Getting a job with a Dependents Pass

[Doug Walker]

I have been offered a job in Singapore and I want my family to join me - probably at the start of 2014
However my son is 20 (21 in February 2014) and he wants to get a job while he is in Singapore
He does not have a degree but he is working now in the UK (2 years) -
will he be allowed to work in Singapore?
how difficult will it be for him?
thanks

[sundaymorningstaple]

Very, I'm afraid. And, if that's not bad enough, as soon as he turns 21 he will no longer be allowed on a dependent's pass and then the only way he could work would be with a proper work permit for which he wouldn't be able to qualify for. My best suggestion is to find a way for him to remain in the UK and only come here for a visit.

Employment Pass holders, and S Pass holders with a fixed monthly salary of at least $4,000 may apply for Dependant’s Passes for their:

spouses (legally married)
unmarried or legally adopted children under 21 years of age.

Working is almost entirely out of the question (except maybe in the service industry (in one of the myriad restaurants/bars down on the Quays) but his DP will expire on his 21st birthday and that will put paid to both his employment AND his Dependent Pass.

[Doug Walker]

Thankyou very much for the answer - it is the clearest information I have received so far
If I may ask another question - do you know if my son would be able to remain in Singapore with the rest of the family even if he is not working? (or maybe he will go back to college as a mature student)

[taxico]

maybe some sort of working holiday or internship (both are short term visas but i'd think they are valid for longer than a 3-month tourist visa), or he'd have to get a job that will get him some type of (work visa (with a longer validity).

local govt-affiliated (NUS/NTU/SMU) universities don't prefer to accept mature students except for some programs - these programs are usually quite sought after. in any case, the fees are not cheap either - but studying is certainly an interesting option as local employers seem to value singapore degrees (save for the top few universities from US and UK).

i'm pretty sure there will be someone out there that will employ him, but i'm not sure if the job scope, pay and working conditions are what he would deem acceptable.

[Doug Walker]

Again thank you for the help and advice.
I would still like to know if my son (21 years old) will be able to stay with us in Singapore while he is looking for a job or does he have to have a job to be living there at all?

[sundaymorningstaple]

If he is a British citizen, once his DP has been cancelled, he will be given a bog standard 30 day visa. He will not be allowed to extend that visa and he will be required to leave the country for a minimum of 5 days (not published but seems to be close to the fact) The fact that he was previously here on a DP, he might be required to return to his country of origin before returning here. If he is a British citizen, he "should" be able to return and obtain a 90 day visa on entry. However, the fact that he was on a DP previously, he may well be denied an extension of that visa and he may well be told that he will have to remain out of the country at the end of that 90 day visa for a minimum of 6 months. They will already be watching that he is not using the tourist visa for residency purposes. Should that happen, he could be banned from returning.

My suggest? Don't do anything that will ruin his ability to return to the little Red Dot in the future. Forewarned is forearmed. Singapore is NOT a third world country so they don't really care where you are from and whether they are a commonwealth country or not.

That said, most love the Queen and English footy.

[Doug Walker]

Thank you for the advice and help but I would like to ask a follow up question
Can anyone give me a viewpoint and opinion on the chances of my son getting employment in Singapore in perhaps an administration role
He will be 21 years of age when arrive in Singapore - or very soon afterwards
Or even better - can anyone suggest a recruitment company or website that I can check for potential roles ?

[x9200]

In administration with 2 years experience regardless his degree (normally very important) I would expect his chances to be zero.

It is very tough now to secure any work pass for people with limited experience. On top of it, in administration there are zillions of locals capable of doing such job and the work passes are given to those with more unique skills, with degrees, tons of experience... things like this.

[Doug Walker]

Thank you for the feedback - not very encouraging but best t know the reality before having the problem when we get there
Anyone want to employ a talented, hardworking 21 year old man - without a degree ?!!

[sundaymorningstaple]

I can always use good strong back in the pest control industry but, even if I wanted to, I couldn't get him an employment pass from the MOM to allow him to work. That is the problem now, not finding a job but getting the relevant work pass, without which he cannot work.

[Chantikki]

My son turned 21 and applied for jobs and got accepted to one. The government refused his work pass. He could have stayed on a student pass if he enrolled in something like psb academy or kaplan, perhaps your son could do some kind of diploma.

[PRconsultant]

Your best bet would be to enrol him in a Degree course in SG and get him a student pass. This way, he can remain in SG with you without the stress of getting a job. At the same time, he would be able to get a Degree within next 2 years and opens up to more opportunities.

If studies is not in the cards, he should enter SG with a Visit pass and apply extension with ICA so he can stay in SG for about 3 months and look for a job.