Hey there everybody, this is James Mathus. I believe most of you know me through my blog, and perhaps some of you readers are actually my colleagues.
My story
Nonetheless, it seems that many of you are interested in how I actually migrated over to Singapore by first working here as an expat, before applying for a permanent residency. Some are also interested in why I even decided to work in SG as an expat (I am guessing you are a potential job seeker considering Singapore as a work destination in the near future), as well as why I picked up a local SG PR after living and working for several years now here.
The fact that you are reading this page probably means that you already know quite a fair bit about Singapore. So I will skip over that and just jump straight into my personal story.
Born in West Virginia, USA, and working there in the past
Born in Western Virginia, USA, I was working as an IT executive there at a regional company for around 17 years, before they sent me to Singapore to spearhead their expansion into South East Asia.
Moved to Singapore to spearhead company’s South East Asia expansion
I have heard lots about Singapore, and the Asian culture and more, and obviously the pretty ladies too. I got interested with all that it seems to offer, on top of the new job scope offering me more room to grow into.
Therefore, I accepted the offer and before I knew it, I was working in Singapore for over 5 years.
Decided to settle down in SG for good and so I went applying for a Singapore permanent residence
I started to really love the culture, and since most of my past friends are scattered working around the world, and with the help of the Internet I could still get connected to them, I decided to stay for good in SG. Also, applying to become a permanent resident will also help me out in future in the event I would like to change a job, I can do it without worry.
If you are wondering, I applied for my PR myself. However, some of my friends got help from an agency, and you can check PR application agencies like them if you would like external help and just outsource it to a pro. They do exist in Singapore, and rates usually ranges between $3000 for basic cases and up to $20000 for complicated cases for a consultant to do it for you. With that said, most of the price ranges between $3000 to $6000 for most agents pretty consistently.
I recommend that you work in the country for at least a few years first, and show stability and vested interest in living and working permanently in the country.
Random tips for expats who also want to apply for a Singapore PR
Finally, after you have applied, you can check status approval with ICA. It really is that easy! Or if you happened to apply through an agency, chances are they will also tell you on top of ICA’s own additional notification for you if you do get your permanent residency status approved.