complicated circumstances

[kiwi annie]

I am maybe in an unusual situation.

I have been offered a job by a US radiology equipment firm as an "applications specialist" looking after clients in the asia-pacific region. Originally it was to be based out of New Zealand but this fell through and the alternative is to work out of Singapore. I would love to be based in Spore but have a few questions.

Will I be able to get an employment pass as my employer isn't a local firm?

As I will be working all over the place how will the constant travel affect my taxation status?

Is it possible to pick up locum radiography work in Singapore and does anyone know what the registration requirements are? It is very strict here in NZ and I would like to be able to retain my practicing certificate by doing a certain amount of clinical work on a causal basis

I would really appreciate any advise

[riversandlakes]

The details are unique, but not the story

Any Singapore-registered business can sponsor a foreigner to work here, up to certain quotas. It doesn't have to be home-grown, of course.
Why worry about your first question, when the firm is supposed to apply the EP on your behalf, and you must have it approved before starting work.

On whether there's double-taxation or not, please visit www.iras.gov.sg where luckily Malaysians don't get it

I think the best resource for your 3rd Q is www.mom.gov.sg itself.

[kiwi annie]

Thank you. The company doesn't have a presence in Singapore, its regional office is Hong Kong which holds no appeal as a place to live. Does this make things harder re an employment pass?
I have had a good surf around including the Singapore Radiographers Society site but can find little info on the radiography situation. I have good experience in all types of general x-ray, mammography and some CT but am only interested in occasional casual work for when I am not away with the main job. It seems a shame to waste my skills as internationally, radiographers are highly sought after.

Merry Christmas everyone

[riversandlakes]

On Q1, which firm then will sponsor your EP?

[kiwi annie]

Yep, thats what I am worried about. Fundamentally I would only be working "from" Spore, not for a Singaporean registered company. There is heaps of travel involved and probably only in town, so to speak, about 25% of the time.
But without EP I don't think I can open a bank account, rent an apartment which could all be a bit hard. A bit baffled at this point

[k1w1]

Hi Annie,

So are you going to be working for a US company that wants you to travel throughout Asia, but live here in SG - without working here? Will you actually be doing any work here at all or just living here? If you don't have an EP, I don't know how you will be able to get anything sorted out (like an apartment, phone etc). A bank account would be possible by getting a global debit card and just having the account opened somewhere else. I think the only way around the EP would be to set up your own business and apply for an Entre-pass. Sounds like your company wants someone to be here, so they might want to look at that? One more issue with the EP is that you're only allowed to work for the company that sponsors you, so locum work would be difficult.

Living here might be possible on a LTSVP (Long-Term Social Visit Pass) if you don't actually earn any money on SG land. This pass lets you live here, but not earn any money. (It's usually for people's foreign dependant's who come to stay with them in Singapore.) Although I am pretty sure that this would require a local sponsor... though I could be wrong.

Why isn't your company asking all these questions? Surely if they want you to be here, they should find a way to get that sorted...

[riversandlakes]

If your firm wants you to work FROM here without them setting up a firm here, I truly wonder how that works...

[Harsha]

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