Forced to live in Singapore

[ozchick]

I have a friend who holds a passport from another country. Her 3 children have the same passport. She's been told by the courts that she's not allowed relocate to her native country. I find this extraordinary. Her ex-husband is also from her native country and has pursued legal action to the enth degree to keep the kids here just because he works here.
He also holds the same passport as his family. None of them are Singaporeans. She only came here for his work situation. Now 6 years later she's not allowed to leave, though her entire extended family lives in her home country. Something is very wrong here. Two of the kids weren't even born here. I am stunned that such a thing can happen. Something is very wrong here. The court will only allow her to go when the kids are old enough to make a permanent decision. What THE?!

[Bafana]

Very interesting story - The women charter is very strong in Singapore.

Are they still living together? Is there some other back story at play?

Courts usually go with the mother so there must be a reason for this.

[Wind In My Hair]

Sounds complicated. The only reason I can think of when a person needs permission to leave the country is when he is an undischarged bankrupt. Without any specifics I can only speculate on a few possible explanations.

Perhaps the parents have joint custody and if she is thinking of re-locating with the children and the ex-husband objects then it is the children who have to stay, not her, though she may feel compelled to stay to be with the kids.

Or the children and her share the exact same passport as one entity, and because the children are not allowed to leave, the passport has been held and therefore because it is exactly the same passport, she cannot leave either. If this is the case she may have to talk to her embassy to apply for separate passports.

Another possibility is that their joint assets have been frozen pending a court order on how these are to be divided, and she is required to stay until the assets have been satisfactorily liquidated.

Some countries also require their own citizens to apply for a visa before returning (I think Taiwan is one) and it could be that the problem is on the home country front and not the Singapore front.

I cannot see why the immigration authorities here would want to keep her since it sounds like she came on a dependent pass based on her husband's job, and if anything a divorce would result in her having no official reason to stay in Singapore and I would think it more likely that she have to leave than stay.

Anyway, there are too few details to make an intelligent guess, but these are some possibilities that came to mind.

[ozchick]

Sounds complicated. The only reason I can think of when a person needs permission to leave the country is when he is an undischarged bankrupt. Without any specifics I can only speculate on a few possible explanations.

Perhaps the parents have joint custody and if she is thinking of re-locating with the children and the ex-husband objects then it is the children who have to stay, not her, though she may feel compelled to stay to be with the kids.

Or the children and her share the exact same passport as one entity, and because the children are not allowed to leave, the passport has been held and therefore because it is exactly the same passport, she cannot leave either. If this is the case she may have to talk to her embassy to apply for separate passports.

Another possibility is that their joint assets have been frozen pending a court order on how these are to be divided, and she is required to stay until the assets have been satisfactorily liquidated.

Some countries also require their own citizens to apply for a visa before returning (I think Taiwan is one) and it could be that the problem is on the home country front and not the Singapore front.

I cannot see why the immigration authorities here would want to keep her since it sounds like she came on a dependent pass based on her husband's job, and if anything a divorce would result in her having no official reason to stay in Singapore and I would think it more likely that she have to leave than stay.

Anyway, there are too few details to make an intelligent guess, but these are some possibilities that came to mind.

Sorry W.I.M.H. Yeah there is joint custody...so that's the snag huh? Why doesn't the Sg court tell them to all pack up their bags and go home. The ex husband is loaded and can get a job back in their home country. The rooster reckons that there maybe some kind of financial kickback or 'boys club' is going on. I just reckon it stinks.

[Bafana]

Know your very impassioned with this but got to raise the obvious point.

Why should they send them all home? Whose rights are greater? The husbadnsa or the wifes?

In my mind the kids rights are most important and that's why I suspect a court will need to look into the matter in greater detail before deciding eitehr way. Everyone should be held innocent until proven guilty even the guilty otherwsie where is the equality of law?

[sundaymorningstaple]

otherwsie where is the equality of law?

We're in Singapore remember? Equality of law? Guess that would depend on your family surname

[hibri2]

removed

[Wind In My Hair]

These cases are never clear cut. Generally, the kids are already having to adjust to a major upheaval in their lives - the parents' divorce. Asking them to go through a relocation at the same time may be asking too much. There is some wisdom to the advice that you should not make more than one major life change at a time.

[hibri2]

removed

[Wind In My Hair]

as you know, Wind In My Hair...

No, I don't know. This intimacy seems to be one-way as I cannot claim to understand you at all.

[hibri2]

as you know, Wind In My Hair...

No, I don't know. This intimacy seems to be one-way as I cannot claim to understand you at all.

intimacy?

wao! you lost me there, just agreeing with you on your main point and expressing one point of my own after it.

dont know what you took for intimacy as im simply directing my post to you, "as you know" does not necessarily implies that you know, its a (well known) figure of speech.

anyway, considering that you seem to have taken this completely out of context, i will better edit it.

[ksl]

No need to fan the flames, so i have zapped the post! It's the new me!

Being bipolar is like riding a roller coaster: scary and exciting

Nice quote! Although it is an illness too is it not?

[Vaucluse]

Know your very impassioned with this but got to raise the obvious point.

Why should they send them all home? Whose rights are greater? The husbadnsa or the wifes?

In my mind the kids rights are most important and that's why I suspect a court will need to look into the matter in greater detail before deciding eitehr way. Everyone should be held innocent until proven guilty even the guilty otherwsie where is the equality of law?

Women's charter . . blah blah blah

If the children are under joint custody then one parent cannot make such important decisions unilaterally . . . and why should they anyway.

What if the husband decided he wanted to take the children to Mongolia and the wife didn't want to go . . . should he have the right to separate the kids from the mother? Of course not.

Why the double standard?

[Bafana]

Did I do something to offend?

Agree with what you are saying and I was merely pointing out that the womans carter in Singapore is a strong entity.

[Vaucluse]

Nope, agreeing with you, I probably didn't word it well enough. Sorry.