1 or 2-year visa options

[PhuketBlue]

I am a 43 year old British male with a wife and 3 children. I am presently living in Thailand but to help the kids' English skills, I would very much like us to spend a year or 2 in Singapore.

If I understand correctly, I could enroll the children in an International School and they should receive a visa to allow them to study and stay legally in Singapore and my wife (as their mother) would also likely be entitled to a visa to remain in Singapore for that period.

If I have understood the above correctly it would allow my wife and children to stay in Singapore but there doesn't seem a parental visa that would allow me to stay.

So what are the visa options for someone who is retired (and doesn't wish to go back to work)? I believe I would need to be over 45 to qualify for a visa based on investing an amount of money in the country, so that's out due to my age.

Is it possible for me to enroll in a Mandarin or Malay course and get a student visa for that? Or is it possible to set up a company to employ me but not trade? I have looked around but just cannot seem to find anything for people in my situation.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[ksl]

You should give ICA a ring, i'm pretty sure you can both get LTVSP, though you cannot work on the visa and you will have to prove you can manage financially!

Wife can look for work after the first year the kids are in school

[PhuketBlue]

You should give ICA a ring, i'm pretty sure you can both get LTVSP, though you cannot work on the visa and you will have to prove you can manage financially!

Wife can look for work after the first year the kids are in school

Thank you for the response. Could I ask what ICA means?

I have looked on various visa websites and everything regarding parents staying with children says mother or grandmother only.

[therat]

ICA --> Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore

[Saint]

You should give ICA a ring, i'm pretty sure you can both get LTVSP, though you cannot work on the visa and you will have to prove you can manage financially!

Wife can look for work after the first year the kids are in school

Thank you for the response. Could I ask what ICA means?

I have looked on various visa websites and everything regarding parents staying with children says mother or grandmother only.

http://www.ica.gov.sg/index.aspx

[PhuketBlue]

You should give ICA a ring, i'm pretty sure you can both get LTVSP, though you cannot work on the visa and you will have to prove you can manage financially!

Wife can look for work after the first year the kids are in school

Thank you for the response. Could I ask what ICA means?

I have looked on various visa websites and everything regarding parents staying with children says mother or grandmother only.

http://www.ica.gov.sg/index.aspx

Thanks for that. The portion below from that website does seem to confirm that it is only for the mother or grandmother and not the father which seems a little strange but I'll give them a call anyway:

The purpose in issuing the Visit Passes is for the mothers/grandmothers to accompany and look after their children/grandchildren studying in Singapore. If the mother is granted the permission to remain in Singapore with the child, then the grandmother will not be eligible for the pass and vice versa.

[ksl]

only for the mother or grandmother and not the father which seems a little strange but I'll give them a call anyway:

Yes that's quite true, though my thoughts would be, that the majority of fathers are normally at work, and wouldn't be expected to accompany the children, hence the reason to ring! Good Luck

I do know 2 mainland Chinese without education, that also came through that route, to educate their child, they eventually started their own business here the daughter is PR now, but the parents are not .

Forget the International School it will cost you an arm and a leg, the Chinese go through agents to get their children student visa in the local school.

ICA are quite helpful if you tell them the circumstance, though you cannot both work on LTSVP, only one of you as far as i know, the other will have to apply for work permit

[PhuketBlue]

only for the mother or grandmother and not the father which seems a little strange but I'll give them a call anyway:

Yes that's quite true, though my thoughts would be, that the majority of fathers are normally at work, and wouldn't be expected to accompany the children, hence the reason to ring! Good Luck

I do know 2 mainland Chinese without education, that also came through that route, to educate their child, they eventually started their own business here the daughter is PR now, but the parents are not .

Forget the International School it will cost you an arm and a leg, the Chinese go through agents to get their children student visa in the local school.

ICA are quite helpful if you tell them the circumstance, though you cannot both work on LTSVP, only one of you as far as i know, the other will have to apply for work permit

I spoke to the ICA and unfortunately that visa/pass only applies to females. So it looks like I'll have to enroll in a mandarin language class or something to get an education visa myself.

The cost of the International Schools is no problem and no more than I'm paying here in Thailand but if there are any other advantages to the local schools, I would be interested in hearing more about that option.

Thanks to everyone for their help but it just seems that there is no kind of visa for someone in my position, other than either working (which I really don't want to do) or enrolling in a class and getting a student visa, which while not ideal is still preferable to working