Singapore Expats

Hi ,

I am a Singapore PR ,recently laid off during a workforce reduction exercise.
My husband is a Singapore PR too and is still employed.

But given the fact that it will be very difficult and near impossible to survive in Singapore on a single income, we were speculating if it would be wise to go back to our home country for a while ..maybe about 6 to 8 months until I have another job to come back to....

My husband works from home so it will not be an issue where he is located and he can make his trip to Singapore when required.But it will give my family breathing space and less pressure when it comes to making ends meet.

So my questions are ....

Is it ok for a singapore PR to stay away from Singapore for around 6 to 8 months ? (My REP is renewable in 2014)?
We will obviously not be renting out here in Singapore as that's one of the biggest expense we have ,So if we were to move is it possible to forward all our mail to a PO box ?
Is there something obvious in our plan that we are missing.
Also we have a dog ,microchipped and licensed which we will be taking back as well .If we were to eventually come back in a few months will he still have to go through the 30 day quarantine ?

We are weighing our options on our next move and will be happy to hear any inputs

Search the forums, but I believe you need to be in the country at least 3 out of the last 5 years for your REP renewal.

No idea on the dog.

Serendipitysays wrote:...So if we were to move is it possible to forward all our mail to a PO box ?

you can. you fill out a form with your husband and your details and it'll be forwarded for a fee... BUT i'm sure you cannot use a PO box for some of your mail and you'll need an actual residential address.

zzm9980 wrote:Search the forums, but I believe you need to be in the country at least 3 out of the last 5 years for your REP renewal.

No idea on the dog.

I believe the actual criteria are that you have filed a tax return for 3 of the last 5 years.

To the OP: You can go to the ICA website and print off a form so that you can notify ICA that you are living at a foreign address. You can live at a foreign address without fear of losing REP or PR.

If you are back in six to eight months, I don't see an issue. However, if longer than that, the ICA will need reassurance that you really are a serious PR and not just a document collector who moves away. You say your REP expires in 2014... if you have been here constantly since the REP was issued, I think you are OK.

Cheers.