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LPR Scheme - Landed Permanent Resident Scheme
The Landed Permanent Resident (LPR) scheme lets you to apply for Singapore permanent residence even
if you reside outside the country. While most Singapore permanent residents have qualified through
the Employment Pass system, there are other ways of securing PR status if you meet the requirements.
The LPR scheme is one of them. According to consultancy figures, an average of 36,000 people become
Singapore permanent residents every year, allowing them to enjoy almost all of the benefits of a
full citizen such as visa-free residency, priority schooling and the ability to change jobs at will.
The landed permanent resident scheme offers the same end result but, the application process is slightly
more complex than if you were an EP holder. As an LPR applicant you essentially have no physical link to
Singapore, unlike an Employment Pass holder who would have already settled down in the country prior to
making any PR application.
Should You Apply For LPR?
The LPR scheme is open to anyone of 45 years old or younger who has high-caliber professional or tertiary
qualifications. The application filing fees under the LPR scheme will typically start from S$1500 therefore
you should evaluate your chances of approval before deciding to proceed forward. The programme is designed
to entice experienced and qualified foreigners who desire permanent residence in Singapore but have yet to
look for employment in the island-state. As part of evaluating your LPR application, Singapore authorities
are likely to want to make sure that your skills are unique and and that you won't have any problem keeping
a high-paying job in both good and bad economic times. The last thing they want is for you to compete for
regular jobs with local Singaporeans or become a liability on Singapore (i.e. unemployed). In other words,
you must be cream of the crop in order to qualify. The following factors are a good rule of thumb when
deciding whether or not to file an application for Singapore landed permanent residence:
- Your profession is in
demand and will stay in
demand for the foreseeable
future, especially in the
context of employment in
Singapore
- If you are still
pursuing your degree or have
just completed your higher
education, your university
is in the top 100
universities of the world
- If you are a working
professional, you have
high-caliber professional
experience (e.g. you are in
the top 10% of workforce) at
one or more of well-known
MNCs
If you meet the above
criteria, you have a good chance
of approval. Hong Kong residents
wanting Singapore permanent
residence are offered a special
landed permanent residence
scheme called LPR for Hong
Kong Residents.
How To Apply For LPR
Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) has a Permanent Resident Services Centre in its Kallang
headquarters to handle applications through the Professionals, Technical Personnel & Skilled Workers Scheme (PTS)
scheme for Employment Pass holders. However, if you want Singapore PR through the landed permanent residence scheme,
you must deal with SMC Management Consultants, a Singapore-based agency appointed by ICA to accept applications on
its behalf. SMC’s main office is in StarHub Centre in Singapore with branch offices in Jakarta, Indonesia and in
Hong Kong. You can collect application forms from any one of these offices, or visit their websites and complete
online forms. You can also look for Singapore Overseas Missions in other countries to obtain more information. A
list of missions can be found on the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs?website. SMC charges a non-refundable
fee of about S$1,500.00 for each application.
Documents Required For LPR Application
As with all applications, you need to submit relevant documents, along with the completed landed permanent application
form. You will need the front and back of your identity card, passport pages containing pertinent information, birth
certificate, education and professional certificates, grade transcripts, employment letters and testimonials, six
months of salary slips, three years of income tax returns and marriage certificate, if applicable. Of course, if
you are still studying, you won't have things such as salary slips, employment reference letters, etc. but that's
understood. If you are applying for LPR along with your spouse and children, they must produce the same documents.
Separated, divorced and widowed applicants should also furnish the required certificates. You may be asked for
additional documents depending on your nationality. It is worth noting that if any of your documents are not in
English, you will have to translate all documents into English using a registered translator only. These must then
be photocopied and certified by a Singapore Mission or Notary Public.
Upon Approval of LPR Application
Each application for Singapore
landed permanent residence is
assessed on a case by case basis
and if you have fulfilled all
the requirements, you should
receive a positive reply within
three months. However, a
successful LPR application does
not mean you are automatically a
Singapore permanent resident.
You would have only received
Approval In Principle (AIP) with
still some more work ahead of
you. Once you are granted AIP,
you have one year to find work
and relocate to Singapore. If
jobs are hard to come by, all
may not be lost. According to
some sources, if you can show
rental of a Singapore property
for 12 months under your name
and/or proof that your children
are studying in Singapore
schools, you can change your
status to a Singapore permanent
resident. Initially, PR status
is granted for five years. Only
at the end of this phase can you
be confirmed as a fully fledged
Singapore permanent resident,
with one final provision ?that
you have lived in Singapore
continuously, without moving
elsewhere, for the last three
years of your conditional
five-year period.
LPR - The Right Scheme For Right People
The LPR scheme is useful for
those that have high-caliber
educational or working
credentials and would like to
settle in Singapore on a
long-term basis. Having an PR
AIP status is helpful to
employers, who are spared the
hassles and costs of applying
for an Employment Pass on your
behalf while safe in the
knowledge that you will be able
to start the job immediately.
The risk of applying for
Singapore permanent residence
through the LPR scheme is the
application filing fee. Because
landed permanent resident status
is granted only to exceptional
applicants, you should have a
strong career or educational
background, otherwise your money
and time is lost. If you
succeed, though, you are free to
enjoy many of the rights and
benefits afforded to full
Singapore citizens. The LPR
route may be a little more
complex and pricey but the
rewards make it meaningful for
the right people.
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