 2 children in (assuming) International School that may not be very long.

[daveco23]

First up get your children a student pass each and your wife a "study momma" pass - that will hold off any issues with the school and they will have no issue getting the student pass.

Tell the landlord you may need to invoke the diplomatic clause but you are hoping to start a new role before and you will try to continue the lease but give them a heads up.

When your EP is cancelled you get a 28 day pass, after which you should be granted a 90 day social visit pass (assuming your Australia reference means you are an Aussie citizen), if you are up front they may not even require you to leave the country. A visa run after that should be OK but you would be taking a risk and you must have an onward ticket.

The only hard part after that is that you need to afford to be here - and with 2 children in (assuming) International School that may not be very long.

Thanks TheRef that's great advice.
My wife is also employed under an LOC off of my EP. She is inquiring with her company if she can transfer to an SPass and have us as her dependents. If they come back with a no I will try what you have suggested above.

Thanks again.

[PNGMK]

You could consider moving to JB or CM temporarily as well rather than back to expensive Australia if you're quite certain you'll get the new job. I agree that the cost of moving out/moving back and setting up a new home makes it sensible to put off moving out if you can.

It's really a tough call. I wish you luck.

[The Ref]

Thanks TheRef that's great advice.
My wife is also employed under an LOC off of my EP. She is inquiring with her company if she can transfer to an SPass and have us as her dependents. If they come back with a no I will try what you have suggested above.

Thanks again.

There is nothing to lose from applying for the student pass for your kids regardless - that way they wont miss out on school as the student pass will most likely be issued and quickly whereby the SPass may take a few weeks and the kids wont be able to go to school in that time.
I dont think an SPass will even allow for dependent passes to be issued but you can google that and come back to us

[sundaymorningstaple]

Pass holders who have a fixed monthly salary of at least $5,000, are eligible for a Dependant’s Pass for their spouse and children.

From 1 January 2018, work pass holders will need to meet a minimum salary criteria of $6,000 to enjoy dependant privileges.

[daveco23]

Pass holders who have a fixed monthly salary of at least $5,000, are eligible for a Dependant’s Pass for their spouse and children.

From 1 January 2018, work pass holders will need to meet a minimum salary criteria of $6,000 to enjoy dependant privileges.

Yep - the plan is to hopefully get S pass and DP's within the next month. If that doesn't work, then student passes for the kids, LTVP for herself, and I'll flit back and forth between here and Oz until I sort out a job. Thankfully we have the funds to do this for a while.
A cautionary warning to all reading this... This can happen to anyone. If you are on an EP, make damn sure you have a mitigation plan and the necessary funds to execute. It has been a real eye opener over the last couple of months regarding just how bad the jobs market here is for expats. It takes forever to get things moving, and even when you do, in most cases it's SG/PR only. Be warned.

[daveco23]

Folks,
Quick update and also a question..
Student passes approved
They did ask why I was applying as they already had DP's. Told them the truth and they were approved the next day. Plan now is to go to Oz for Christmas and come back when school starts in Jan, put herself on an LTVP as guardian for the kids, and me on a 90 day vistor pass.
Question on our Helper... When our ep/dp's are cancelled, what happens her work pass? (My wife is registered as the employer). I want to make sure that she can stay with us when my wife transfers to LTVP. As per MOM, LTVP holders can hire helpers, but I can't find info on anything we need to do to safeguard our helper when my wife moves from DP to LTVP. Has anyone gone through this before?
Thanks.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Here I'd thought we'd heard most everything. But, once again, this is a new one. Don't have a clue, truth be known. Maybe somebody else has been there.

Hey Ref, you around? Don't remember if you had a FDW on not. With your past two years, did this come up?

[Wd40]

Pass holders who have a fixed monthly salary of at least $5,000, are eligible for a Dependant’s Pass for their spouse and children.

From 1 January 2018, work pass holders will need to meet a minimum salary criteria of $6,000 to enjoy dependant privileges.

Yep - the plan is to hopefully get S pass and DP's within the next month. If that doesn't work, then student passes for the kids, LTVP for herself, and I'll flit back and forth between here and Oz until I sort out a job. Thankfully we have the funds to do this for a while.
A cautionary warning to all reading this... This can happen to anyone. If you are on an EP, make damn sure you have a mitigation plan and the necessary funds to execute. It has been a real eye opener over the last couple of months regarding just how bad the jobs market here is for expats. It takes forever to get things moving, and even when you do, in most cases it's SG/PR only. Be warned.

I have spent 8 years now in Singapore and most part, I have always been ready to move back home in a month's notice. Preparation-wise, I am more ready to leave, than Japan and South Korea are from a nuclear attack from NK.

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[The Ref]

Here I'd thought we'd heard most everything. But, once again, this is a new one. Don't have a clue, truth be known. Maybe somebody else has been there.

Hey Ref, you around? Don't remember if you had a FDW on not. With your past two years, did this come up?

No, neither the ex nor I have ever had a FDW so I have no idea.

[ecureilx]

Question on our Helper... When our ep/dp's are cancelled, what happens her work pass? (My wife is registered as the employer). I want to make sure that she can stay with us when my wife transfers to LTVP. As per MOM, LTVP holders can hire helpers, but I can't find info on anything we need to do to safeguard our helper when my wife moves from DP to LTVP. Has anyone gone through this before?
Thanks.

Maybe you need to check with the agency who processed her papers.

I will try to ask my agency friends as well.

I have spent 8 years now in Singapore and most part, I have always been ready to move back home in a month's notice. Preparation-wise, I am more ready to leave, than Japan and South Korea are from a nuclear attack from NK.

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

* if there was an indo China war ?

Seems things are hot and cold around NE

[Wd40]

Question on our Helper... When our ep/dp's are cancelled, what happens her work pass? (My wife is registered as the employer). I want to make sure that she can stay with us when my wife transfers to LTVP. As per MOM, LTVP holders can hire helpers, but I can't find info on anything we need to do to safeguard our helper when my wife moves from DP to LTVP. Has anyone gone through this before?
Thanks.

Maybe you need to check with the agency who processed her papers.

I will try to ask my agency friends as well.

I have spent 8 years now in Singapore and most part, I have always been ready to move back home in a month's notice. Preparation-wise, I am more ready to leave, than Japan and South Korea are from a nuclear attack from NK.

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

* if there was an indo China war ?

Seems things are hot and cold around NE

Coincidentally, I was reading this thread on edmw, I am rolling on the floor laughing, must read

http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/eat-d ... 34182.html




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