The subject of PR

[Junoesque]

hi, my husband, 4 year old son & I moved to Singapore in year February, 2008. The hubby is a P1 pass holder working for a very reputable MNC here in singapore. He is on local hire (no expat term) & each year, a % of his salary goes to the CPF.

We applied for PR on November 2008, with the thought in mind that if we get it, great; if not, then at least we'll know when to reapply etc.

Ok here's the mystery. It is April 2010. But niether the MOM nor the ICA has accepted our application NOR rejected it! We wrote to the ICA quarterly over the last year asking for a decision. Each time, the same reply: your application is under scrutiny.

In such a situation, what should we do? Has anybody been in a similar situation? Is requesting the ICA for an interview/dialog reg our application a viable option?

[Mad Scientist]

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[sundaymorningstaple]

hi, my husband, 4 year old son & I moved to Singapore in year February, 2008. The hubby is a P1 pass holder working for a very reputable MNC here in singapore. He is on local hire (no expat term) & each year, a % of his salary goes to the CPF.

I am curious. How is it that he is contributing to CPF? Employment Pass holder are not only exempt, but are forbidden to contribute to CPF. This was changed many years ago.

[Junoesque]

EP holders on expat terms are exempt from cotributing to CPF. But EP holders who are recruited as direct/local hire are not. Essentially, my husband is treated as a Singaporean local (in terms of recruitment, hence the CPF contribution) but with no benefits that come with an expat package e.g. housing, transport, schooling allowance).

So he is a local hire, 'no'pat (not expat), EP holder & non PR. we are in a unique situation where, even though his company considers him as a local, because of non PR, we are unable to avail certain conveniences that we would, otherwise, be happy to avail.

[Strong Eagle]

EP holders on expat terms are exempt from cotributing to CPF. But EP holders who are recruited as direct/local hire are not. Essentially, my husband is treated as a Singaporean local (in terms of recruitment, hence the CPF contribution) but with no benefits that come with an expat package e.g. housing, transport, schooling allowance).

So he is a local hire, 'no'pat (not expat), EP holder & non PR. we are in a unique situation where, even though his company considers him as a local, because of non PR, we are unable to avail certain conveniences that we would, otherwise, be happy to avail.

Wrong, wrong, wrong! EP's do not and cannot pay CPF since about 2006. If your husband is having CPF contributions deducted, he is being screwed. Essentially, anyone telling you about a special class of "local EP" is cheating you. Log into Central Providence website with hubby's FIN and find out the ugly truth. No $$$.

[sundaymorningstaple]

I'm am sorry, but I think somebody is taking both you and your husband for a ride. Unless your husband has an NRIC that starts with an "S" instead of a FIN starting with an "F" or "G", he is neither required OR allowed to contribute to the CPF fund. It sounds like the employer is deducting CPF funds from your husbands paycheck and pocketing the money. Go to the CPF Board and ask for a copy of his contributions. Or if he has a SingPass, he can log onto the CPF board site and see his contributions and print out a statement showing each months contributions and disbursements to the Normal, Special & Medisave accounts.

90% of all the expats in Singapore are on local terms. They are still expats. Being an expat only means you are working in a country that is not your home country. Expat is a shortened term for Expatriate. Look up the meaning in the dictionary. Sorry to say, but you are not in a "Unique" situation, but you are in the same situation as most foreigner here on S or Q or P2 passes.

Let us know what you find out from the CPF board (not the employer).

[sundaymorningstaple]

For your further clarification I give you the link below:

http://ask-us.cpf.gov.sg/Home/hybrid/Th ... dQuestion=

Q: Are there any exceptions to the payment of CPF contributions for employees?

A: Yes, please refer to the list of exceptions below:

a) Foreigners on Employment Pass, S Pass, Miscellaneous Work Pass or Work Permit
CPF contributions are not allowed for foreigners. Both the employer’s and employee’s share of contributions for foreign employees on Employment Pass, S Pass, Miscellaneous Work Pass or Work Permit will not be accepted.

b) Partners, Sole-proprietors or Self-employed

All Singapore citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents who derive income from Singapore or from outside Singapore through any trade, business, profession or vocation excluding employment under a contract of service are considered self-employed. Unlike employees, they do not contribute to all 3 CPF accounts. Instead, they are only required to contribute to their Medisave, which is computed based on their annual net trade income earned.

c) Employees Working Overseas

CPF contributions are not mandatory for Singapore citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents who work overseas. If you wish to continue making CPF contributions for your existing employees who are posted overseas, these are deemed as voluntary contributions. You have to register for a new CPF Submission Number (CSN) for such payments.

[Mad Scientist]

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[Saint]

hi, my husband, 4 year old son & I moved to Singapore in year February, 2008. The hubby is a P1 pass holder working for a very reputable MNC here in singapore. He is on local hire (no expat term) & each year, a % of his salary goes to the CPF.

I'm assuming this is just very badly worded by the OP and what she's trying to say is that he's salary "includes" the company's CPF contribution which isn't currently deducted but will be if the he takes up PR in the future. Quite a common clause I seem to remember.

[DimWit Kid]

hi, my husband, 4 year old son & I moved to Singapore in year February, 2008. The hubby is a P1 pass holder working for a very reputable MNC here in singapore. He is on local hire (no expat term) & each year, a % of his salary goes to the CPF.

I'm assuming this is just very badly worded by the OP and what she's trying to say is that he's salary "includes" the company's CPF contribution which isn't currently deducted but will be if the he takes up PR in the future. Quite a common clause I seem to remember.

That might be true... I was on such term when I came.
Ie. My "basic" monthly salary is X, so I take 1.33X home. Very painful when I took my PR that becomes 0.8X - 40% lost!!