# Post-graduate moving to Singapore?



## haleylaur (Jan 7, 2016)

My roommate and I will be graduating college in about a year and are trying to move internationally. After a lot of research, we decided Singapore has a lot of job opportunity and would be a neat place to live. We have little to no connections outside of the U.S. to help us, so what advice can people give to 2 girls in their early twenties that are trying to move across the world to Singapore?

We were trying to look into HBD Flats because they are cheap (and we aren't rich), but not sure how to apply for rental/housing, have no idea what the best areas are for young people to live in, how hard it will be to find a job, and also the qualifications on moving there from another country.

Any advice/information would be SO helpful and appreciated!


----------



## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Well, focus on the jobs first. Do you have employers (since there are two of you) interested in trying to sponsor you for Employment Passes?


----------



## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

haleylaur said:


> My roommate and I will be graduating college in about a year and are trying to move internationally. After a lot of research, we decided Singapore has a lot of job opportunity and would be a neat place to live. We have little to no connections outside of the U.S. to help us, so what advice can people give to 2 girls in their early twenties that are trying to move across the world to Singapore?
> 
> We were trying to look into HBD Flats because they are cheap (and we aren't rich), but not sure how to apply for rental/housing, have no idea what the best areas are for young people to live in, how hard it will be to find a job, and also the qualifications on moving there from another country.
> 
> Any advice/information would be SO helpful and appreciated!


To expand on what BBCWatcher said.

Singapore is not a migration destination, unlike countries like US, Canada, or Australia and such, who actively seek migrants, based on requirements etc.

To "migrate" to Singapore, there are few methods:

1) Get a job, provided the Ministry of Manpower acknowledges your talent and experience, along with an employer, who will apply for a work pass with The Ministry of Manpower.

Once you are employed gainfully for a period of 1 year to 3 years, you can apply for residency. Your residency may be approved on many criteria, including your ethnicity. Certain ethnicities are preferred, while others have reduced chances.

And without a job / work pass, you can't rent apartments or rooms here. You are limited to staying in hotels or serviced apartments - not the cheapest solution around.

2) Marry a Singaporean or Permanent Resident. Need I explain this ?

For Ministry of Manpower, again, step 1: get a job / employer, who will apply for your pass.

Work passes and permits


----------



## Horus_88 (Mar 11, 2014)

simonsays said:


> To expand on what BBCWatcher said.
> 
> Singapore is not a migration destination, unlike countries like US, Canada, or Australia and such, who actively seek migrants, based on requirements etc.
> 
> ...


I agree with you but seems like even marrying a Singaporean won't get you a PR until you have a child or so my wife's information says (S'porean citizen) , thing is , Singapore is very similar to Dubai (or shall I say Dubai is similar to Singapore?) in the fact that residing there is mostly dependent on your employment OR you are a rich business man who can invest and stay, which is still under number 1 ... so I believe marrying a Singaporean alone can't land you a stay there if you're not working , please correct me if I'm wrong.


----------



## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Foreign spouses of Singaporeans (and Singapore PRs) can generally qualify for Long Term Visit Passes (LTVPs) at a minimum. An LTVP does not require employment but (with permission, called a "Letter of Consent") routinely allows it, or it's possible to seek other work permission per normal. Many countries are broadly similar, conceptually anyway, in providing immediate residence permission but delaying _permanent_ residence status for foreign spouses. To pick an example, the United States has something called a CR-1 (C for Conditional) visa available to foreign spouses married less than two years to their U.S. citizen or PR spouses, a slightly different visa with an added renewal/verification requirement compared to the standard IR-1 visa. The U.S. also disallows certain social benefits, such as Medicare eligibility (the public medical insurance system for those age 65 and older), within the first five years of immigration.

Shorter version: you're wrong.  LTVP status is perfectly stable at least as long as the couple remains married. Foreign spouses desire PR status primarily for _benefit_ reasons, such as Central Provident Fund (social insurance) participation, not in order to obtain residence which they can accomplish via LTVPs. That said, the benefits associated with PR status are, on balance, less generous than they used to be at least relative to those enjoyed by citizens.


----------



## Horus_88 (Mar 11, 2014)

BBCWatcher said:


> Foreign spouses of Singaporeans (and Singapore PRs) can generally qualify for Long Term Visit Passes (LTVPs) at a minimum. An LTVP does not require employment but (with permission, called a "Letter of Consent") routinely allows it, or it's possible to seek other work permission per normal. Many countries are broadly similar, conceptually anyway, in providing immediate residence permission but delaying _permanent_ residence status for foreign spouses. To pick an example, the United States has something called a CR-1 (C for Conditional) visa available to foreign spouses married less than two years to their U.S. citizen or PR spouses, a slightly different visa with an added renewal/verification requirement compared to the standard IR-1 visa. The U.S. also disallows certain social benefits, such as Medicare eligibility (the public medical insurance system for those age 65 and older), within the first five years of immigration.
> 
> Shorter version: you're wrong.  LTVP status is perfectly stable at least as long as the couple remains married. Foreign spouses desire PR status primarily for _benefit_ reasons, such as Central Provident Fund (social insurance) participation, not in order to obtain residence which they can accomplish via LTVPs. That said, the benefits associated with PR status are, on balance, less generous than they used to be at least relative to those enjoyed by citizens.


Glad I'm wrong, thanks mate


----------



## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

To elaborate a bit more (and perhaps bore you ), there's another "grade" between LTVP and PR that Singapore introduced a few years ago: LTVP+. LTVP, LTVP+, and PR statuses all provide residence and (routinely at least) work permission. LTVP+ primarily adds some public medical benefits that are closer to those that PRs enjoy.

Anyway, Singapore isn't keeping all that many married couples apart if they want to live in Singapore together and if one has citizenship or PR status even while the other does not. Reportedly the government is only granting PR to about 50% of foreign spouse applicants among those married to Singaporeans or PRs, so there are a lot of foreign spouse PR rejections. But there are very few LTVP (and thus residence permission) rejections within that cohort -- about 10% are rejected, according to reports/estimates. The primary reasons for rejections are: a foreign spouse's criminal history, a serious lack of income/wealth to support the foreign spouse, or serious doubts about whether the marriage is genuine.

PR applications can take several months (or even longer) to be decided, while LTVP and LTVP+ applications often take a week or two (or even less). Hence a foreign spouse who wants to move to Singapore quickly to live with his/her citizen/PR spouse would go through the LTVP/LTVP+ application process since PR takes much more time.

I should amend something I wrote above. If the citizen/PR spouse predeceases the foreign spouse, and assuming the foreign spouse didn't cause the death (!), the foreign widow/widower holding an LTVP or LTVP+ enjoys certain residence protections, as I understand it, especially if there are children. It's not quite true that the couple has to remain married.


----------



## P-Ride (Feb 12, 2016)

Just to throw it in, I've done two business trips to Singapore - great place!

Beautiful, clean and fun. Nightclub on the 65th storey overlooking Marina bay, with great music and an open-roof dancefloor is a great memory.

'Garden city' is an aspiration every city on earth should have!

I reckon I may choose Aus first.. but would happily do a couple of years out there.


----------



## Horus_88 (Mar 11, 2014)

Thanks a lot mates


----------

