AstaMao wrote:Hi!
My boyfriend and I have been together for almost 8 years now and he's finally making the move to Singapore. Initially I thought it would be quite straightforward, he get a job and we can get married but he did some research and found out that WP holders must get permission before marrying!
I've browsed through some of the past replies here and this has been confirmed. He has not applied for any jobs in Singapore yet and does not have or ever had a WP.
So he is a Malaysian and you're a Singaporean?
We're a bit lost now as to what would be the next best steps because his highest qualification is SPM so likely his work pass would be a WP. I'm a graduate from NUS holding a stable job $40k per annum, not sure if this would be sustainable to support a family in the eyes of the govt.
Only if he HOLDS the WP that he should apply for permission. He can still marry you as a foreigner. He can come on visitor pass, do ROM here with you and either return to Malaysia once his visitor pass is up, or remain here on LTVP if he can score it. Putting LTVP aside, he can still try to apply jobs as a married man registered in Singapore but his status as Malaysian will still remain.
If we were to get married before he got a WP, would that have any hidden implications? I read that it doesn't guarantee PR. How about any implications on him getting a pass or job in the future or somehow breaking the rules of WP if he gets one in the future?
Married before given a WP? Usually it is the other way round that the permission needs to be sought. Not sure about this case though. Needs others to give input about this.
Another question about the passes, if we were to get married and as he won't be able to apply for PR yet (or no guarantee to get PR) I'm guessing LTVP would be the way to go. I would think LTVP and WP are two separate things and he would still require a WP at the very least to continue working in Singapore?
Only if he gets to secure an employment. Until then LTVP is the way to go. But the challenge of whether his LTVP application will be approved is still there. By the way, LTVP holders cannot work. So if he wants to work, he'd better secure his own employment.
He wants to go down personally to MOM and ICA to clarify some of the doubts and questions we have, would that be the best way to go? MOM in particular has a few service centres, not sure if we'd get any answers just by going down like that!
The website is good enough. Maybe the office will be willing to help if you come in person to ask.
Thanks.
There was a similar notice from ROM when we got married 3-odd years ago. That marriage would not enhance any chances of PR. I remember finding it rather distastefully presumptuous.sundaymorningstaple wrote: You are correct that marriage does NOT give him any additional points in securing employment here.
LTVP takes a few weeks in my experience. It can all be done online except the final stage. There's a fair bit of paperwork involved.AstaMao wrote:Hi guys thanks for the replies, gives us a much clearer idea of what we should do.
So I understand that if we were to marry in Singapore (I'm Singaporean and he's Malaysian), in the same way that our marriage does not increase his chances of getting a job, it also does not reduce his chances of getting a job. And we wouldn't be breaking any rules as long as he doesn't have a WP.
I guess the part about them telling you upfront that the marriage doesn't increase chances of a job/pr is like telling you it's a risk that you have to take going into this marriage.
Do you know typically how long does the LTVP take to process? If in the future he has or had an LTVP, it shouldn't affect his chances of getting PR?
Thanks!
I did ask the Officer that if he was married to a Singaporean, couldn't he just look for a job and get a WP as a visitor. He said no and that he must have an LTVP. I then asked so if he doesn't get an LTVP he can never get a job here and he said Yes. Either this officer has misinformed me or my ears are playing tricks on me. This is getting very confusingsundaymorningstaple wrote:I think you are confused by what the MOM person told you. If you marry first, he doesn't need to apply for an LTVP to look for work. He can come here initially on a normal SVP and start his job search while applying for the LTVP (you would be the sponsor so a lot is dependent on your income - 3K is about the absolute minimum so it will be dicey). For him to get a WP he would have to a) find somebody willing to employ him; and b) hope the company has quota to hire foreigners on WPs. (tricky sometimes - depending on the industries - some have higher quotas than others). The levy is ALWAYS paid for by the employer, not the employee. Any company that tries to do that is shafting the employee and all doing something highly illegal.
It's always possible that he could find something before his SVP runs out.
That' a real win as it means he will not be part of his employers quota! Make sure he tells prospective employers this!AstaMao wrote:I posted the same question to them via the website and an officer called me back yesterday. She said that he would not require an LTVP to apply for a work permit and the only difference if he did have an LTVP when applying for a WP is that the employer would not be placing him under the foreign quota and would not need to pay levy.
Anyhow it doesn't affect the person applying for the job so all's good I guess!
Now we'll just have to wait for some wedding bells!
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