11 years in Singapore - PR Rejected

[Ind28]

Hello Members

writing here to seek your suggestions/advice .. pls help

I am an indian citizen (41 yrs), living in SG since 2010 with wife (37 yrs) and 2 kids (Son 12 yrs and Daughter 5 yrs (born in SG)).
both me and my wife working on EP, i am in IT software sales, wife is a banker - family income more then 600k/yr. No property here in SG.

i have applied 6 times and got rejected every time ... this time the rejection came in 4 months ..

any suggestion what to do...what are my chances..

[Lisafuller]

The only thing I can think of is perhaps ethnicity, there are a huge number of Indian nationals competing for a very small number of spots yearly. Other than that, household income is high, so that can’t be the issue. Are your children citizens?

[sundaymorningstaple]

Have you been applying as a family or as an individual? If as an individual, I can understand the reason for rejection. Are you receiving a housing allowance/furnished house by you or your wife's employer? if No, I don't understand why you are still paying rent after 11 years. With your combined income a condo purchase would seem reasonable. So, they might look at that as a negative (while it's not normally considered a positive) because you haven't started planting roots here after decade. If one of you makes 2/3's of the income of the family unit, they may also see it as a flight risk at the first offer of say 30~50K/pa We don't really have enough detail to give you anything more detailed.

[Ind28]

Thx a lot for your response… info asked by you is as below :
- my kids are Indian, though my daughter is born in singapore but there is no option to get citizenship of SG by birth

- I have always applied with family

- didn’t buy condo here because :
A. The family income has reached to current levels after 11 yrs of working, it was not at these levels thruout.

B. As of now the stamp duty is 19-20% for foreigners, which is huge, plus bank loan % is also reduced … it’s a huge risk for me to spend all my savings in buying house here when my resident status is temporary

[Ignorant1]

Thx a lot for your response… info asked by you is as below :
- my kids are Indian, though my daughter is born in singapore but there is no option to get citizenship of SG by birth

- I have always applied with family

- didn’t buy condo here because :
A. The family income has reached to current levels after 11 yrs of working, it was not at these levels thruout.

B. As of now the stamp duty is 19-20% for foreigners, which is huge, plus bank loan % is also reduced … it’s a huge risk for me to spend all my savings in buying house here when my resident status is temporary

Hi Ind28 . Can I check if

1) your family moved with you to Singapore ? That is wife and son also have spent 11 years in Singapore?

2)I understand that you have high income but is the fixed component also High ? Maybe around around 15k/ month . ( I know quite a few cases where bonus / commissions make up 70% of the income )

3) are you staying in areas which has more Indian expats ? Like costa Rhu etc ? And have been staying for better part of 11 years ?

[Ind28]

Response :

Point 1: yes family moved with me, wife got her Job aft r 6 months .. so she is also been working for 10.5 yrs

Point 2: yes fixed is high and 50% of total income

Point 3: yes I live in east side of singapore, Indian expats are more here, but then it’s due to proximity to my kids school.

[lot286]

You should read SMS's comments carefully and take heed. You'd applied 6x over 10 years and the govenrment has sent you a clear message except you are not understanding the message.

[Ignorant1]

Response :

Point 1: yes family moved with me, wife got her Job aft r 6 months .. so she is also been working for 10.5 yrs

Point 2: yes fixed is high and 50% of total income

Point 3: yes I live in east side of singapore, Indian expats are more here, but then it’s due to proximity to my kids school.

I am guessing they looked at "integration" as factor . Its something that is not easy to show on papers. I wish you luck.

[Ind28]

You should read SMS's comments carefully and take heed. You'd applied 6x over 10 years and the govenrment has sent you a clear message except you are not understanding the message.

Exactly that’s what I came here to understand…. Though I don’t much options but to try my luck again …

[Ind28]

Response :

Point 1: yes family moved with me, wife got her Job aft r 6 months .. so she is also been working for 10.5 yrs

Point 2: yes fixed is high and 50% of total income

Point 3: yes I live in east side of singapore, Indian expats are more here, but then it’s due to proximity to my kids school.

I am guessing they looked at "integration" as factor . Its something that is not easy to show on papers. I wish you luck.

Yes, can’t prove it on papers …
Thx for your wishes

[Max Headroom]

My guess is that if you take that stamp duty on the chin, wait at least one year, then reapply, your odds go up commensurately.

It is a serious premium sure, but you can turn it around, ask yourself, if you're willing to fork it over, what does that say about your commitment to Singapore?

Plus, if you do stay here long-term, your property will likely be in the green when you finally do sell, stamp duty and all.

The balance will be the quota thing, if indeed it exists. But post-Covid, there may be less pressure to keep the PR numbers in check.

[Ind28]

My guess is that if you take that stamp duty on the chin, wait at least one year, then reapply, your odds go up commensurately.

It is a serious premium sure, but you can turn it around, ask yourself, if you're willing to fork it over, what does that say about your commitment to Singapore?

Plus, if you do stay here long-term, your property will likely be in the green when you finally do sell, stamp duty and all.

The balance will be the quota thing, if indeed it exists. But post-Covid, there may be less pressure to keep the PR numbers in check.

Thx a lot Max … I do think on same lines

[the observer]

Let’s face it, even with the PR, there’s little chance of you putting your kids in a neighborhood school, especially since they’re now in uwc or tanglin trust or the likes. Why settle for tanjong something primary instead of a coveted private school?

So there’s absolutely negligible integration, now and in the future. I think buying the hse would serve the commitment angle, but not on integrating.

And they’re reserving PRs for citizenship material folks, especially with the fertility rate turning more dire. So I would presume, your biggest bugbear is your ethnic enclave that you currently live in.

[Ind28]

Let’s face it, even with the PR, there’s little chance of you putting your kids in a neighborhood school, especially since they’re now in uwc or tanglin trust or the likes. Why settle for tanjong something primary instead of a coveted private school?

So there’s absolutely negligible integration, now and in the future. I think buying the hse would serve the commitment angle, but not on integrating.

And they’re reserving PRs for citizenship material folks, especially with the fertility rate turning more dire. So I would presume, your biggest bugbear is your ethnic enclave that you currently live in.

Let me share some more info on this :

- my son and daughter’s second language is always been mandarin, they have cleared all YCT levels and can speak, read and write mandarin. There are 7 certificates among them which they got from school or Pvt exams on their mandarin skills

- when my son started primary education, we tried for local school but it was rejected as no vacancy for foreigners, so we have to opt for International School

- daughter is in local kindergarten, will try for her in local when she comes to primary, not sure if we will get one or not

I agree that residence in east side for last 10 yrs is not seen as integration factor … but that’s not true …

[the observer]

Chicken and egg situation. Even I would be appalled if it comes to me. A choice between a better private school or an average-ish neighborhood gahmen school. Any logical sane person would choose the better one. More so, when the gahmen knows you can truly afford it.

However, if you have a lesser income, it’s a different proposition altogether. And mind you, the possibility for citizens to send their kids to International Schools even if they can afford it is close to nought.
That’s because they have written lots and lots about how national education can foster a common identity. Etc etc

As for the hood you live in, it’s self explanatory.
The gahmen has taken great pains to impose ethnic quotas in hdbs, because they firmly believe that it helps with integrating. I emphasize that they Firmly believe.