Singapore Expats

Hi All

My PR application(first) with my wife and 2 kids (girls) was rejected yesterday. I guess I am trying to rationalise why and need your help.

Our details
Main Applicant (me)
- 36 yrs, work in a global bank Annual Salary of 220K SGD and I have got bonus of ~ 15K each year, so netted approx 240K /annum
- Job Title @ time of application - Vice President
- Nationality Indian, Pass PEP
- Moved to singapore in 2011 with family and took my current job. In 2009,2010 i did short 6 month stints in singapore on an EP (Reason was that employed by Indian company and was servicing for their client here)
- Education :- BAchelor of Engineering

My wife - Currently a house wife, but worked contract last year at Disney for about 60K per annum. She is Bachelor in sociology and has done a diploma in communications.

Kids - Both girls, one 7 yrs old and other is 5 months old

Also, Since the application 2 things have happened
1. I have got promoted to a Director and now head a function.
2. I have received an increment of 7% and so the base salary now is 235K/annum

I need your help with understanding what can be causing the rejection. Speculation from me would be

a) Race - just too many from India at similar levels?
b) Wife not working - Is this a factor?
c) I have 2 girls and boys are preferred?
d) anything else?

The other question would be that since I have got promoted and there is a salary increment too, does that warrant a reapplication or should i call the ICA and ask?

Many thanks for your help in advance


Regards

I guess in ICA's view, you are a high flying expat and you are unlikely to sink your roots here, regardless of good or bad times.

so the reason is:
d) anything else = compatibility/suitability. Its like you could sometimes be too much overqualified for a job and get rejected. Any increment in salary or your role is not going to help. It will only make the situation worse.

May be you need to spend few more years here to prove your loyalty. Like try applying after spending 5 years.

Thanks Wd40

I see your point regarding spending longer duration in singapore and thats defiinitely on the cards.

But i do know of folks who are better off than me who land PRs, so perhaps overqualification isnt quite the challenge here.

I agree wait a few years more. The increment does not sound a substantial change to warrant immediate reapplication, your initial salary already in the high bracket. However the job title change from VP to Director could be more impactful, as VP title rather common in banks nowadays.

I think it is just your duration. Based on your timeline, I guess you applied before you hit the full 3 years (or with three years' of tax assessments).

Follow wd40's advice and re-apply once you spend more than 3 years here.

I forgot to ask, what did the rejection letter say? Did it ask you to reapply after X number of years?

Thanks guys - Yes duration might be the consideration. I did have tax assessments in 2009,2010 but at that point I wasnt stationed here permanently.

The letter doesnt say reply after XX yrs/months.

appreciate the comments.

Just noticed that you work for a global bank. Recently I have noticed most people(Especially Indians) working on permanent payrolls of Investment banks are being rejected.I have heard lots of rejection cases from Barclays and Credit Suisse employees.

I have got this feeling Indian employees working for these banks and probably other similar global banks are on the worst books of ICA.

The reason I say this is because I have seen contractors working of 3rd party payrolls of these banks and earning measly 6k a month have got their PR approved recently yet permanent employees have been rejected.

My advice is, if you are serious about Singapore, move out of banking and into some sort of consulting firm, your chances will be better.

hmmm..... you may have a point there. I dont understand the rationale but there might be a view that these jobs just arent safe rigth now in financial services....

Not safe, and most at those levels are always open to the highest bidder and will jump ship as WD40 mentioned already. Senior types follow the scent of the money and owe no allegiance to any country and the Gahment here knows that. Why should they utilize a space that could be more readily used by someone who would be more inclined to sink roots here. (Sadly, too many Indians abused the system in the previous 15 years so there does seem to be a pogrom of sorts especially at the higher levels. We've seen a number on here with your problem and I reckon it's only the tip of the iceberg.

I am sure there has been rampant abuse in the past but at this point, waiting seems to be the only option.

What do you think about the fact that my houehold has only 1 earning member (me) who is in a high risk job, since my wife isnt working, the authoity probably puts such cases as potential risk.. ie if i lose my job then there is lesser chance that i can sustain in SG with high cost base..

thougths?

shauryas wrote:I am sure there has been rampant abuse in the past but at this point, waiting seems to be the only option.

What do you think about the fact that my houehold has only 1 earning member (me) who is in a high risk job, since my wife isnt working, the authoity probably puts such cases as potential risk.. ie if i lose my job then there is lesser chance that i can sustain in SG with high cost base..

thougths?

Yes that is a valid concern, and it should be for you too, not just ICA. Quite a few PR's got stuck if they lost their high paying job and now faced with the ever-inflating cost of living here, with the dilemma of having to renounce, return home and possibly burn bridges here....

Another factor often raised which MIGHT strengthen your future application is buying a property here. Especially as your income is in a bracket you can seriously afford to look at it. I'm not advising to buy a condo apartment just for this reason, but just saying if you did own your own apartment here it might help offset the "flight risk" concern that has been raised.

@beeroclock - Completely agree with everything you say. Just dont have the reserves to put on a downpayment as yet. God willing maybe i can get there in a year or so. and that will be an affirmative statement of loyalty to SG as well. Lets see where this goes....

good luck. I see so many cases here where it honestly doesn't make sense. But as I'm rather fond of saying here, it's their ballpark, their ball and their rules. If we want to play, we have to play their way. What to do?

shauryas wrote:@beeroclock - Completely agree with everything you say. Just dont have the reserves to put on a downpayment as yet. God willing maybe i can get there in a year or so. and that will be an affirmative statement of loyalty to SG as well. Lets see where this goes....

The universe wants you elsewhere. Learn to listen.

@PNGMK - My post is clear. I wasnt inviting your opinion on what i should do; I only needed to rationalise the reasons.