Renounce PR Now or Wait Until Expiration?

[JevinWang]

Hi guys, I need some advice.

I became a PR and after that worked in Singapore for 2.5 years, and then I left Singapore. I have no plan to come back to SG for employment in the near future.

So this means my PR or the Re-Entry Permit will auto expire in 2.5 years. But I also hope to keep the PR for the longer term if one day I come back to SG for work or even retire in SG.

So the question is, if I voluntarily renounce my PR now, I know it's almost impossible to get a second chance to become PR again.

But if I choose to wait until it expires upon 5 years, since the cancellation is not initiated by me, and my CPF is still with SG, if let's say I re-apply for PR in 10 years, can I become PR again without too much hassle? Or it's no difference from renouncing PR now and almost impossible to get PR again?

If there is no difference, I might as well renounce PR now so I canwithdraw from CPF.

Cheers!

[singaporeflyer]

Hi guys, I need some advice.

I became a PR and after that worked in Singapore for 2.5 years, and then I left Singapore. I have no plan to come back to SG for employment in the near future.

So this means my PR or the Re-Entry Permit will auto expire in 2.5 years. But I also hope to keep the PR for the longer term if one day I come back to SG for work or even retire in SG.

So the question is, if I voluntarily renounce my PR now, I know it's almost impossible to get a second chance to become PR again.

But if I choose to wait until it expires upon 5 years, since the cancellation is not initiated by me, and my CPF is still with SG, if let's say I re-apply for PR in 10 years, can I become PR again without too much hassle? Or it's no difference from renouncing PR now and almost impossible to get PR again?

If there is no difference, I might as well renounce PR now so I canwithdraw from CPF.

Cheers!

What matter is that it expired. You letting it to expire and it automatically expiring will have the same impact except for the CPF left inside without withdrawal.

[JevinWang]

Thanks. So it's no difference if I wanna become a PR again 10 years from now?

[sundaymorningstaple]

If you leave the CPF in situ without touching a single cent of it then, in theory, it would be possible to get PR again in the future. However, you will NOT get any special favours from ICA. You will have to traverse the exact same route as before. Getting an Employment Pass, working a fair number of years (probably double that which you initially work to gain PR - opinion only on that) and then applying for PR and hoping they have mercy on you. I know it's happened at least once, but not very often. The ICA has a long memory, so if you have something very special that the country needs, then bring it on. Give it a try, but bear in mind you will be a salmon swimming upstream and very few make it to the spawning grounds.

On the other hand, if you withdraw your CPF, you will likely never regain PR unless you repay all the CPF withdrawn AND THE INTEREST that would have accrued had the CPF funds been left in place. And, if that is not bad enough, there is no guarantee that they will ever grant you PR again. As I noted, it's not guaranteed, but it is assured you will not be given a glance if you withdrew your CPF.

[JevinWang]

Thanks. I like the salmon analogy!

So basically like what I would imagine, it's nearly impossible to be PR again if renounced voluntarily. But even if I keep it, it will expire and I will have to work another 5 years at least under EP (if one day I decide to return to SG) ...

[sundaymorningstaple]

For all intents and purposes, correct.