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Singapore Permanent Residence (PR) application under the PTS Scheme
Navigating the Singapore Permanent Residence (PR) Application Process Through the Professionals, Technical Personnel & Skilled Workers (PTS) Scheme
Your Pathway to Permanent Residency
Singapore has different schemes for Permanent Residence (PR) applications. As a foreigner, you may be eligible to apply for Singapore PR if you are a/an: –
- Holder of an Employment Pass or S Pass;
- Spouse of a Singapore citizen or Singapore PR;
- Unmarried child aged below 21 years old, born within the context of a legal marriage to, or have been legally adopted by, a Singapore citizen or PR;
- Aged parent of a Singapore citizen;
- Student studying in Singapore;
- Foreign investor in Singapore; or
- Foreign artistic talents.
Regarding the assessment criteria, there is currently no points-based system for Singapore PR applications. Based on the information stated on ICA’s website, for PR applications, “ICA considers factors such as the individual’s family ties to Singaporeans, economic contributions, qualifications, age, family profile and length of residency, to assess the applicant’s ability to contribute to Singapore and integrate into our society, as well as his or her commitment to sinking roots in Singapore”.
The documentation requirements for Singapore PR application will vary depending on which scheme the application is made under.
At Galactic Spark, before you engage us, we will have a complimentary one-to-one consultation session with you to clearly understand your profile and conduct a profile analysis with you based on our extensive experience in handling PR applications. We will also identify which scheme is most suitable for your PR application. By doing that, you will be in a better position to make an informed decision before engaging us.
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On this page, we set out below the Frequently Asked Questions for Singapore PR applications under the Professional, Technical Personnel and Skilled Workers (PTS) Scheme and the services we offer at different stages of such applications.
Frequently Asked Questions for Singapore PR Application under the PTS scheme
The PTS scheme is catered for professionals, technical personnel and skilled workers who have been working in Singapore for a period of time as Employment Pass (EP) holders or S Pass holders.
Although ICA does not specify precisely how long the applicant should have worked in Singapore before submitting their PR application under the PTS scheme, one of the supporting documents required by ICA for PR application under the PTS scheme is the applicant’s payslips for the last six months.
The length of residence in Singapore is one of the important factors that ICA considers when assessing PR applications under the PTS scheme. Based on our experience, the applicant will have a better chance of getting the PR application approved under the PTS scheme after working in Singapore for at least 1-2 years.
Yes, an applicant for PR application under the PTS scheme can include his/her spouse and unmarried children below the age of 21 in his/her application. Such applicant will be the “Main Applicant” for the PR application.
If you are a male and granted your PR status through your PR application under the PTS scheme, you are exempted from serving NS.
If your unmarried male children (under the age of 21) are granted their PR status by being included in your PR application under the PTS scheme, such male children will be required to serve NS.
The list of supporting documents required for applying PR under the PTS scheme can be downloaded from ICA’s website, and ICA may update such list from time to time.
The commonly required supporting documents are the applicant’s passport, birth certificate, academic certificates and transcripts, current letter of employment, last 6-month pay slips, and testimonials for past jobs (if any).
Each applicant’s profile is unique and different. For example, compared to an applicant whose marital status is single, an applicant married with children will be required to produce more supporting documents even though his/her spouse/children are not included in the application.
At Galactic Spark, we will guide you on exactly what documents you need to prepare after having a thorough discussion with you on your application case, with a view to highlighting the merits of your case and maximising the chance of success for your application. The documents we require from you may not only be those required in ICA’s documentation list, but also any other supporting document we assess (through our experience) that might best enhance your application package.
After you provide us with scanned copies of the supporting documents, we will review all the supporting documents carefully, ensuring their completeness and accuracy.
After we work with you to get all the supporting documents ready, we will guide you on downloading and filling out the application form for PR application under the PTS scheme, i.e., the ICA Form 4A.
The downloaded Form 4A is a fillable PDF file. It is crucial to fill in all the details on the form accurately with a good strategy to highlight the merits of the case.
At Galactic Spark, we will review your entire draft ICA Form 4A carefully and provide you with our valuable comments or proposed amendments (if any) on the various parts of the form. For example, a part in ICA Form 4A requires the applicant to provide information in 3,500 characters (roughly 500-600 English words) on the innovations and achievements the applicant has made in his/her occupation. We will review and work with you to finalise the write-up for this important session.
ICA does not require the applicant to submit any cover letter for PR application under the PTS scheme. We will discuss with you whether it will be beneficial for you to have a cover letter. If yes, we will be happy to prepare a customised cover letter for you as an additional supporting document for your application.
If a cover letter is to be prepared, the purpose of such cover letter is to highlight the merits of your application based on your profile. We will work with you together to finalise the cover letter.
Presently, the submission of PR applications to ICA is 100% done online through ICA’s e-PR system, introduced by ICA on 18 December 2017. There is no need to go to ICA to submit the application form or supporting documents.
To submit a PR application under PTS, the applicant must log in to ICA’s e-PR system using his/her SingPass.
At Galactic Spark, we will not request your SingPass login credentials from you, as you should keep your SingPass login credentials strictly confidential.
For submitting your PR application under the PTS scheme, we will arrange a meeting with you (either a Zoom meeting or a face-to-face meeting). Most of our clients prefer having a Zoom meeting with us for the online submission process.
If you prefer to have a Zoom meeting with us for the application submission, after you have logged into ICA’s e-PR system using your SingPass, we will request you to please share your screen with us, and then we will guide you step-by-step throughout the entire online submission process, ensuring that the ICA Form 4A and each of the supporting documents are properly uploaded under the correct category to ICA’s e-PR system.
If you prefer to have a face-to-face meeting with us for the application submission, after you have logged into ICA’s e-PR system using your SingPass, we will (with your presence) assist you in uploading the ICA Form 4A and each of the supporting documents, ensuring that the ICA Form 4A and each of the supporting documents are properly uploaded under the correct category to ICA’s e-PR system.
At the end of the application submission, you will sight ICA’s acknowledgement webpage containing an application reference number. You can check your application’s status by logging into ICA’s “MyICA” services using your SingPass.
Based on our experience, the current processing time for a PR application under the PTS scheme is approximately 6 to 9 months from the date of application. Some cases may take even longer.
You can check the status of your PR application under the PTS scheme by logging into ICA’s “MyICA” services using your SingPass.
At the time when the outcome is available, ICA will send the outcome letter by post to your residential address stated in your Form 4A submitted to ICA during the online submission process.
During the application processing time, ICA may contact you through email or mail for further supporting documents or information. If that occurs, don’t worry; we will provide our post-submission support. You just need to provide us with a copy of ICA’s correspondence sent to you, and we will advise you on the actions required for the next step.
During the application processing time, if there is any change in the following information, please inform us the soonest possible. We will guide you on updating your information with ICA through ICA’s “MyICA” portal for your PR application under the PTS scheme: –
- your residential address;
- your employment (i.e., new employment, promotion, and increment);
- your marital status; or
- your educational qualifications (i.e., new qualification).
All PR applications under the PTS scheme are subject to ICA’s approval. Like any other immigration consultancy firm, Galactic Spark cannot guarantee the success of your PR application. Our key role is to provide valuable advice and approach to assist you in presenting a well-prepared application package to ICA for ICA’s consideration.
If your PR application under the PTS scheme is successful, you will receive an in-principle approval (IPA) letter from ICA.
The IPA Letter will list out the actions you need to take to complete the PR registration formalities with ICA.
Once you have received your IPA Letter, please send a copy of the letter to us as soon as possible, and we will guide you throughout the process of completing the PR registration formalities within the validity period of your IPA Letter.
Once you have completed the PR registration formalities with ICA, you will officially become a Singapore PR. Congratulations!
The rejection letter from ICA usually does not state any reason for rejecting your PR application.
Once you have received your rejection letter, please send a copy of the letter to us as soon as possible. We will discuss with you in detail the next course of action, for example, whether you should make an appeal to ICA or whether you should try to submit a new application after a period of time.
If you have any questions or want to discuss your application case with us, please get in touch with us now for a complimentary one-to-one consultation session!
