What to do if you’re a SC or PR that wants to marry your foreigner bf/gf?

I’ve previously mentioned my experience as a Singapore Citizen (SC) marrying a foreigner who had LTVP and then PR. Recently, I’ve had a lot of people messaging me about being a SC or Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) wanting to marry their foreigner sweetie and what kind of pass they can apply for.

So, here is a guide on what to do BEFORE YOU GET MARRIED. Idk if the mods are reading this but feel free to sticky.

Yes, it is lengthy and the entire process is difficult to have a TLDR version. Please read multiple times if you must. Google the respective websites if you don’t know the acronyms. I will not be linking to the relevant websites as they tend to change over time.

I may not be able to reply to every single question. A lot of the time, you can find your answers online.

You will also see this term “SC-NR” on certain websites. NR means “non-resident” aka someone who does not have PR or SC. So, SC-NR means a couple where one is a citizen and the other is a foreigner.

WHAT THIS THREAD IS FOR:

Citizens/PRs who plan to marry their foreigner sweetie and don’t know what to do. This is a rough guide on what you should do. Taking the next step is ultimately up to you.

WHAT THIS THREAD IS NOT FOR:

Expecting to be spoonfed information for every single step. Google is your friend.

Spamming questions rating your sweetie’s chances on getting LTVP/PR. If you have read anything below, you’ll be able to estimate the chances. If you never apply, the chances are always zero. Just take the leap, apply, and manage your expectations accordingly.

Complaining why Singaporean men/women are finding love overseas instead of with their own single citizens.

Complaining that SG too expensive, too this and that, don’t settle here, just relocate. If you two made your decision to sink roots here, read on. If not, this thread is not for you.

If you’re a foreigner that is not in a relationship with a SC/PR at the moment, don’t hijack this thread to ask how to find a job here. Do your research online.

Overall, don’t troll lah.

DISCLAIMER: I am not working for ICA or any immigration agencies. All the experiences I’m sharing are my own and from reading anecdotes on the SG expat forum.

START HERE: What is your foreigner sweetie’s current residency status in Singapore?

If currently in Singapore on Work Permit (WP), S-pass, or Employment Pass (EP), proceed to Section 1.

If currently NOT in Singapore and he/she wants to relocate to Singapore, proceed to Section 2.

Section 1

If currently on WP, proceed to section 1A

If currently on S-pass or EP, proceed to section 1B

Section 1A

Before you marry, you MUST apply for approval from Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for permission to marry a SC/PR.

Failure to do so means your sweetie gets banned from entering/living in Singapore. Yes, it is that serious. No exceptions. No amount of MP appeals or letters will help you and you must relocate to another country altogether due to your oversight.

After getting MOM approval, proceed to Section 2 about Pre-Approved Pre-Marriage Long-Term Visit Pass Assessment (PMLA) & Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP).

Section 1B

No MOM permission needed. Just get married. Do ensure you meet the requirements stated on Registry of Marriages (ROM) website.

Get married!

After marriage, it is recommended that your sweetie stay on S-Pass or EP until their company HR says they can no longer sponsor their S-Pass or EP. Then convert to LTVP for them. Proceed to step 4 of Section 2B (look for the **) about LTVP application.

Section 2

– If you’re a SC, proceed to Section 2A.

– If you’re a PR, proceed to Section 2B.

Section 2A

Decide which date you want to get married.

Apply for PMLA at least 3 to 6 months before the wedding date.

PMLA is only for prospective foreigner spouses of SCs. PRs cannot apply for PMLA.

PMLA is NOT an immigration pass. It only assesses whether the foreigner spouse qualifies for long term stay in Singapore. That is all.

PMLA only shortens the LTVP processing time from 6 months to 6 weeks.

Once PMLA is approved, both of you will each receive a physical copy of Letter of LTVP Eligibility (LLE). It is only valid for a year and you two must marry within the LLE validity. Keep the LLE in a safe place!

If your LLE expires, you re-apply for PMLA again.

If you break up with your current foreigner sweetie and get engaged to another foreigner, you have to re-apply PMLA again. The PMLA is tied to one foreigner only, you cannot transfer it to another individual.

Proceed to Section 2B for LTVP application.

Section 2B

Before your sweetie enters SG, ensure they meet the entry requirements that is listed on ICA website. Different nationalities have different requirements. They should also have the LLE & ROM date documents on hand in case the ICA officer asks what they are doing in SG and want proof they have plans to get married.

Do ensure both of you meet the requirements for marriage stated on ROM website.

Get married!

******Apply for LTVP.

You, the SC/PR, will be the sponsor of the foreigner spouse’s LTVP. So, you have to be employed. ICA mainly looks at only your salary to see if you can financially support yourself and your spouse. Other factors ICA can look through are nationality, race, age, education, occupation, how long you two knew each other, etc.

Please don’t ask me how much you should earn to be a sponsor. ICA will never reveal it but if you search online and read anecdotes from other people for LTVP applications, you can estimate how much you should earn. At least $3K from my personal experience.

It is preferable that you have at least 6 months payslip and held a steady job for a while. If you just entered the workforce, you can try with just one month’s payslip and letter of employment but adjust your expectations.

If you want your foreigner spouse to work in Singapore, check Pre-Approved Letter of Consent (PLOC) during the application. If you do not check it, you can still apply for it after LTVP is approved. (It just takes longer time, might as well apply for it together with LTVP lah)

Once LTVP is approved-in-principle, foreigner spouse will be asked to go for medical check-up for HIV & tuberculosis.

Both of you must sign some documents about the terms & conditions of LTVP and other stuff.

Both of you will have to physically go down to ICA to complete LTVP formalities.

PLOC will be emailed one to two working days later.

What is PLOC?

Basically, the foreigner with ICA-issued LTVP and PLOC will be able to work in a company without being considered into the foreigner quota, the company no need to pay for foreign worker levy, and company don’t need to pay CPF.

Do take note there are restricted occupations for PLOC, mainly journalism/media/religious related jobs. The company will then have to apply for letter of consent (LOC) instead.

Most companies are still ignorant about LTVP & PLOC and you must educate them. It’s mostly the service industry like F&B and retail that love to employs holders of LTVP & PLOC.

I heard LTVP+ is good!

It’s only for those who have been married at least 3 years to an SC or have at least one SC kid. Being married to a PR doesn’t qualify you for LTVP+, sorry.

It’s mostly the same as regular LTVP, just that validity can go up to 5 years and you get some healthcare subsidy. (Not as much as PR/SC though)

LTVP+ holders still need PLOC as well to work.

But what about PR?!

Be patient!

If you apply for PR immediately after marriage, confirm you will get a rejection as ICA sees it as a marriage of convenience. You will be wasting $100.

Wait for at least 2 years of marriage to show ICA that the union is stable, then you sponsor your foreigner spouse’s PR.

Having a Singaporean baby does increase chances of PR but it is not guaranteed. Do not have a kid because of PR. (I do not have a child and my spouse still got PR)

DO NOT compare your application with another person’s. All applications are assessed on a case by case basis. Just because some parts of your profile are similar to a friend/family/colleague, you are still not a clone of your friend/family/colleague at the end of the day. Perhaps they have something you don’t (or vice versa).

Once again, ICA looks at many factors like salary, race, age, nationality, occupation, children, etc…

ICA will never reveal what they are looking for. Remember that PR is a stepping stone for citizenship. They want people who can settle in SG permanently and sink roots here.

DO NOT EVEN BOTHER with volunteering, monetary/blood donation, investments, insurance, immigration agencies, testimonials/recommendation letters, or MP letters. ICA does not request for any of them in the application form in the first place. (My spouse did not do any of the above and got PR)

Volunteering has been abused to death by a certain nationality in the past and they stop volunteering the moment they get PR.

Immigration agencies have inflated success rates because they only take in clients who have a high chance of getting PR on their own in the first place! They only help you to fill in application form, that is all. If you are literate, you can fill in the form yourself. In fact, ICA treats applications from agencies with suspicion because they think you have something to hide.

But my friends/family/colleague’s spouse didn’t wait 2 years to get PR!

Is your friends/family/colleague’s spouse a Malaysian Chinese that is already working in Singapore? It is a well-known fact that an employed M’sian Chinese have an easier time getting PR as they are culturally like Singapore.

If your spouse isn’t M’sian Chinese and has never set foot into Singapore before, don’t expect the same results!

Just be patient! Or else you are wasting the $100 application fee when you get a rejection for applying so soon after marriage.

I’m overseas and already married to my foreigner spouse for a while and we want to relocate back to Singapore, what can we do?

You, the SC/PR, should secure a job in Singapore first.

Move back to Singapore.

After first month’s payslip, proceed to step 4 of Section 2B (look for the **) about LTVP application.

Female SC/PR here, can I sponsor LTVP/PR for my hubby?

Of course! As long as you are working in a salaried job and can prove you are able to support yourself and your spouse. Plus checking all the other boxes ICA is looking for.

I’m also a female SC that sponsored LTVP & PR for my husband, if that’s any consolation. There are plenty of success stories online of females sponsoring for their spouse.

Follow up to the previous question, does my hubby need to serve NS if he gets PR?

If your hubby has been working in SG for a while, he can apply solo via the Professional, Technical Personnel, and Skilled Workers Scheme (PTS). It is clearly stated that those who got PR via PTS don’t need to serve, only second gen PR males have to serve.

If you sponsor via Family Ties Scheme (FTS), by right they are supposed to serve. However, from my personal experience and numerous anecdotes online, the husbands are granted exemption from MINDEF.

Do take note of this clause in the exemption letter though: “This exemption shall take immediate effect and shall apply unless subsequently revoked by the proper authority as and when deemed fit.”

Unless Singapore goes to war and needs all the able-bodied men, it’s extremely unlikely your hubby (and mine) will be called to serve.

However, I have not encountered any female marrying in their late teens/early 20s and successfully sponsoring PR for their hubby. If you have, feel free to share if your hubby received NS exemption. The more data we get, the better.

What about housing if my spouse is a LTVP holder?

If you two are currently childless, look up Non-Citizen Spouse Scheme on HDB website. Or rent. Or stay with your parents.

If you have a Singaporean baby, congrats, you are now eligible for the Public Scheme, go get that BTO.

What about healthcare for LTVP holders?

Ask the insurance companies if there are hospitalization/medical plans for LTVP holders. To my knowledge, it is uncommon, and the premium might be steep.

You can add your foreigner spouse as a dependent in your company’s health insurance.

Takeaway:

Be humble and do not even assume you or your spouse deserve special treatment to get LTVP/PR. Pestering/hounding/threatening ICA is not something you should do either.

I get it, you want housing/healthcare subsidies so bad. But remember, subsidies are a bonus in the first place. You gotta show ICA that you are financially able to support yourself and your spouse without the subsidies. I had to get a resale HDB under Non-Citizen Spouse Scheme and I am still a bit peeved I only had singles granted (despite being married).

Play the SG system correctly and you will be rewarded in the end.

Good luck!