moving to singapore

[daisy]

I am in need of some advice. I am thinking of relocating to singapore and was wondering if i can obtain a visa without securing an emplyer to sponser me ie, securing it on my own so i can be free to look for a jobs . also do u recommend any good recruitment agents.. I am a Registered nurse by profession with a master's degree of commerce majoring in marketing..
thank you..
wanting a change of lifestyle from aust..

[Strong Eagle]

You can enter the country on a social visit pass for a period of 90 days. After that, you can leave and come back and get another 90 days... more, if some are to believed.

You can look for work if you wish but you cannot open a checking account, rent any kind of permanent place etc. You are a tourist.

EP's are granted by the Ministry of Manpower to _companies_ when they can demonstrate they cannot find the needed talent here in Singapore. It is a form of immigration control. You can't just come over and get a job. If you have strong business talents, or possess specialized skills, then probably a company can get an EP for you. If you don't and people here possess equivalent skills, then MoM won't want to grant an EP and the company won't bother to apply for one when they can acquire (usually less expensive) local talent.

[Guest]

thank you for that advice so if i managed to get an EP through a relative who owns a business in Singapore than can i get it and still look for other jobs?

[Guest]

Getting an EP isnt so easy. The company has to show documentation of your background, proving you have extra skills that local talent doesn't have. Plus employers have to pay extra to hire a foreigner over a local. Your relative would be doing a hell lot for you.

[Oriental]

You can look for work if you wish but you cannot open a checking account, rent any kind of permanent place etc. You are a tourist.

´

Not entirely correct.

As a non-resident you can actually open an account with a bank in Singapore. I recently approached Citi Bank with a request to open an account and was directed to their Citi Gold / International Banking office on Orchard Road. It is a great place with private lounge, complimentary drinks and excellent service. In less than 30 minutes my new Singapore Dollar account was opened, supplied with a ATM-card. I had the option for a chequebook as well, but did not need it.

Please bare with me, but I have to let the forum know that Citi Bank, in my opinion, is a 5-star banking establishment.

[Strong Eagle]

thank you for that advice so if i managed to get an EP through a relative who owns a business in Singapore than can i get it and still look for other jobs?

Yes... you could... but you had better have good education credentials and the right skill set. For example, within IT the Sing gov't has focused on project managment and business skills. You could probably get an EP because this is still relatively rarified knowledge in Sing. But, if you are aksing to come over as a web developer, I don't think you have a chance. Sing uni's are turning out increasingly competent, well educated, broad thinking technical specialists, who all want jobs and can qualify for them. If you have some very specialized experience, such as knowing how to install Cisco IP telephony, then you might get an EP.

[Strong Eagle]

Thanks for the info, Oriental. Could come in handy. The primary point I was trying to make to OP is that one cannot live as a citizen on an everyday basis because of the limitations imposed by the system.