British - Moving to SG (Wife is SC)

[Sunjackal]

Hello!

My wife and I currently work in the U.K, although presently my wife is on maternity leave as she is due to give birth in mid August and she wanted to come home to give birth. I am a British Citizen and she is a Singapore Citizen. We were married in 2016 and have been together since 2012.

We are staying with her mum, currently, having done SHN etc. We had planned to head back to the U.K. about a month after delivery. This is not set in stone yet.

What we are sure of, is that if not immediately then the near future, we want to live in Singapore. This will afford the opportunity for our son to feel more at home, be bilingual and create a sense loyalty to SG (as opposed to telling him he needs to go and serve NS across the world if we raised him elsewhere) but most importantly the family and support network is here in SG.

If we were to relocate back to SG, what process do we need to follow. Obviously my wife and child will be SC and can just come back, that’s simple enough. But in order for me to get a visa that will allow me to seek employment, does she need to wait until she’s ready to seek employment and then once employed only then can I join my family?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you.

[singaporeflyer]

Hello!

My wife and I currently work in the U.K, although presently my wife is on maternity leave as she is due to give birth in mid August and she wanted to come home to give birth. I am a British Citizen and she is a Singapore Citizen. We were married in 2016 and have been together since 2012.

We are staying with her mum, currently, having done SHN etc. We had planned to head back to the U.K. about a month after delivery. This is not set in stone yet.

What we are sure of, is that if not immediately then the near future, we want to live in Singapore. This will afford the opportunity for our son to feel more at home, be bilingual and create a sense loyalty to SG (as opposed to telling him he needs to go and serve NS across the world if we raised him elsewhere) but most importantly the family and support network is here in SG.

If we were to relocate back to SG, what process do we need to follow. Obviously my wife and child will be SC and can just come back, that’s simple enough. But in order for me to get a visa that will allow me to seek employment, does she need to wait until she’s ready to seek employment and then once employed only then can I join my family?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you.

She may need to work for a few months in SG after which she can sponsor LTVP for you. Alternate is for you to find a job in SG that can sponsor an Employment Pass for you and you can be on EP.

[PNGMK]

Note - you can stay here on a SVP (social visit pass) while your wife and you look for work. It is possible for her to renew / extend your SVP as a SC sponsor. I think Brits get 90 days each time. Not sure.

[Sunjackal]

Objectively speaking, is it challenging to get a job with EP?

Every time I look at jobs in SG, they all seem to have disclaimers that say that they’re not interested in anyone requiring a work pass. If I spoke to the recruiting companies and explained my circumstances, would it possibly make them consider me as a viable option?

[Addadude]

Objectively speaking, is it challenging to get a job with EP?

Every time I look at jobs in SG, they all seem to have disclaimers that say that they’re not interested in anyone requiring a work pass. If I spoke to the recruiting companies and explained my circumstances, would it possibly make them consider me as a viable option?

During this time employers are mandated to give absolute first priority to Singapore citizens to fill any vacancy they might have. PRs come second. Anybody else is SOOL unless they have skills or experience that demonstrably unavailable in the local populace.

[Sunjackal]

That’s entirely understandable, I suppose, given the situation at hand. I can but try and keep trying, I suppose.

[PNGMK]

Objectively speaking, is it challenging to get a job with EP?

Every time I look at jobs in SG, they all seem to have disclaimers that say that they’re not interested in anyone requiring a work pass. If I spoke to the recruiting companies and explained my circumstances, would it possibly make them consider me as a viable option?

If your wife can find a job you can obtain an "LOC" on the basis of having an LTVP - letter of consent - which is basically a work permit (without a job). That is a big step forward as it side steps the local yokel quota issue.

[Sunjackal]

Reading on the MoM website, it reads as though it’s the employer that applies for a LoC?

Is it an easier process for them than going through the process to get someone an EP?

[PNGMK]

Reading on the MoM website, it reads as though it’s the employer that applies for a LoC?

Is it an easier process for them than going through the process to get someone an EP?

That's correct. Yes - it's easier than an EP because it's not subject to a quota (as EP's are).

[Sunjackal]

Okay. That’s wonderful.

Thank you all very much for the help.

I’ll let you know how I get on, although I suspect it’ll probably be a while before I have an update.

[TropicalExpat]

Also it depends if you are a employee or an entrepreneur. There are special passes for entrepreneurs.

Is it difficult to get a job in Singapore? It depends on what you do and if your skills are in demand.

When did your wife move to the UK? Does she receive any income in Singapore? Basically when you apply for the LTVP she will need to prove that she can support you. If she is still paying taxes and/or contributing to CPF in Singapore (for whatever reason) then you might already be able to apply for LTVP before you head back to the UK.

As a SC she stands a good job of getting a job back in Singapore, so it might be easier for her to apply, get a job and then move to Singapore. You can come with her on a social visit pass and while you're here apply for LTVP. While you apply for LTVP you can apply for an extension of the social visit pass (if I recall correctly).

[Sunjackal]

Not an entrepreneur, no.

To be perfectly honest - the skill set part is the area that I am most afraid of. I am currently an operations manager in the UK. It’s not that I don’t think the skills I have aren’t useful (most businesses require someone to oversee operations to some extent) - it’s just that it isn’t exactly a particularly specialised area such as cyber security etc. Which means there’s not really any reason why it can’t be done by a native (I do have over a decade of experience). I do see a lot of jobs listed on LinkedIn that I could do, though.

We are in Singapore now as she is due to give birth in the coming month. She came to the U.K. around 2016, and currently she doesn’t have an income here in SG. We will have to go back at some point to settle affairs and then we will probably return and hopefully for good. We are currently looking at condos. Meanwhile, we are staying at the family home.

If she absolutely must find a job first, we would probably need to wait for her to finish with maternity leave because it’s somewhat pointless otherwise. I suppose she could take a job with her mother’s business but that almost feels like gaming the system and I don’t want to jeopardise anything.

I’ll have to check but pretty sure that CPF has been continuously paid into. Not paying taxes here though.

If we take a chance at applying for the ltvp right now, does it matter if we aren’t successful? We could just try again in a few months after taking the additional steps needed?

[TropicalExpat]

Not an entrepreneur, no.

To be perfectly honest - the skill set part is the area that I am most afraid of. I am currently an operations manager in the UK. It’s not that I don’t think the skills I have aren’t useful (most businesses require someone to oversee operations to some extent) - it’s just that it isn’t exactly a particularly specialised area such as cyber security etc. Which means there’s not really any reason why it can’t be done by a native (I do have over a decade of experience). I do see a lot of jobs listed on LinkedIn that I could do, though.

We are in Singapore now as she is due to give birth in the coming month. She came to the U.K. around 2016, and currently she doesn’t have an income here in SG. We will have to go back at some point to settle affairs and then we will probably return and hopefully for good. We are currently looking at condos. Meanwhile, we are staying at the family home.

If she absolutely must find a job first, we would probably need to wait for her to finish with maternity leave because it’s somewhat pointless otherwise. I suppose she could take a job with her mother’s business but that almost feels like gaming the system and I don’t want to jeopardise anything.

I’ll have to check but pretty sure that CPF has been continuously paid into. Not paying taxes here though.

If we take a chance at applying for the ltvp right now, does it matter if we aren’t successful? We could just try again in a few months after taking the additional steps needed?

Interesting situation. I wouldn't worry about gaming the system in terms of being employed by the mother's firm. If she is being paid, taxes are being paid, and CPF is being paid, there isn't anything really wrong with it.
I wish I could give you some good news, but the labour market sucks at the moment, so you might need your wife to get the job first.
Another way to think about this issue: your wife should just apply anywhere in Singapore after the birth. By the time the hiring process is done (given covid-19), I suspect maternity leave will be done. I've heard hiring can take up to 6 months now.
Who does you wife work for? Maybe it's a multinational and will move her?
How about you? Maybe you can get them to move you?

[Sunjackal]

We both work for a Casino Group in the UK. It is owned by Guoco but the company itself doesn’t have any presence in Asia. Not exactly the most secure looking industry post Covid - but plenty of transferable skills.

[bgd]

We both work for a Casino Group in the UK. It is owned by Guoco but the company itself doesn’t have any presence in Asia. Not exactly the most secure looking industry post Covid - but plenty of transferable skills.

You will be in the right region for when things pick up. I would imagine they are pretty empty these days, with no PRCs in town.