Singapore Permanent Residence Schemes

Thousands of people have become Singapore permanent residents every year but not all go through the same application process. Permanent Residence (PR) application can be applied for the whole family i.e. the applicant himself plus the spouse and unmarried children under 21. The lure of gaining Singapore permanent residence through a variety of schemes has convinced thousands of foreigners of diverse backgrounds to set up home in the island-state, one of Asia’s most stable and developed countries and a key financial hub. It’s estimated that an average of 36,000 foreigners received permanent residence annually over the past decade.The number of PRs in Singapore as of June 2009 is estimated to be about 553,000 from a population of about 4.9 million people, and the numbers are increasing.

Although, most foreigners become Singapore permanent residents after working in the country for 6 months to 5 years, there are other paths leading you to Singapore PR status. This guide provides an overview of the different types of permanent residence schemes available in Singapore so you can decide on the one that best suits your needs and circumstances. As a permanent resident of Singapore, you will enjoy most of the benefits and rights afforded to citizens. The range of benefits include the right to live in the country without visa restrictions, higher priority public schooling for your children, more freedom to buy property and participation in the retirement fund scheme. etc. At the same time, you are required to make certain commitments, such as sending your sons to compulsory two-year military service once they reach 18. For more details, seeSingapore PR Benefits and Obligations.

SINGAPORE PR SCHEME FOR INDIVIDUALS WORKING IN SINGAPORE

Known as Professionals/Technical Personnel & Skilled Worker scheme (or simply PTS scheme), this scheme is for foreign professionals who are working in Singapore at the time of applying for Singapore permanent residence. The PTS scheme is the easiest and most assured route to Singapore PR. It’s estimated that more than 95% of the people obtain their Singapore Permanent Residence through PTS scheme.

The key requirement under this scheme is that you must be working in Singapore at the time of application. This means you must first relocate to Singapore on a work visa of type Employment Pass orEntrepreneur Pass.

You must show a minimum of six months’ worth of salary pay slips, hence you must have stayed and worked in the country for at least that amount of time before applying. For detailed information about this scheme along with step-by-step filing procedure, see Applying for Singapore PR under PTS Scheme.

SINGAPORE PR SCHEME FOR CAPITAL INVESTORS

You can also invest your way to Singapore permanent residence through Investor Scheme (also known as Million Dollar Scheme). Under this scheme, you may apply for PR for yourself and immediate family by starting a business or investing in Singapore.

At present, under the Investor Scheme, you can choose either of the following investment options

Option A: Invest at least S$2.5 million in a new business startup or expansion of an existing business operation.

Option B: Invest at least S$2.5 million in a GIP-approved fund.

Apart from funds to invest, you must also have a good business track record, an entrepreneurial background and a business proposal or investment plan. For more information, see Singapore Permanent Residence for Investors.

SINGAPORE PR SCHEME FOR FOREIGN ARTISTIC TALENT

Singapore is keen to promote itself as an arts hub. If you have a talent for arts, photography, dance, music, theatre, literature and film, you can apply for Singapore permanent residence through Foreign Artistics Talent scheme. To qualify for this scheme, you must be a well recognized artist in your own country, preferably with an international reputation.

SINGAPORE LANDED PERMANENT RESIDENCE (LPR) SCHEME

The LPR Scheme is open to individuals who have either top notch education or professional background. As a rule of thumb, you must be in the top 1% of your competitive landscape on a global basis. To give you an idea, a graduate degree or a PhD from Stanford University would be considered top notch education. Once approved, you must relocate to Singapore within one year and find employment to fully secure your Singapore Permanent Residence status.

IN SUMMARY

The Government of Singapore welcomes the arrival of professionals and other foreigners who are able to make a positive contribution to the country’s development and economy. There are various permanent residence schemes in place to help you obtain Singapore permanent residence through the means that is most relevant to your situation.

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Singapore Permanent Residence – PTS Scheme – Part I

This is Part I of the step-by-step guide for Singapore Permanent Application filing for individuals holding an Employment Pass or Entrepreneur Pass. Specifically, the scheme is known as Professionals/Technical Personnel & Skilled Worker Scheme (or simply as PTS scheme). Among the available PR schemes, more than 90% families gain Singapore PR through the PTS scheme.

In order to apply for permanent residence under PTS scheme, you must be a work pass holder of type P, Q or S. You should also be under 50 years old, although exceptions can be made on a case by case basis. The PTS scheme allows you to include your spouse and unmarried children under-21 years of age in your application as well. The procedure to acquire Singapore permanent residence through PTS scheme is straightforward though it requires research, leg-work and attention to detail

The following step-by-step guide will help you to tackle the Singapore PR application process with much ease and confidence.

STEP 1: DECIDE WHEN TO APPLY FOR PR

The first question that typically comes to the mind of majority of the work pass holders: when can I apply for my Singapore PR? Theoretically, you can apply for Singapore permanent residence the day you start working in the country as an EP holder. However, one of the requirements is to provide salary slips that go back six months from your Singapore employer which means should wait at least six months.

In practical terms, how soon you can apply for PR status also depends on the type of work pass you are holding and the unofficial annual quota set by the government. If you are holding a P1 pass, your chances of approval are high if you apply after 1 year. If you are holding a P2 pass, you are likely to have a good chance if you apply after 2 years. If on the other hand, you are holding a Q or S pass, it’s recommended that you apply after 3 years to have a decent chance of approval. Also, make sure you are in good terms with your employer at the time of filing your PR application. One of the sections in the application form is to be completed by the employer.

STEP 2: THINK ABOUT YOUR CHANCES OF APPROVAL

Besides the type of work pass you hold and how soon you apply for PR, there are few other factors that are taken into consideration by authorities when deciding on your PR application. They include:

Your education background. Singapore authorities give a lot of weight to your degree and the institute where you graduated from.
Your physical stay in Singapore. The lesser your physical stay in Singapore, the lesser the authorities will be convinced that you plan to reside in Singapore permanently.
Your employment background and the stability of your job
Credentials of your employer (the more established the company, the better)
Your salary and financial well-being
Your character (such as whether or not you are a law abiding citizen)
Your family ties in Singapore. If you have family ties, it’s considered a positive factor.
Your charitable contributions to society such as volunteering, donations, etc.

Bottom line: the government wants to ensure that you are a law abiding resident and that you will not become a burden on Singapore if you are granted a permanent residence status. They want you to be an asset to the country and not a liability.

STEP 3: DECIDE ON PR FILING FOR YOUR CHILDREN

If you are married and have children, one of the important decisions you have to make is whether you want to apply for PR for your male children.

As per Singapore laws, the main applicant (i.e. you) who is granted Singapore PR under the first generation PTS scheme is exempted from national service. However, all healthy male children that are granted PR status through their parents, must register for national military service when they reach the age of 16 and a half. They will be required to serve 2 years of full-time National Service followed by 40 days of Operationally Ready National Service per year until the age of 50 (for officers) or 40 years (for other ranks).

Different parents look at the National Service requirement differently. Some of them don’t mind it with the thinking that the child will be stronger and more mature after the two year service. Others are horrified at the thought of having their child go through any kind of military service. You will need to think where you stand on this issue and decide the PR application filing for your male children accordingly.

STEP 4: DOWNLOAD DOCUMENTS AND REVIEW FILING REQUIREMENTS

Once your eligibility is established and you have decided to proceed with PR application filing, the next step is to obtain the PR application forms and review submission requirements.

The good news is that you can download the necessary forms online by clicking here. Specifically, download the two forms titled Form 4A and Form EP4 listed under PTS scheme.

Form 4A document consists of two parts: PR Application Form and Annex A. The first part (PR Application Form) is to be completed by you. It asks for you and your family’s details, covering basic information as well as educational and professional history. The second part (Annex A) is for your employer, who must explain the nature of their business, though your employer is not considered to be sponsoring your application. Later sections of this report will provide guidelines on completing the form 4A.

The second document titled Form EP4 contains explanatory notes on Form 4A and this is the document you need to pay attention to first. Read this document and get ready to prepare the supporting documents as explained in the next section.

STEP 5: PREPARE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

The first order of business after you have downloaded and read the necessary documents is to get the supporting documents ready. The list of supporting documents required is provided in the Form EP4. Here are some additional helpful guidelines that you should take into account:

For each supporting document, make a copy and keep the original handy as well. At the time of submitting the PR application at ICA office, you will be required to show the original for verification. The originals will be returned to you immediately after sighting and the copies will be retained by the ICA officer.
If you have any document that’s not in English, you must produce an official English translation of the document. The safest approach is to get it translated and stamped through your embassy. Make sure to take originals and copies of both non-English and English translated versions of the document for your visit to ICA office.
Previous employment appointment letters, performance evaluation reports, recommendation letters are also useful. Contact your previous employer(s) if necessary.
If you have purchased a property in Singapore, include the documents provide the necessary proof. This will be considered a positive factor both in terms of your financial position as well as your longer-term intention of staying in Singapore.
Make sure you also attach a most recent copy of your CV/Resume.
It’s also a good idea to prepare a cover letter articulating your love for Singapore, your financial and family stability, your decision to become Singapore PR, and the list of supporting documents you are attaching with the application.

Bottom line: Singapore is big on paperwork and the accuracy of it. The more you produce the better. Once you have prepared copies and originals of all the required documents as per Form EP4 and you have taken into consideration the additional guidelines as listed above, you are ready for the next step i.e. filling-in the PR application form.

STEP 6: COMPLETING THE PR APPLICATION FORM

The PR application form is not a complicated application to complete and with the helpful guidelines listed below, it should be even easier:

List your education and employment history in a chronological order.
In the education listing section, list your high-school diploma and above. You do not need to list educational details below high school diploma.
If you cannot produce an appropriate certificate for a degree or diploma education that you have completed, don’t list it. Otherwise, it might create unnecessary delays where authorities might send you a letter saying that you need to produce the necessary document for verification purpose in order to further process your application.
The details of your spouse and children would also be listed in the same PR application form. Even if you are not applying for PR for any of your family members (spouse or children), you still need to provide their details in the application. For each of the family members, there if a field where you will indicate whether or not you are applying for the PR for this family member.
Ask your employer to complete the Annex A (i.e. the last page of the PR application form titled “Annex A to Form 4A (Application for Permanent Residence)”). Completion of this form is just to serve as confirmation that the information provided is accurate and valid and it DOES NOT imply Company’s Sponsorship.

Although the form states that it will take you approximately 30 minutes to complete, in realty, you will probably end up spending few hours in completing the PR application form. Part II of this report will describe the actual filing procedure for the PR application as well as what to do once your PR application is approved or rejected.

Next Reading: Singapore PR Application Filing – Part II

Apply for Permanent Residence

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Saturday, December 15, 2012