Can a Singaporean Employer marry his own employee

[Nlpkiat]

As topic can A Singaporean Employer marry his own foreign Vietnamese employee that is holding an S-Pass?

I have heard some saying that it is not allowed, but I check MOM website it state only current or ex work permit need to seek approval whereas S-Pass and Employment Pass holder need not seek approval.

[sundaymorningstaple]

There may be some eyebrows raised. How long has she been an employee? Is her salary in line with her position/occupation? Or is she receiving a "bonus" in order to get her out of the WP range, thereby letting you pull the wool over the eyes of the MOM so you can marry her without permission? While it may not be illegal to marry her without express MOM permission, I think I would ask them for permission anyway so as to preclude any chance of being suspected as doing a fiddle on her salary. (like declaring one amount and only getting a different amount more inline with actual job worth. e.g., kicking back a portion of her salary to her employer. I don't want you to answer that but I am just giving you food for thought.

[Nlpkiat]

She is working as a tcm therapist for 2 years on a fixed monthly salary of $2600. Reason I'm asking is because once her current visa end, I will try to apply an S-Pass for her in my current company. But there are some of her friends saying that I'll not be able to marry her in future if she become my employee.

[lot286]

For a minute i thought this was a click bait and after reading this i'd learnt something new again (thanks to SMS).....

keep it coming..

[PNGMK]

She is working as a tcm therapist for 2 years on a fixed monthly salary of $2600. Reason I'm asking is because once her current visa end, I will try to apply an S-Pass for her in my current company. But there are some of her friends saying that I'll not be able to marry her in future if she become my employee.

They may be right.

[sundaymorningstaple]

I think I would move the plans around a little bit. Apply for permission for her to marry while still on the WP. If she obtains that, then marrying her is not a problem and you can then hire her on an S pass. Won't be any issues that way. Is she currently working for you or someone else? If she is working for you, more's the reason to do it now before you get her an S pass. That will alleviate some, if not all of the suspicion re S pass/kickbacks.

Additionally, which I failed to mention in my first response, it makes no difference if she is on an S pass as you will have to apply for permission in any case, even if she is on an "EP". The rules actually state that permission is required from MOM if the potential spouse "has EVER worked on a WP" not just currently. So you still have to apply for permission to marry and it makes it even more necessary to apply now while she is still working on a WP to eliminate any of the concerns mentioned.

For the rest of our regulars (no need to continue) who know the issue with my nephew's daughter who I've been taking care for the past 12 years, his wife, from the 'peens was actually a degreed English teacher in the 'peens but took up a WP job here many years ago. Went back to the 'peens for a couple of years and my nephew actually flew to the 'peens, they got married and she got pregnant and they came back to SG where they gave her an LTVP so she could have the baby here, but after that they would not renew (but the baby has SGC as the father is an SGC), she was banished back to the 'peens because they never got permission from the MOM even though she'd been back in her country for 2 or 3 years.

[PNGMK]

Personally I find the story of your niece and the treatment of her mother appalling and indicative of some of the issues Singapore has in raising the TFR.

[MOCHS]

Sounds more like conflict of interest (COI) within the company than MOM’s business in my opinion but doesn’t hurt to err on the side of caution to clarify with MOM.

In my huge company of more than 1000 employees, if spouse/sibling/family member is working in the same company or both parties are related and working on tender related stuff, they’ve got to declare the COI every year...

[sundaymorningstaple]

Heck, I even have to declare a COI every 'month' at our RC Meetings in the PA.

[MOCHS]

Somehow that doesn’t surprise me, sms.

Now I remember a Singaporean acquaintance of mine married her Singaporean boss. Whether he was directly involved in paying her salary or HR that did it, I don’t know. But she’s a citizen and not a foreigner.

My mother works in HR and says in theory, it should be no problem provided the foreigner is not a FDW (maid) and is not a work permit holder. Even her own boss paid his own wife for work done in his own company (CPF contribution included). So employers marrying and paying salary to their own employees are common.

Whether a foreigner employee in a non-FDW and non-work permit holder setting can marry a PR/Singaporean employer, I don’t know. Again, just ask MOM.