Can my wife work in Singapore if I have an EP?

[boemmser]

Hi there,

I am working as a consultant in SG and do have an EP. As me and my wife have enough of seeing each other only every 3 months I would now like to bring her over to Singapore.

Now my question is whether she will be also allowed to work in SG or if she will have to spend her day laying around the pool or going shopping

Maybe anybody has been in the same situation and could provide me some details, e. g. what to apply for (work permit vs. EP etc) and whether getting the permit for my wife would be quite easy or rather a time-consuming act.

Many thanks and a happy 2010!

Cheers
Boemmser

[sundaymorningstaple]

First the good news. As long as you and your wife are 'legally married', she can get a dependents pass. As a dependent's pass holder she is allowed to work but she will need the employer to apply for a "letter of consent" from MOM. This is a formality and is almost always granted. The employer would not be subject to any levies or quotas as well.

Now the bad news......

Her working permit is tied to your EP, e.g., it expires when your EP expires and if you get renewed, it can be renewed as well. This means if you get sacked, made redundant or otherwise lose your EP, she also loses her job as well. Double whammy!

However, given that she can work, it puts her in the enviable position of being to also buy time till she may well be able to find a position that will give her an EP in her own right. This of course would require all the normal vetting and application by the employer, but would also ensure that at least one of you always has a job (theoretically).

There is another problem though. Working on an "Letter of Consent" usually has the employer knowing that she does not need to work and the remuneration therefore might only be on local rates. This tends to stick in the craw of some, but at the end of the day, if the locals can work for that amount, why can't she? That'll be their though reasoning as your income theoretically is already covering the expenses.

So, she's got nuttin' to lose and everything to gain, the least of which is no longer having to do a long term relationship! As one who spent almost 20 years on oil rigs, believe me, it does take it's toll!

sms

[boemmser]

Many many thanks for this detailed reply, it's much appreciated!!!!!

So as you said, seems there is nothing to lose for us and thus we look forward to live together in Singers soon

[sundaymorningstaple]

That is, provided she can find a job. That's the hardest part. Getting to the interview is the big challenge. Some have been here upwards of 6 months without any luck. So, while it's possible, she should be prepared for a prolonged period of unemployment as well. She can always do voluntary work for charities and check out the embassy/consulate/country organizations as well for potential positions as the network is the way to go here.

Good Luck.

sms

[xtasy010]

As a dependent's pass holder she is allowed to work but she will need the employer to apply for a "letter of consent" from MOM. This is a formality and is almost always granted. The employer would not be subject to any levies or quotas as well.

The biggest problem is that most employers are unaware of this fact.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Yeah, I've stated as much here numerous times. Unfortunately, most are too lazy to use the excellent search function built into this site located just beneath the Profile link on the upper right side of the this page. I generally try to tell the posters to familiarize themselves with the "letter of consent" so that they can educate the potential employee on the availability of this "work permit" variation.