For foreigners looking to apply for Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) status in the country, what is the process to go about doing so? We spoke to Paul Immigrations, an immigration specialist company registered since 2016, to share their insights. The company is not a fly-by-night operation and is staffed with over 100 employees with over 15,000 satisfied clients over the years. If you’re thinking of becoming a PR one day, here’s a step-by-step guide to how they can help you get one step closer to your goal.
Paul Immigrations | Step 1: It all begins with a phone call
A consultant from the company will conduct the first round of interview with you to determine if you meet the eligibility criteria for permanent residency in Singapore. This saves you the hassle of making a trip down to their office unnecessarily if you do not meet the criteria. During the call, the service staff will ascertain the following from you:
- type of work pass you are holding (i.e. S Pass, Personalised Employment Pass or Employment Pass)
- whether you have family members in the country who are Citizens or PRs
- whether you have any applications that are pending with the Singapore Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA)
After gathering the necessary facts, the staff will then conduct an assessment of your profile in consideration of the certain factors, including (but not limited to) the following:
- your age
- the length of time you have stayed in Singapore
- your salary
- number of times you have paid for income tax
To find out more on the eligibility criteria of applying for Singapore PR, please visit the official ICA website for details.
Step 2: In-person appointment for that personal touch
If you meet the eligibility criteria for permanent residency, an appointment at the company’s office will be arranged next to advance you to the next stage. One of their consultants will schedule an appointment with you at their spanky office:
The staff will need to verify if you have the correct work pass in person, as per what is stated in your phone interview. You would need to bring along the physical copy of your work pass for verification purposes.
The staff will then go through your profile again based on your profile assessment done over the phone interview. This is to analyse your chance of an approved PR submission more accurately and better gauge what can be done for you.
To address any of your concerns, the staff will also go through with you, all the factors that may have an impact on your application approval. These factors include:
- Your profile assessment with regard to your education qualifications and the industries you are employed in and if you have any additional exemplary merits
- ICA’s yearly quota of successful PR applications
- the political climate in Singapore at the point of your PR submission
- the difficulty of acquiring approval when applying for permanent residency (i.e. factors like demand and supply as well as unspoken quota)
After these are done, you can choose if you wish to engage the service of the company to assist you with the process of applying for permanent residency and fairly assess whether Paul Immigrations would be able to enhance the chances of your submission being approved.
Step 3: Getting all the documents ready
It’s all talks if there are no evidences to support the facts. After your eligibility criteria has been assessed, you will be expected to submit all your relevant documents.
You can submit your documents by either:
- scheduling a physical appointment with the staff at a time that is best for you OR
- scan your paperwork and email them to the staff directly
Documents you will be asked to submit include:
- audited form submission (also known as Form 4A)
- correct compulsory documents (as required by ICA)
- essential additional documents (for instance, documents to support your contribution in charity work or community involvement)
After all the paperwork has been collated, you will be advised by the company’s staff on whether your documents meet the eligibility criteria and requirements listed by ICA.
Step 4: Sit back and relax – let Paul Immigrations do the rest of the PR application paperwork for you
From here, the company staff will accurately complete your application form according to the information found in your submitted documents.
An in-house writer from the company will help you to write a customised cover letter based off a questionnaire presented to you previously, together with the application form, to accompany your online submission.
The cover letter aims to highlight your dedication to the local community in Singapore and assure the authorities of your desire to become a PR for the foreseeable future.
Three crucial factors that will be highlighted in the cover letter include:
- your commitment to Singapore (e.g. through active participation in local events)
- your contributions to Singapore (your skill sets and employment status)
- your profile assessment
Step 5: Paul Immigrations helps you submit your application
After the entirety of your application is completed, the company will proceed to help you submit your application online. Since you would need to access ICA’s e-PR system using your own SingPass, this can be done either remotely at your own convenience or during a scheduled meeting with you so you can see it being done.
Timeline wise, note that steps 2 to 5 will take an average of one to two months to complete.
Step 6: Result of your PR application
ICA will take about four to six months to assess each PR application on average. Depending on the outcome of your application, the company staff will then advise you on the next step from there.
That’s it! 🙂
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