Singapore immigration
Relocating your family to Singapore, planned as a whole.
A family move involves a pass for every person, a school place for every child, and a plan for what follows once everyone has arrived. We would be glad to help you put the whole picture together.
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Real ICA approval letters
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One case officer, start to finish
You will not need to explain your circumstances again to someone new.
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Relocating a family to Singapore usually requires a work pass for the employed adult and dependant passes for the family. The spouse and children of an eligible Employment Pass or S Pass holder may apply for a Dependant's Pass, subject to the pass holder meeting the sponsoring salary threshold. Family members outside those criteria, including common-law spouses and some parents, may apply for a Long-Term Visit Pass at the Ministry of Manpower's discretion. A Dependant's Pass does not itself permit employment, and since 1 May 2021 the holder must obtain a work pass of their own rather than a Letter of Consent in order to work. Immigration Express plans the family as a unit rather than treating dependants as an afterthought.
Most relocations are planned around the working adult's pass, with the family considered afterwards. That order gives rise to most of the difficulties we are later asked to help with: a spouse unable to work, a child without a school place, or a parent with no long-term status.
We plan the family as a unit from the start: who holds which pass, in what sequence, what each pass allows, and how the family's longer-term status develops from there.
Who can apply
Which of these describes your family?
Family circumstances vary far more than individual ones. These are the patterns we encounter most often.
Professionals bringing family
Employment Pass or S Pass holders, or incoming hires, relocating with a spouse and children on Dependant's Passes.
Families of citizens and Permanent Residents
A foreign spouse or children of a Singapore Citizen or PR, where Long-Term Visit Pass, PR and citizenship routes come into play.
Parents joining adult children
Ageing parents joining children settled in Singapore, on a Long-Term Visit Pass or under the aged-parent PR category.
Blended situations
Common-law spouses, stepchildren and other family structures that need the discretionary route handled carefully.
Both sides
What it offers, and what it requires.
Most consultancies publish only the first list. We publish both, because the second materially affects the decision and we believe you should know it before you submit rather than afterwards.
What we handle
The whole family, sequenced
Who applies for what, and in what order, so that no one is left without status between passes.
Spouse employment
The route to a work pass of their own, which is now the only route open to a Dependant's Pass holder who wants to work.
Schooling
How pass type affects school placement, and what the realistic options tend to be.
Parents and extended family
Long-Term Visit Pass routes, and the aged-parent Permanent Residence category.
The longer view
How today's passes shape a Permanent Residence application in a few years.
Matters families are not always told
A Dependant's Pass does not allow work
Your spouse will need a work pass of their own, sponsored by an employer, and has done since the Letter of Consent route closed to Dependant's Pass holders in May 2021. This is the most common surprise in a family relocation.
School places are not guaranteed
Placement for non-citizen children depends on availability, and international school fees are substantial. We would encourage you to consider this before accepting an offer.
National Service applies later
If the family later obtains Permanent Residence, sons become liable for full-time National Service. We would suggest raising it early in the family discussion.
How it works
From first conversation to outcome.
Family mapping
Every member, their status today, and what each needs.
Pass sequencing
The order of applications, so that no one is left without valid status.
Schooling and settling
The practical questions that often determine whether a relocation succeeds.
Applications
Prepared and submitted together rather than piecemeal.
The path onward
How the family's status develops from here.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions about Family Relocation
Can my spouse work in Singapore on a Dependant's Pass?
Not on the pass itself. Since 1 May 2021 a Dependant's Pass holder who wishes to work must hold a work pass of their own, applied for by an employer; the Letter of Consent no longer covers them, apart from a narrow exception for some business owners. We would encourage you to establish this before the move rather than afterwards, as it frequently determines whether the relocation is financially viable.
Can I bring my parents to Singapore?
Parents of eligible pass holders and of Singapore Citizens may be able to obtain a Long-Term Visit Pass, which is granted at the authorities' discretion rather than as of right. Aged parents of Singapore Citizens may also apply for Permanent Residence under a separate category.
How does our pass type affect school places?
School placement for non-citizen children depends on availability, and citizens and Permanent Residents receive priority. Many relocating families use international schools, where fees form a significant part of the relocation budget. We would suggest costing this before accepting an offer.
Should the whole family apply for PR together?
A Permanent Residence application may include your spouse and unmarried children under 21. Whether it should is a separate question, and the National Service liability for sons is a material part of it. We set out both sides at the consultation.
What is the difference between a Dependant's Pass and a Long-Term Visit Pass?
The Dependant's Pass covers the spouse and unmarried children under 21 of an eligible Employment Pass or S Pass holder, provided the pass holder meets the sponsoring salary threshold. The Long-Term Visit Pass covers family who fall outside that, which in practice means common-law spouses, stepchildren, and parents, and it is granted at MOM's discretion rather than as of right. The distinction matters because the two carry different conditions once you are here.
Do we need to decide about Permanent Residence before we move?
No, and we would generally advise against deciding it in the same month as the move. A Permanent Residence application is stronger with a settled employment position and a period of residence behind it, and the passes that bring your family here are a separate matter decided by a separate authority. Move first, then take the PR question on its own timing.
Should the family arrive together, or should one of us come first?
It depends on the passes and on schooling. The dependants' passes are tied to the pass holder's, so the sequence is partly decided for you. Beyond that, families often find it easier if the working adult arrives slightly ahead to settle housing and school places, which are the two things that take longest and cannot be arranged well from abroad. We would talk through the timing with you rather than assume.
Is this the right moment for you to apply?
Please request a complimentary assessment, and a consultant will respond within two business days with a considered view of your position.
Criteria and fees are set by the Singapore authorities and are revised from time to time. Please confirm the current position directly.
Immigration Express is a private consultancy and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) or any Singapore government agency. All application outcomes are decided solely by the relevant authorities.