# Applying for PR



## kejal_k (May 4, 2009)

Hi

Me and my wife are thinking of moving to Singapore next year from Australia. My wife is a Singapore citizen, I am British and Australian, and our two kids are Australian.

Can me and my kids apply for Singapore PR from Australia, or can we only do it from Singapore? Am I able to start work if I have not yet secured my PR?

Is the PR process complicated if my wife is already a citizen?

Any useful info on the pros and cons of PR would also be appreciated.


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## beppi (Jun 10, 2013)

- You can APPLY for PR from abroad, but it is very unlikely to be approved. Better first come to Singapore and live here two years or so before you apply.
- By all means include your kids in the PR application. Excluding them, e.g. to avoid NS duties, is a sure way to be rejected. (For many, these NS duties are the biggest drawback of being PR.)
- If married for over three years, a spouse of a citizen can apply for an LTVP+, which allows work. Otherwise you'd have to find a job and qualify for a work pass on your own merit, since the standard LTVP does not allow work (but you can come on an LTVP, look for work and convert to your own EP later).


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## kejal_k (May 4, 2009)

beppi said:


> - You can APPLY for PR from abroad, but it is very unlikely to be approved. Better first come to Singapore and live here two years or so before you apply.
> - By all means include your kids in the PR application. Excluding them, e.g. to avoid NS duties, is a sure way to be rejected. (For many, these NS duties are the biggest drawback of being PR.)
> - If married for over three years, a spouse of a citizen can apply for an LTVP+, which allows work. Otherwise you'd have to find a job and qualify for a work pass on your own merit, since the standard LTVP does not allow work (but you can come on an LTVP, look for work and convert to your own EP later).


Cheers Beppi. Me and my wife have been married for 7 years, and I would be putting both my kids on the PR application. We have no issues with NS.

Given that my wife is a Singapore citizen, I would've expected that it might have been a quicker process. Are there any relevant websites that would assist me start the process?


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## beppi (Jun 10, 2013)

www.ica.gov.sg
There's no harm done (other than to the Ego) by applying now and getting rejected.
That you didn't apply for SGP citizenship for your kids right after birth will weigh against you.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

When you write your PR application, be sure to use the form "my wife and I" instead of "me and my wife." There's a government-supported good English movement in Singapore.


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## kejal_k (May 4, 2009)

Thank you for all the advice.

I guess we have only just started thinking about moving to Singapore, which is why we had not considered taking out citizenships for our kids. I am hoping that the fact that my wife is a citizen will be enough,

We will consider applying only once we are in Singapore. And I will remember to use the Queen's English in my application!


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## beppi (Jun 10, 2013)

If you registered your kids as Singapore citizens within a year after birth, they were "citizens by descent" and could even have double nationality until 21 years old.
Older kids need to fulfil the same requirements as adult applicants (i.e. minimum 2-3 years living in the country to become PR, then another 2-3 years to citizenship) and need to renounce their other nationalities to become Singaporean.
Family ties (Singaporean mother) help in the process and increase chances for approval, but do not clear all obstacles.
Check the ICA page for more information!


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## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

beppi said:


> - You can APPLY for PR from abroad, but it is very unlikely to be approved. Better first come to Singapore and live here two years or so before you apply.


you still need to turn up at ICA and submit the paperwork / documents etc. ..


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## beppi (Jun 10, 2013)

That can be done at any embassy as well - or if need be by post!


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