Company Incorporation & EP or FTP?

[yorkshirerg]

Hi everyone,

I have been offered a job in Singapore starting in August 2021 and I am looking to relocate with my partner.

We are a married, British and Irish, same-sex couple which complicates thing ever so slightly (understatement) in MoMs eyes, but I have a supportive HR department who are willing to apply for an EP/DP for us both, with the knowledge it is unlikely to be accepted.

As this application will not go in until April, we are exploring all other avenues to get him to Singapore including:

Plan B - Company Incorporation and EP
Has anybody successfully incorporated a company and gained an EP this way on this forum? There seem to be so many companies offering this service that we are a little dubious at the legitimacy of this route?

My partner currently runs a successful design consultancy business in London but only employs himself. We have looked at the requirements of this route and would be able to meet most of these, business plan, $7k salary, $50k paid-up capital but there is no guarantee the EP would be approved after incorporation.

Companies we are currently in touch with to provide local director, accounting and secretarial services are:
Osome and Hawksford.

Has anybody used these or would you recommend another agency?

Plan C - Frequent Traveller Programme
There is a very vague piece of information on the MoM website about British citizens being eligible for FTP but there is no information about length of stay or how many times per year this is valid.

Has anybody used this programme to travel frequently to Singapore?

We are hopeful that we will be able to travel in SEA from Dec 2021 (covid permitting) onwards which means he can utilise the 90-day tourist visa / FTP as we come and go. If we took this route, he would spend some considerable time out of the country before returning (so unlike a 'visa run').

For this route, he would need to become a British citizen which is relatively easy given we are already married.

There is a Plan D which is him getting a job in Singapore but this does not suit our lifestyle plans.

Any advice appreciated!

yorkshirerg

[PNGMK]

MD can probably answer B better than me. It did use to work and wouldn't cost much to try (maybe tow thousand SGD) - also there are tax advantages in moving the business out of the UK to Singapore I suspect.

The FTP programme isn't really for you (I realize that the information is sparse on MOM but the clue is that it is compared to the ABTC program which is a BUSINESS entry program for frequent business travellers as opposed to social visitors). The FTP is essentially a "quick entry" system that lets your register a PP but you will still have the over-riding issues of visa and border runs which the FTP doesn't solve. It will work for awhile and then BAM - suddenly denied entry.

Try to get a DP as a Same Sex partner - if you have a valid marriage and it's a few years old and supportive HR then this should work and a DP gives you 100% compliance.