hllowrld wrote: ↑Tue, 02 May 2023 5:10 am
This is my first post so please bear with me.
I am a Canadian citizen who is in the middle of a career change. The two choices are between a decent position in Canada vs. a more exciting position in Singapore (much higher salary). I expect both of these moves to be permanent. Both my partner and I can secure good jobs in Singapore. I was initially very excited about coming to Singapore, but grew more concerned as I started to research what it would be like to permanently relocate. Several friends told me to read this forum to learn more about living in Singapore as an expat. I was wondering if you'd be willing to share your experience with permanent relocation to Singapore.
I understand some of the pros and cons of living in Singapore. For the pros: it is very safe. The education system is good. The food is amazing. Public infrastructure is sound. For the cons: it is very hot. It is very small so one may get bored after a while. It's a resource-constraint country, and as a consequence there are racial tensions, citizen-vs-non citizen tensions, fluctuating immigration policies etc. However, I am not sure who these affect someone looking to permanently relocate and start a family in the long run.
For instance, one of my primary concerns right now is how our parents can move to live with us after they retire. While I am confident that we will be able to obtain PR and possibly citizenship (but I'm not sure I want to give up my Canadian citizenship), I do not see a straightforward way to obtain means for our parents to live with us post retirement. Have you faced similar considerations? How did you solve this issue? It seems like one way to go is to apply for LTVP. However it seems like the LTVP decisions (e.g. whether it gets approved/renewed, how long it's offered) are not very reliable, especially if there is no baby grandkid to care for.
As a person born in Canada, I can tell you that I much preferred the warm climate of Singapore over the long and cold winters in Canada. Unless, of course, you live in Vancouver right now. Singapore is not "very hot"... it gets quite a bit hotter here in Houston, TX than it does in Singapore. If living in Singapore, you'd come to enjoy sitting outside at the many eateries for a pleasant evening meal. We took all our meals on our open lanai at home. It's one of the things I miss most about Singapore.
I hope you really do have your spouse's employment lined up already because trailing spouses often have a very difficult time finding a job. The vast majority of employment passes are issued to companies who are transferring in their personnel. There are many stories in these forums (and more stories that have been related to me) of people who thought they would come to Singapore and find a job, only to find out that even after months of searching, they came up empty-handed. The companies don't want you. That's a fact. And if your spouse, does get a job through a work permit tied to your employment pass, you can bet it will be more menial in nature and lower paying. It doesn't matter what she/he has in the way of credentials or experience... it won't matter.
The cost of living is high in Singapore and climbing because of increased rents (which affect the prices of all other goods because the shops are getting raped by the landlords as well). Singapore may have great schools but your children won't be able to get into them. Therefore, you'll need that substantial salary to pay for very high rents, and tuition that, for the Singapore American School, ranges between $35,000 and $50,000 per year, per child. That Honda Civic that you bought in Canada for $25,000 will cost you $150,000 in Singapore. This website is not entirely accurate but will give you some sense of the differentials.
But as others have said, the giant elephant in the room is your ability to stay in Singapore long term. You may rest assured that the "permanent" in Singapore PR isn't really permanent at all. You must renew it every five years, and renewal is based upon your ability to support yourself. Retirement in Singapore will be very iffy unless you have a large barrel of money that guarantees you can live your life and pay for all your medical expenses. Singapore has a very great fear that PR's might become wards of the state. You haven't stated your ethnicity but I'd bet money that your chances are very low, the chances of you being able to bring your parents over on a long term pass are close to nil. Unlike Canada, with national health coverage, you will have to pay and pay in Singapore.
I lived and ran my own company in Singapore for eight years. It was a grand adventure. But when push comes to shove, it wasn't a realistic place for me to retire. Too many uncertainties. And too high a cost of living for retirement in the long run... unless you really do have a big barrel of money.
