Renewing reentry permit for second gen PR after NS?

[jellojello]

Hello,

My husband and I are US citizens and Singapore PRs, but our two boys are currently on LTVP as they were born after we got approved for PR. We plan to stay in Singapore for the long term, and we are considering applying for PR for them as we would like them to have the choice between living and working in either the US or Singapore when they grow up. I am well aware that this means they would have to serve National Service and we are 100% ok to have them fulfill that obligation.

My question is: how easy is it to renew the reentry permit after serving NS? Let's say the boys serve NS, then go to university outside Singapore and/or work outside Singapore for a few years, and then want to come back to Singapore after 5-10 years away. Will they be able to get their re-entry permit renewed during that time away? Are they considered to have "paid their dues" by serving NS and will thereafter always be welcome in Singapore? Or will their reentry permit not be renewed if they stay away for too long? Would love to hear from any second-generation PRs who have served NS and have experience with this, thanks.

[PNGMK]

As they will be under family ties it "should" be easier. However PR is not intended for those who want to live outside of Singapore for extended periods apart from study and working for a Singapore company.

[jellojello]

As they will be under family ties it "should" be easier. However PR is not intended for those who want to live outside of Singapore for extended periods apart from study and working for a Singapore company.

Thanks for the reply. So is studying abroad considered differently from working abroad? It's quite likely we would want to send our children to university overseas, which would mean at least 4 years out of Singapore and more if they do graduate studies. Would a second-gen PR studying overseas for 4 years have an easier time renewing REP compared to a second-gen PR working overseas for the same 4 years?

I understand your point that PR is for those who want to make Singapore their forever home, and I agree. However, as the boys are still small children I don't know what they will want in the future when they are adults. They may not even know what they want at 20 years old after serving NS. It may take a few years of living and working in different places before they decide where to settle. I just want to know if they would have the opportunity to come back to Singapore, should they decide to do that after exploring what life is like overseas.

[mystic_river]

If I may jump in here...

I got my PR through family ties too at the age of 17 (my dad got it then and as his dependent I got it automatically too)

However, my first renewal was when I was 22, and I was still studying in a local uni (not overseas), ICA only renewed it for 1 year. A year later I graduated but had yet to find a job, ICA called me to ask why I was not working and I explained it to them. they renewed my REP for another year.

Once I had started working, my PR was renewed for 5 years.

If your kids are studying abroad after the age of 21, you can explain it to ICA and they’ll probably renew it. But if they are working overseas then I’m not so sure.

Point I’m trying to make here is that once your kids turn 21, their renewal depends on whether they are living/working in SG

[mystic_river]

There is one caveat here, which is that I didn’t have to do NS (long story but not relevant to this topic). I’m not sure if your kids doing NS would make it easier to renew REP, but I doubt so. My sister had to go through the same 1 year REP renewals until she found a job post graduation.