Inselaffen

I'm possibly moving to Singapore in a few months. The problem is that my girlfriend has a passport from a CIS nation. From what I can see in order for her to get a Social Visit Pass she needs a leave of absence letter from her employer, but by then she will have quit here job to come to Singapore with me. She intends to work in Singapore but would need some time to find work there.

anyone know of a solution to this problem?

Madam Medusa

marriage...

MM, xx

Blue Cat

new hat

Inselaffen

oiiiiiiii you 2, bugger off.
it wouldnt happen in Dubai any way!

Kooky.

Not sure what you mean by this, never heard of it. Can you prove a de facto relationship? She may be able to get a Long Term Social Visitors Pass, I think it's called, but it's not easy for unmarried couples. I know some women who did visa runs but they're risky; you're not guaranteed to get back in the country.

The ideal is that she gets an EP (Employment Pass) in her own right but, if she goes as a trailing spouse, she might have a hard time convincing an employer that she's worth sponsoring unless she has some specialist skills.

Can your employer advise you? Have you been on www.mom.gov.sg?

Sorry I can't offer definitive answers, but I was there as a trailing wife, not a girlfriend.

Madam Medusa

so what, we can travel...

MM, xx

Inselaffen

can't prove De Facto so LTSVP will probably be out of the question.

and the Absence of Leave think is because she needs a visa to gain entry rather than just an SVP - due to her nationailty.

Inselaffen

is it true though that as a trailing wife she would just need approval form the MOM rather than an Epass. Therefore the employer wouldn't have to sponsor her. she has 5 star hotel reservations experience so that would probably be her best bet but would be unlikely to get her an E-Pass.

Kooky.

Is it possible she qualifies for a PEP or EPEC? (See MoM site.)

You might be better posting on a Singapore-centric forum.

www.singaporum.com
www.singaporeexpats.com
www.expatsingapore.com

for instance.

Kooky.

Sorry, didn't see this.

As a wife she would be your Dependent and entitled to a DP(ass). This is what I went out on and worked on before we got PR and then I could work in my own right.

I did some temp work with a Letter of Consent; this is where the employer wants to employ somebody on a DP and applies to MoM - as for an EP but it's much cheaper, less hassle, can be used for lower-paid jobs and is less likely to be refused. Each subsequent employer has to apply for a new one but IME it takes about a fortnight.

The rules on EPs and WPs have changed in the last few years, and more options are now available, e.g., the PEP mentioned above. I'm really not up on them all but they're all worth investigating.

I'd never suggest somebody got married purely for a visa but, if it's something you're already planning, it'll save a lot of hassle.

(Did much the same ourselves 6.5 years ago. )

Inselaffen

marriage is something we havn't discussed but its something I definitely see happening at some point the way things are going.

Inselaffen

its unlikely she would qualify for a PEP or EPEC as she doesn't have a degree.
I can't see any other way of doing it really than marriage. but then again I don't even know if she would want to

katongkaren

Also take a look at the following website - it's actually a government agency though it kind of pretends not to be

www.contactsingapore.org.sg

We got some good advice and assistance from them when we applied for EntrePasses (a kind of Employment pass for self employed).