Singaporeans coming home?

[JWNYsg]

Actually anecdotal evidence suggests just the opposite with the exception of Malaysias. Girls from Thailand, Philippines, VN & PRCs have a harder time as there are so many working girls who come from those countries, that ICA really goes over them with a fine tooth comb. Too many senior guys have lost their CPF to some of these women. Granted I sure this is not the case here as the marriage has been ongoing and they have been married for a couple of years already and living in her country. But there have been lots of cases where guys have gone to those countries and married and tried to bring the new brides back to Singapore. And subsequently had major problems. This is also one of the reasons that girls working here on WPs have to get permission from the MOM to marry here. If they don't, they'll be given a 1 yr ltvp if pregnant, and then shipped back to their home country but by allowing the birth here, the father, (if they got married), will have his name on the BC and the child will be given SGC. But at the end of the woman's LTVP they will not renew it. I know this first hand as my nephew fell into that trap with a Pinoy woman. The baby is now 14 years old and has been living with me for the last 13 of them. Don't ask about the worthless P.O.S. nephew.

Thanks for sharing. A bit worried about the cabin fever (which is everywhere in Asia)

Still deliberating and will not leave until wife is comfortable to leap.

[JWNYsg]

Actually anecdotal evidence suggests just the opposite with the exception of Malaysias. Girls from Thailand, Philippines, VN & PRCs have a harder time as there are so many working girls who come from those countries, that ICA really goes over them with a fine tooth comb. Too many senior guys have lost their CPF to some of these women. Granted I sure this is not the case here as the marriage has been ongoing and they have been married for a couple of years already and living in her country. But there have been lots of cases where guys have gone to those countries and married and tried to bring the new brides back to Singapore. And subsequently had major problems. This is also one of the reasons that girls working here on WPs have to get permission from the MOM to marry here. If they don't, they'll be given a 1 yr ltvp if pregnant, and then shipped back to their home country but by allowing the birth here, the father, (if they got married), will have his name on the BC and the child will be given SGC. But at the end of the woman's LTVP they will not renew it. I know this first hand as my nephew fell into that trap with a Pinoy woman. The baby is now 14 years old and has been living with me for the last 13 of them. Don't ask about the worthless P.O.S. nephew.

SMS, if I'm not wrong, the usual red flags are when the Singaporean male in question is in the low income category.

On the other hand, I have heard of a couple of cases where the men were mid to high income and didn't have issues for PR for their Vietnamese wives.

I have three live stories to share

1st scenario. Male friend earning decent money. Let’s say 6k a month. Wife from HK not very educated (no degree or diploma) they do not plan to have kids. Been in Singapore maybe 7-8 years and she is a homemaker. Best she has gotten is LTSVP+

2nd scenario. Male friend earning normal salary. 3-4k monthly. Wife from Thailand with a degree. She was a teacher previously. Been in Singapore 3-4 years. They have a son. Her PR was approved after my friend seek his MP to write letter on her behalf

3rd scenario. Male friend spearmint decent salary. I estimate 7-8k a month. Wife from China. Not sure about her education background. They have a daughter. She has PR already for some time. They’ve probably been married and living in Singapore for a decade

Sure it’s a bit stringent now but with the right criteria wouldn’t rule possibility out

By the way guys, I have no intention of asking PR for my wife. I just want her by my side if I relocate back. Neither do I want her to work or whatever. We will make do with whatever I earn

[smoulder]

I have three live stories to share

1st scenario. Male friend earning decent money. Let’s say 6k a month. Wife from HK not very educated (no degree or diploma) they do not plan to have kids. Been in Singapore maybe 7-8 years and she is a homemaker. Best she has gotten is LTSVP+

2nd scenario. Male friend earning normal salary. 3-4k monthly. Wife from Thailand with a degree. She was a teacher previously. Been in Singapore 3-4 years. They have a son. Her PR was approved after my friend seek his MP to write letter on her behalf

3rd scenario. Male friend spearmint decent salary. I estimate 7-8k a month. Wife from China. Not sure about her education background. They have a daughter. She has PR already for some time. They’ve probably been married and living in Singapore for a decade

Sure it’s a bit stringent now but with the right criteria wouldn’t rule possibility out

By the way guys, I have no intention of asking PR for my wife. I just want her by my side if I relocate back. Neither do I want her to work or whatever. We will make do with whatever I earn

The 2 cases that I know of - the men earn in the 180 to 200k /year range.

Anyway, it might be worth a shot to try for a PR. I'm sure there are more benefits than not being one.

[Lisafuller]

I think it would be easier for you to assimilate than your wife since its your home country and you have family in Singapore. But there is quite a lot of Thai people here as well..and thai food, products etc are pretty common. I think her basic English proficiency should able to get by.

I think one of the plus points of Thailand is food is cheaper and property is cheaper...cost of living is much lower, compared to Singapore where everything is getting very expensive, food, cars, properties. But again, maybe that can be offset with your lower taxes than in Thailand in some ways.

Agree, although basic english proficiency is technically enough to get by, it will be difficult to assimilate since the language barrier will be so prominent.

Yes I would need to find ways to make her feel comfortable

In Thailand I’m quite by myself a lot and occasionally meet Singaporean friends. Never felt out of place per se

Just want my wife to feel the same

People here are generally very accepting and will make an effort to converse with her assuming she is willing to do the same. Just like anywhere else, she should become comfortable over time, just have to be patient.

[JWNYsg]

Hi everyone. Hope all of you are well.

Just an update from my side. Had a horrid time after my last post.

I was struck with Covid during my time in Thailand unfortunately around august. That was the worst wave. Daily cases were 20-30k a day. After recovery PCR tests in September to October still showed positive due to my previous Covid condition so I couldn’t fly back.

Wrote to STO and managed to get a PCR exemption for my flight. That negotiation took about a month.

For my wife. Unfortunately she is not vaccinated as she paid a deposit for the Moderna vaccine since July and the first batch of it arrived in Thailand only early November. At this point she’s not going for it as she cannot complete the dosage in time.

I had to apply to STO for an approval via FTL. Thankfully with documents we had like marriage certificate, appeal from my MP, the approval was granted.

I’m now looking forward to head home and start our new lives again.

If anyone is seeking advice on STO regarding Familial Ties Applications do reach out. Thank you

[Lisafuller]

Oh dear, that’s awful. Hope you’re both safe and doing much better.

[JWNYsg]

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you are all keeping well

Just wanted to update everyone. My wife and I have been back in Singapore for almost a month.

From her initial STVP, she just had an approval for an extension for further 60 days.

We are anxiously waiting for her LTVP approval.

Some background:

- we had a successful PME application approved by ICA in 2018 but was not exercised as my Singapore job hunt was not successful. We then got married legally in Thailand.

- when we reached Singapore earlier this month, we applied successfully for a Singapore ROM certificate that shows our legitimate wedding credentials from Thailand since 2018.

- during the LTVP application I chose on behalf of my wife not to be eligible to work (is there a good or bad thing to it?)

- my wife and I do not have children. My wife is above 45 years of age. Would there be a strict requirement to have children for consideration?

- I submitted a certification of employment of my current employer. I started employment almost immediately after I landed. However ICA only asked for payslips or cpf contributions in Singapore locally. There was no option for me to submit details of my Thailand employment previously. Is this an issue?

- my monthly salary is SGD13k

Is there a chance my wife is eligible for the LTVP or LTVP+ (I was not able to choose during the application)

Thank you for reading and await your kind thoughts on her chances.


Other than that my wife although not able to read or write English has been settling in well so far. Food is a major peeve still though.

[malcontent]

I think it would be easier for you to assimilate than your wife since its your home country and you have family in Singapore. But there is quite a lot of Thai people here as well..and thai food, products etc are pretty common. I think her basic English proficiency should able to get by.

I think one of the plus points of Thailand is food is cheaper and property is cheaper...cost of living is much lower, compared to Singapore where everything is getting very expensive, food, cars, properties. But again, maybe that can be offset with your lower taxes than in Thailand in some ways.

Agree, although basic english proficiency is technically enough to get by, it will be difficult to assimilate since the language barrier will be so prominent.

Yes I would need to find ways to make her feel comfortable

In Thailand I’m quite by myself a lot and occasionally meet Singaporean friends. Never felt out of place per se

Just want my wife to feel the same

Even for Thais, I believe as the head of the family you are expected to put your family’s long-term economic well being first and any challenges regarding cultural or social adjustments should be secondary. Most Thais prefer not to leave Thailand and can be quite rigid. The fact that she doesn’t speak good English will make it a challenge. However, the sooner she can start the adjustment, the better. Besides, Thailand is not far away and is a great place to visit! I think you will be just fine.

[JWNYsg]

Agree, although basic english proficiency is technically enough to get by, it will be difficult to assimilate since the language barrier will be so prominent.

Yes I would need to find ways to make her feel comfortable

In Thailand I’m quite by myself a lot and occasionally meet Singaporean friends. Never felt out of place per se

Just want my wife to feel the same

As the head of an Asian family, you are expected to put your family’s long-term economic well being first and any challenges regarding cultural or social adjustments should be secondary.

I understand most Thais prefer not to leave Thailand and can be quite rigid. The fact that she doesn’t speak good English makes it more challenging. However, knowing this, you should also consider that the longer you stay in Thailand the harder it is going to be for her to adjust. In that sense, I would say the sooner the better. If you are 100% certain about moving back, it’s better to start the process sooner than later.

The alternative is to start looking at Thailand as your long-term home where you might eventually retire. That might not be a bad thing. There can be more opportunities there and the cost of living is a huge factor — far more than saving taxes or losing out on CPF.

Hi malcontent,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We have been back for almost a month so far. Fingers crossed, things are going well as we await the LTVP approval

Genuinely, cost of living in Bangkok is almost on par with Singapore in many aspects. Income tax there is extremely high (in my view). I was on local terms there so I would only recommend people who intend to relocate there if they receive expat terms or have big reasons to move like setting up a family. If someone told me they could have a better quality of life in Thailand compared to Singapore…I would be surprised

[malcontent]

Hi malcontent,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We have been back for almost a month so far. Fingers crossed, things are going well as we await the LTVP approval

Genuinely, cost of living in Bangkok is almost on par with Singapore in many aspects. Income tax there is extremely high (in my view). I was on local terms there so I would only recommend people who intend to relocate there if they receive expat terms or have big reasons to move like setting up a family. If someone told me they could have a better quality of life in Thailand compared to Singapore…I would be surprised

Glad to hear JWNYsg. I guess learning English will be the important thing for her. Hopefully she will see it as a positive thing. I believe her LTVP will come through in time.

I follow a quite a few bloggers who have retired in Thailand, and they can live quite well on less than S$2k per month, including good health care coverage. But they live more like a local than an expat.

I can believe living like an expat in Thailand costs more than living like a local in Singapore. In Singapore, it impossible for expats to live like a local, with HDB is off-limits, no CPF and outrageous school fees.

[malcontent]

Other than that my wife although not able to read or write English has been settling in well so far. Food is a major peeve still though.

I had a Thai colleague who said the same, and I tend to agree — Thai food here is not that great and it is overpriced .

One positive development since Covid, NTUC online has introduced quite a few items from the region that were previously unavailable and hard to find outside of ethnic enclaves here.

Some examples of Thai stuff includes Cha Tra Mue to make your own Thai Tea at home (which is what I do) and also Mae Ploy brand curry paste and tom yum paste (I have been buying these as well… really good).

[JWNYsg]

Hi malcontent,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We have been back for almost a month so far. Fingers crossed, things are going well as we await the LTVP approval

Genuinely, cost of living in Bangkok is almost on par with Singapore in many aspects. Income tax there is extremely high (in my view). I was on local terms there so I would only recommend people who intend to relocate there if they receive expat terms or have big reasons to move like setting up a family. If someone told me they could have a better quality of life in Thailand compared to Singapore…I would be surprised

Glad to hear JWNYsg. I guess learning English will be the important thing for her. Hopefully she will see it as a positive thing. I believe her LTVP will come through in time.

I follow a quite a few bloggers who have retired in Thailand, and they can live quite well on less than S$2k per month, including good health care coverage. But they live more like a local than an expat.

I can believe living like an expat in Thailand costs more than living like a local in Singapore. In Singapore, it impossible for expats to live like a local, with HDB is off-limits, no CPF and outrageous school fees.

Yes I agree, if I was above 45 I may not think of coming back.

International schools in Bangkok are more expensive though

[JWNYsg]

Other than that my wife although not able to read or write English has been settling in well so far. Food is a major peeve still though.

I had a Thai colleague who said the same, and I tend to agree — Thai food here is not that great and it is overpriced .

One positive development since Covid, NTUC online has introduced quite a few items from the region that were previously unavailable and hard to find outside of ethnic enclaves here.

Some examples of Thai stuff includes Cha Tra Mue to make your own Thai Tea at home (which is what I do) and also Mae Ploy brand curry paste and tom yum paste (I have been buying these as well… really good).

Recently I had engaged a translator at ROM (they recommended)

She’s been here for more than 30 years. She also commented she couldn’t get use to Singapore food.

Thankfully I eat to live

[sundaymorningstaple]

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you are all keeping well

Just wanted to update everyone. My wife and I have been back in Singapore for almost a month.

How is it that you are still posting from a Thailand ISP?

[JWNYsg]

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you are all keeping well

Just wanted to update everyone. My wife and I have been back in Singapore for almost a month.

How is it that you are still posting from a Thailand ISP?

I don’t know actually. When I started this thread I was in Bangkok. I’m back now. Not an IT person though so I’m not sure how it works