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Renewing validity for SPR/Re-entry Permit

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manda
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Renewing validity for SPR/Re-entry Permit

Post by manda » Sat, 10 Jan 2009 3:06 pm

I am an SPR (under the Professionals/Technical Personnel and Skilled Workers (PTS) Scheme) of almost 5 years and am currently going through a job change. The next job is a contract position.

Will I be able to renew the validity of my SPR status and my re-entry permit?

Your input will be much appreciated.

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ksl
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Re: Renewing validity for SPR/Re-entry Permit

Post by ksl » Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:27 pm

manda wrote:I am an SPR (under the Professionals/Technical Personnel and Skilled Workers (PTS) Scheme) of almost 5 years and am currently going through a job change. The next job is a contract position.

Will I be able to renew the validity of my SPR status and my re-entry permit?

Your input will be much appreciated.
Yes i don't see why not, your PR and entry visa is not tied to your position of employment that i know of. How many years are left on it? May be SMS or some of the others know for certain...so don't take my word for it.

No harm is done to contact them and ask you know, they are quite helpful.

Although i have heard a thinning out of expats is going on, but not of PR's that I know of. Sad to say, locals are suffering too, being replaced by cheaper labour from China it appears.

I wish someone could help the locals a little more, a friend of ours, was told she had to work every weekend from now on, and if she didn't like it she could leave, she had been their 8 years, and resigned, she knows they want to replace her with a cheaper employee.

But why should she have to work 2 extra weekends without pay :???: she was just about to apply for PR too. So its getting tough her.

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sundaymorningstaple
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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Sun, 11 Jan 2009 2:25 am

Shouldn't be a problem. As long as you can provide the tax returns to show you are gainfully employed that's all that matters. (I'd wait until I was working again before going fora new re-entry permit though. (I had to do something similar back in 2004 as I was out of work for almost 15 months. A month or two after I started working again, I went and got it renewed for 10 years.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

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Post by banker » Sun, 11 Jan 2009 5:39 am

Since you are already into 5 years, you are able renew your SPR re-entry permit now i.e. generally from 4.5 years onwards. You will not have any problem in renewal.

ICA has changed the renewal process, you no longer required to get it stamped in your passport and you can apply through online.

http://erep.ica.gov.sg/erep/index.do
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ching
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Post by ching » Sun, 11 Jan 2009 2:05 pm

Banker - thanks for the link, good to know.

I took a look at the E-Rep page and then looked up the press release from ICA. Pretty useful stuff.

http://ica.gov.sg/news_details.aspx?nid=11771&secid

It was also nice finding out we can use the automated clearance lanes at Changi now!

31. My REP is issued in the form of an endorsement in my passport (ie. I did not use e-REP), can I make use of eIACS when I travel?

With effect from 2 January 2009, all SPRs who have registered for a Singapore identity card and hold machine-readable passports are eligible to use the eIACS for immigration clearance at all checkpoints.
Tips from expats living in Singapore - http://www.livinginsingapore.org

manda
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Many thanks!

Post by manda » Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:08 pm

Many thanks to ksl, SMS, and banker!

SMS, thanks especially for the info about you having been able to renew your re-entry permit after being out of job for 15 months! That helps to calm my little worrying heart =)

From what you wrote:
> I'd wait until I was working again before going fora new re-entry permit though
Did you mean I should start the process of renewing my Permanent Residency regardless whether or not I have a job? But I should wait until I have a job, before I renew my REP?

From what I understand, renewing PR status and REP is a one-shot process. I target to start the process (renewing both my status as well as my REP) a month after I start at my new job. I will give it at least a month or two, depending on the circumstance, before I ask for the letter from my employer (one of the 3 requirements for the application). I previously worked at a large MNC, so am going to have to work on the personal touches when it comes to asking for "favors" at a local, small-to-medium sized enterprise (SME) that I'm joining. Are employees protected in the sense that their employers are obliged to provide documents that the former need for taking care of their residential status in Singapore?

Back to the jobless experience of yours, which is similar to mine only that it was continuos and much longer for you-
I had 3 jobs last year, one that I quit in the middle of the year after being at it for 4.5 years (for better money, and "advancement" but unfortunately turned out to be the exact opposite), the one that didn't work out, and then the most recent one which was a 2-month temp job (took it to pay rent).
Do you foresee problem in my application, especially on the CPF contribution requirement? ICA asks for a year worth of monthly statements from the latest year (that's 2008 or the year that I had the 3 jobs), and I'll only need to explain why I had gaps between jobs. Is that really the case? How much damage does not having "one" job in the year for assessment have to my application?

Thank You all so much in sharing valuable information. May God Bless You all.

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Post by manda » Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:18 pm

banker wrote:Since you are already into 5 years, you are able renew your SPR re-entry permit now i.e. generally from 4.5 years onwards. You will not have any problem in renewal.

ICA has changed the renewal process, you no longer required to get it stamped in your passport and you can apply through online.

http://erep.ica.gov.sg/erep/index.do
banker,

According to the info available, doesn't it mean that the requirement for:

(1) the Letter of Employment from the employer of the renewing SPR
and
(2) a letter from the same employer that states the title of the position held as well as the salary of the renewing SPR

is scrapped?

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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:46 pm

It would appear that it may have been scrapped but I am more inclined to think that it just means that they will check inter-governmental departments e.g., IRAS & MOM & CPF board as they are all links today with your NRIC being your Tax Ref number, Your CPF number as well. It's like the online application now for IPA for EP's. You are not required to submit documents unless requested to do so. I think this was because a number of employers liked to use the letters as a tool against the employees.

Don't worry about it. It's easy-peasy unless you have been doing something strange like a number of PR do. They collect PR's, go overseas and work and then think when there is a year or less left, they can come back and get a job long enough to satisfy ICA to get a renewal. :-|

sms
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

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Post by manda » Sun, 01 Feb 2009 2:22 am

I value your opinion, SMS- say if I'm moving out of the country within this year, not to anywhere else but the US. Looking at the current economy, should I be renewing the validity of my SPR status and REP so as to have a fallback plan? Assuming not moving this year is not an option :D

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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Sun, 01 Feb 2009 10:16 am

Bingo! :P (I've seen 'em all over the years)

I though I read your post correctly. [-X

You cannot renew your re-entry permit until you have 6 months or less remaining on your permit. Your PR doesn't need renewing, just the REP. This is why I was able to go for 1.5 years without renewing it even though it had expired. I never left Singapore. Had I done so without the REP I would have been saying, by my actions, "By my leaving the country without a REP I am designating that I am giving up my right to PR." If you are out of the country when your REP expires, you could lose your PR as you would only be allowed in as a tourist It is possible to speak with immigration and (depending on your reasons - about the only one I know of that works it people who go overseas to do a Masters degree or some special schooling) pay a fine, but remember you would still need to document the fact that you were a full time resident student at that particular school or maybe something like a medical case where you were hospitalized for a long period of time. ICA are not a bunch of dummies, like me, they've seen it all (and even more). When you submit your passport for renewal of your REP, you are giving them access to all your records. If you were overseas most of the time (e.g., you referring to my 15 months unemployment), your records will show your departure date and return dates. If you were working here, as a PR you would be required to file tax returns and pay CPF so those records would be called up to check on your monthly contributions. If no contributions during a period of time AND records show you were out of the country for that same long length of time. Too bad.

Good luck. You're gonna need it.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

manda
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Post by manda » Sun, 01 Feb 2009 1:08 pm

Thank you, SMS

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Hi

Post by calvink » Thu, 05 Feb 2009 10:52 pm

Hmm..Im holding a Q1 pass and since first generation PR would not be entitle for NS......but is this guaranteed when i apply for PR when the time comes?

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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Fri, 06 Feb 2009 6:51 am

Nothing is guaranteed. 1st Gen PR in practice don't have to do PR. You still have to register if you are of age to do so. There is nothing stopping the government from changing their stance should they decide to do so. Caveat Emptor. Buyer Beware. If you ain't prepared to pay the piper don't listen to the music. The odds are you won't as is their "normal" practice but legally they can. Forewarned is forearmed....... :o
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

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Post by brifusg » Sat, 07 Feb 2009 11:27 am

Hello SMS,

in one of your post you mentioned you renewed REP for another 10-year. I think PR now is only allowed to renew their REP for another 5-year. Correct me if I am wrong.

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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Sat, 07 Feb 2009 1:21 pm

Yes, it would appear that it has recently been changed. The last time I posted that here, I had checked the Form 6 at that time before posting it to see and at the time you still had a choice. The current Form 6 does indeed say "All REPs are issued up to a maximum of 5 years." So it looks like that has changed sometime within the past 6-12 months.

It would also appear that it can be done from overseas by going to the nearest Singapore mission. It MUST be done Personally however. The fees are still the same though. (Mine cost me $100)

I got my 10 year one in July of 2005.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

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