Unlock the Doors to Singapore : Insider Tips to Get Your SG Permanent Residency

Singapore government sets an annual quota of its inbound Permanent Residency application to maintain a preferable group. In 2018, it approved 32,710 Permanent Residents (Reference of Population In Brief, Strategy Group Singapore in Prime Minister’s Officer).

For a foreigner without a family tie with Singapore, you can extend your overseas business to Singapore by register a subsidiary in the form of a private limited company. Your Singaporean business can open the door to obtain Employment Pass (EP), a kind of Singapore work VISA leading you to the Singapore permanent residency status.

Being a Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) means you have acquired the status of residents and the right to live and work in the Republic of Singapore for an extended period and leave the nation without a need to secure a VISA for re-entry.

People of citizenship or permanent residency are Singapore residents. They are eligible for the Singaporean advantages. Understandably, the Singapore government hopes to select the right persons to join in the country, so the application process should be a long road.

To give you a grip on the submission of your PR application, here are three areas to deal with the process, and answer common questions.

Eligibility

If you wish to become a Singapore permanent resident, you have to apply through the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA). The application will be assessed based on ICA’s PR criteria.

The authority has published the PR eligibility on its website here, it has written everything about the basics of the application; it lacks the information of when should you apply.

Practically, you should apply at least six months after you granted your EP. By that time, you will have Singaporean records of payrolls and business spending for at least one year, adding the period before you get your EP.

Difficulty

Since 2009, the Singapore government has tightened the immigration policies leaving the approval of the PR approval process much complicated. However, the door is still open for the fittest candidates who can prepare for their genuine documents neatly and portray confidence and honesty to the ICA officers in the interview.

The fundamental requirement is to get the paperwork correctly done in the first place. It must contain precise information about yourself because the ICA will verify them. You should also ensure that the submitted documents or forms must be in the English language. If the materials are in a non-English language, it must be translated and notarized before submission. Remember to mark on your calendar ahead to the application for professional translation and legalization.

Secondly, you have to secure an appointment through the ICA website. Be punctual on the appointment date, and give all the best to avoid canceling your interview. Remember that you may need to re-submit the application if you miss the meeting, the earliest schedule could be a year later.

The interview with the ICA officer will increase your chances of success if you do not make a mistake:

• You must not probe questions that are deemed as trivial to living and working in Singapore, as these questions might sound absurd and hinder the officer doing their job.
• You should never try to lie anything about your resume / C.V. and personal information when the officers ask you questions about your background and your experience.
• You should remain open-minded and calm. The meeting aims to know the candidate thoroughly in the view of the government. If you feel offended by their queries, remind yourself you are here to get the job done.

Patience

The administrative process can take four months or longer before you can get back the result. Unfortunately, the ICA officers do not explain to the disapproved PR applications so you may feel absurd. However, you can try again a year later.

If you have failed any PR application before or you want to increase the chance of approval, you are advised to hire a local immigration consultant for assistance. You will receive the latest trend of acceptable PR candidates, evaluation of your profile based on the stand of the Singaporean government, and consultation to emphasize your strength compared with other applicants.

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Planning in moving to Singapore? your first step should be setup of a private limited company in Singapore, apply for Employment Pass and ultimately the Citizenship if you lack a family tie with Singapore.