Singapore has always been a popular destination for immigration. Many people are attracted by its various advantages, including climate and air quality, public safety, education and healthcare, economy, welfare policies, and business investment opportunities. The Singapore Entrepreneurship Immigration program is currently a high-success-rate and time-efficient immigration pathway. To address the various questions encountered during the application process, we have summarized some Q&A for your reference!
First, let's look at the application requirements for Singapore Entrepreneurship Immigration:
The applicant must hold a college degree or higher (Chinese degrees must be verified by CHSI, while overseas degrees do not require verification).
The parent company (not limited to China) must have been established for at least 3 years, with no fewer than 20 employees. The parent company's (not limited to China) revenue in the most recent year must be at least 5 million RMB (internal financial statements are sufficient).
The applicant must be a shareholder or a senior executive of the parent company (not limited to China) and must have held a senior management position in the company for at least 1 year. (Internal organizational charts, labor contracts, and employment verification letters must be provided).
The applicant will move to Singapore to establish a new company and hold a senior management position, with a monthly salary of no less than 6,000 SGD.
After holding an Employment Pass for 2 years, one may apply for Singapore permanent residency. Employment Pass holders may apply for dependent visas for their spouses and children, and their children may receive priority in applying for local schools in Singapore.
Can applicants in the following situations apply for Singapore Entrepreneurship Immigration?
1. Can individuals without a college degree but who meet other criteria apply?
2. Can individuals who already have a company in Singapore apply?
3. Can the main applicant apply if they cannot stay in Singapore for a long period?
4. Can mothers on a Long-Term Visit Pass for accompanying students apply for Singapore entrepreneurship?
5. Can individuals who have lost their diplomas and cannot obtain an academic certificate apply?
Can I apply if I do not have a college degree but meet other conditions?
Two types of applicants may be accepted with lower academic qualifications:
A: Older applicants (aged 50 or above)
B: Those with significant, genuine relevant work experience (12 years or more of relevant work experience)
These two types of applicants require a higher local monthly salary in Singapore and must compensate with high-level skills, many years of relevant work experience, personal achievements, or entrepreneurial success to have a high probability of approval.
Assuming the applicant is 50 years old with a junior high school diploma (graduation certificate must be provided), but the applicant possesses industry-specific qualification certificates, many years of relevant management experience, media coverage, industry awards, patents, holds shares in 4 companies, or the company they hold shares in is large-scale/listed/has high revenue (not all need to be met simultaneously), they can still be invited to apply.
Therefore, it is fine for these two types of applicants to have lower academic qualifications, but they must have highlights and advantages to ensure a high success rate!
Summary: You can apply, provided you meet the above requirements.
Applicants who already have a company in Singapore
It is necessary to understand the scale of the applicant's Singapore company (revenue in the last year, years of establishment, number of local employees, and whether there is local business activity). If it is a shell company, generally, shell companies within 2 years can be used directly to apply for an Employment Pass. There is little difference between a shell company and a newly registered company; it still depends on the scale of the applicant's parent company.
For shell companies older than 2 years, we suggest that the applicant register a new company, and we can recommend an accounting firm to assist in closing the shell company for a fee (this has no impact on the work visa application).
Summary: You can apply.
Can the main applicant apply if they cannot stay in Singapore for a long period?
Singapore work visas do not have a strict residency requirement (immigration prison). However, if the applicant intends to transition to permanent residency, it is ideal to accumulate at least 6 months of residence per year. If the goal is only to maintain the work visa, it is recommended to accumulate at least 3 months or more of residence per year. While there is no residency requirement in the renewal policy, it is reasonable to have a record of residence.
For some applicants who cannot stay for 3 months in a year, if they insist on applying, it is possible. During the validity period of the work visa, since they cannot stay often, the Singapore company must be well-maintained, with local employees, business operations, and cash flow.
The renewal criteria for the policy are: the Singapore company is operating normally, the applicant is still employed by this company, and the salary meets the requirements. The Singapore work visa system is flexible and allows for trade-offs, as long as it is reasonable and the company is operating normally.