Entrepass likelihood

[ukdesigner]

Hi all,

need to ask another question. A bit of background info first though..

I am a graphic designer and am self taught. I have a good set of reliable and contracted clients who are on monthly retainers, providing me a guaranteed monthly income.

I am looking to move to Singapore and rebuild my business. I had a limited company with 3 staff but had to liquidate it due to one client going bust on me for £20,000!! Nice!! Anyway, I have managed to keep all my other clients who have all agreed that if I move that they will continue to do business with me.

I have prepared my business plan, done realistic projections and hope to have 3 members of staff within 2 years. I am a little cautious after that bad experience and would rather grow steadily rather over stretch myself.

Anway. My question is. What is the likelihood of my application being approved? I intially would work from home until I have built up some new clients in Singapore and I also have a contact in Indonesia who have also agreed to do work with me. I have included copies of contracts and letters from clients in my application as I thought that would help.

I am now getting very nervous about the application as I have had enough of the Uk and want to build a new life in Singapore.

Any advice from the 'wise ones' would be appreciated.

Also would anyone help me in providing an address in Singapore to use as a corespondence address for my application?

Thanks.

[Plavt]

Have you read this?;

http://www.singaporeexpats.com/forum/ftopic38927.html

[need-entrepass]

check my thread at :

http://www.singaporeexpats.com/forum/ftopic39861.html

i decided to mail it here from USA, just mailed it on the 5th. i didnot write my address in sg because i dont have one either. i asked them to mail back the replies to here in the usa. i dont know IF i will ever get a reply from them or whether the package will be Lost.

i'll let u know once i receive something from them.

thanks

[sundaymorningstaple]

The odds are that you will not get a reply. Singapore is a bit of a stickler about crossing the t's and dotting the i's. If you cannot follow their directions with regard on how to submit (printed in simple English). The odds of them caring about individuals or potential companies that cannot follow regulations.......

Good luck. I believe Strong Eagle also comments about the necessity of following their guidelines (and he is a successful entrePass holder twice over.

[ukdesigner]

Thanks for the replies.

Yes I did read the other post but I wanted clarification on the 'out of country' bit.

To summarise that if you don't know anybody in singapore then you either have to use one of the local companies to sort your application out for you (which is very expensive) or come over and wait or don't bother.

Why can't it be communicated through their own high commission in London. They've told me it doesn't matter that I am out of the country. They were happy about the fact that I was bringing UK & International business into Singapore.

I have a business already going and to tell my clients 'oh sorry can't work for you for about 6 weeks as I have to hang around singapore' just ain't gonna cut it. They run a business as I do and lost time is money and we all need to make money.

Not sure what the answer is. Can I set-up a PO Box that gets re-directed to the UK? I've checked out Singpost and it doesn't say. Hopefully those that have lived in Singapore might have a better idea.

[Strong Eagle]

To summarise that if you don't know anybody in singapore then you either have to use one of the local companies to sort your application out for you (which is very expensive) or come over and wait or don't bother.

Well, it is not "real expensive". For about S$1,500 you can have a Singapore company set up with a nominee director, a secretary (which also acts as your local addess) and the expertise to insure you have all the necessary paperwork filed.

One key element of business successful is developing plans and tactics that address reality, not how you would like it to be. The rules may seem odd, irrational, and silly but they are the rules. You will best serve your interests by doing those things necessary to follow the rules.

Setting up a company here is a brezze compared to other places. I'm trying to get one going in Thailand right now. It involves multiple trips to Bangkok, multiple interviews with multiple bureaucrats and a shifting morass of regulations that are so opaque it is difficult to know what to do.

As SMS pointed out, your application will be processed by government bureaucrats. They have absolutely nothing to gain by breaking the rules and won't do it.

As I stated in other responses I requested mailings to a US address but it never happened and I have not seen it happen. This is reality.

need-entrepass decided to buck the system instead of spending some money to get an address and a presence here. I shall be surprised if he gets anywhere and do hope that he reports on his progress.

[Strong Eagle]

Hi all,

need to ask another question. A bit of background info first though..

I am a graphic designer and am self taught. I have a good set of reliable and contracted clients who are on monthly retainers, providing me a guaranteed monthly income.

I am looking to move to Singapore and rebuild my business. I had a limited company with 3 staff but had to liquidate it due to one client going bust on me for £20,000!! Nice!! Anyway, I have managed to keep all my other clients who have all agreed that if I move that they will continue to do business with me.

I have prepared my business plan, done realistic projections and hope to have 3 members of staff within 2 years. I am a little cautious after that bad experience and would rather grow steadily rather over stretch myself.

Anway. My question is. What is the likelihood of my application being approved? I intially would work from home until I have built up some new clients in Singapore and I also have a contact in Indonesia who have also agreed to do work with me. I have included copies of contracts and letters from clients in my application as I thought that would help.

I am now getting very nervous about the application as I have had enough of the Uk and want to build a new life in Singapore.

Any advice from the 'wise ones' would be appreciated.

Also would anyone help me in providing an address in Singapore to use as a corespondence address for my application?

Thanks.

When you say "work at home" do you mean in Singapore?

Working from home is not a problem... I know several that do that.

Contracts are always a plus as the suggest an initial higher probability of success.

What type of business entity are you going to establish in Singapore?

[need-entrepass]

yes, i will report back IF i receive a reply from them lol...

i dont understnad why they are so robot like. even when i emailed mom , their answer is like copy & paste from their website. wth ? i emailed them 4 freaking times. and yet i got 4 freaking same stupid answer hahaha.

entrepass is ... bla bla bla..., "pay over the counter" bla bla bla...

good lord

oh well, if i dont get it, i'll just illegally enter the country... LOL... jk. maybe i'll try LPR if this doesnot work. but i hope they will get my application...

cheers

rudy

[ukdesigner]

Its a graphic design company.

I design press ads, brochures, marketing literature etc etc.

I've been doing it for about 9 years now, but the market in the UK is getting squeezed! Everyone who has a PC thinks they're a designer. Plus peole don't want to pay the money for it. I've invested thousands of pounds in equipment and software and naturally my knowledge but they think i'll design a brochure for £100!! In their dreams more like. My girlfriend works for a company in Indonesia and I have doing work for them so there might be some work there.

I have contracts already and clients who are very well established and have been with me since the beginning so they have agreed to come with me. Luckily they embrace technology so video chats and skype etc etc is all good for them as it is for me. I also have letters from other clients who are less frequent saying that they will continue to use my services and naturally I want to gain new clients in Singapore.

Someone has emailed me offering to use their address so I can send of my application to them and they will process it for me, hopefully.

[Strong Eagle]

Its a graphic design company.

I design press ads, brochures, marketing literature etc etc.

I've been doing it for about 9 years now, but the market in the UK is getting squeezed! Everyone who has a PC thinks they're a designer. Plus peole don't want to pay the money for it. I've invested thousands of pounds in equipment and software and naturally my knowledge but they think i'll design a brochure for £100!! In their dreams more like. My girlfriend works for a company in Indonesia and I have doing work for them so there might be some work there.

I have contracts already and clients who are very well established and have been with me since the beginning so they have agreed to come with me. Luckily they embrace technology so video chats and skype etc etc is all good for them as it is for me. I also have letters from other clients who are less frequent saying that they will continue to use my services and naturally I want to gain new clients in Singapore.

Someone has emailed me offering to use their address so I can send of my application to them and they will process it for me, hopefully.

I'd say you are in pretty good shape then. A local address solves your MOM communications problems and from the description of your business I'd say you'll get in... of course... that is mere opinion.

Best of luck to you.

[ukdesigner]

I do hope so and as you are the wise one on this forum I think your opinion counts for alot.

I'll keep you posted as to what happens next.

[ukdesigner]

Just a thought.... do you know of any serviced offices that might provide a mailbox service.

I could always use their address and have mail re-directed to me here in the UK.

Thanks again.

[sundaymorningstaple]

I have not used them personally, but they seem to be pretty well known in the past few years so you may want to give them a call (seems like a full service package though).

http://www...com/

http://www.virtualoffice.com.sg/new/index.php

There are a number of serviced offices here in Singapore.

http://www.singaporeexpats.com/singapor ... ffices.htm

[ksl]

Just a thought.... do you know of any serviced offices that might provide a mailbox service.

I could always use their address and have mail re-directed to me here in the UK.

Thanks again.

I believe you have an execellent opportunity to recruit large Companies from Taiwan and China, especially for their yearly expo's, also here in Singapore! Most of their sales material is so poor, it's a joke!

How they expect to make network connections or sales, when they have been so unprofessional, to host their very poor English websites, and advertise in such poor English, that it is really a guessing game, if one can read their sales material or not!

Although you probably need a fluent Chinese person to convince them of their major blunder in branding their images at exhibitions!

I helped a few out myself, when I worked in Taiwan, sales material is very important, and it will cost them sales, if the grammar, is incorrect! Also in Singapore!

Best of luck!

[need-entrepass]

they emailed me saying they got my applicaiton. and issued me a FIN.

Hi Rudy,

Please find attached a scanned letter acknowledging the receipt of your application. The letter also shows the Foreign Identification Number (FIN) that has been assigned to you.

so its ok to send entrepass from abroad. just put $40 in it. i mailed to singpost at orchard.

thanks

rudy