I don't think any application is rejected because the application was "too soon". It's always on a case by case basis. The stronger your educational/professional profile; the more your age/gender/family status/nationality/race/religion fits or complements the "Singaporean Core", and the lower the political pressure at that time... - the more likely your application will be approved, notwithstanding whether you applied "too soon" or not.

This post has been edited by seantang: May 28 2013, 08:44 PM

His profile definitely doesn't fit the Singaporean Core. And probably not considered a good complement to the Indian, Hindu part of the core as well. Might even be looked at as a negative or destabilising/antagonistic long term presence.

Only applies if you buy HDB, not private. There's still a lot of doubt how they will check that you don't have or sold your property overseas. No sovereign govt will release govt information on its citizens to a foreign govt (ie. information from Land Office). Especially if it's not criminal in nature.

The only possibility is if someone tips off HDB that you own a particular property in Malaysia, and HDB gets a Malaysian lawyer to do a title search for that particular property and the results show that you own the property. Using that info, HDB could then instruct you to dispose of that property and present proof.

http://www.pemudah.gov.my/documents/10124/...in+Malaysia.pdf

This post has been edited by seantang: May 28 2013, 11:36 PM

You're not the first one to think of it.

Firstly of course it's possible. AS LONG AS you don't get involved or caught up in anything where driving an UNREGISTERED and UNINSURED car becomes an issue.

It's no different from letting the road tax and insurance on your Malaysian car expire but you just keep on driving it (well,.. there is a difference... your Malaysian car is still registered with a valid licence plate while your SG car will not be). Same with driving without a driving licence. They do it in kampungs and new villages all the time.

So, it's of course possible. As long as you don't get caught.

This post has been edited by seantang: May 29 2013, 12:07 PM

That's actually a pretty good option... just that the process is a little bit opaque.

I have a friend who worked overseas and when he retired early back to Malaysia, he brought his Merc back. As a professional returning to Malaysia, he was entitled to an AP to bring back a car. He just had to pay the import duty, excise duty etc... but since it's calculated on the value of a used car (if you bring back a used car) plus he had some discounts under the scheme where he's entitled to the AP, he didn't pay that much.

That's an option... but not 100% foolproof.

If your family member happens to be not very wise with their financial management, gambler etc... then you might one day find that there's nothing left of your house except for an apology.

It may also be not so drama... but let say you transfer to your sibling, and he/she unfortunately passes without leaving a will, then that property goes to his/her spouse... who may or may not be as straightforward as your sibling. Attitude of in-laws notwithstanding, without a will, the property will be stuck for quite a while the courts work out the details. Worse is your in-law also passes (car accident etc), then the property will be shared amongst the parents and siblings of both your sibling and your in-law. Then good luck trying to get it back.

If it were me... I'd set up a Sdn Bhd, sell the property to the company, and issue the shares back to me. Then I technically own a property company, not a property. If you want to be ultra safe... (maybe HDB's lawyer in Malaysia is conscientious enough to do both a title search AND a company search), then issue the shares to your parents or siblings and amend the M&A and AA that upon the death of a shareholder, the shares will be automatically distributed to the remaining shareholders.

Just annual financial statements and audit for the ROS annual return. Besides that an annual tax return. Maybe because I was from the industry... will take me about 2-3 hours to do everything except the audit (which I can get any number of friends to sign off).

With you as the personal guarantor, yes.

Makes no difference to the decision. All this will apply equally even if you own the property personally as an individual.

You didn't know?

Anything roaming is expensive. And if you're a heavy data user... don't dataroam without subscribing to the S$15/day unlimited dataroam plan. Easily thousands of bucks if you watch videos or download anything.

That's why I carry 3 phones when I'm back in MY. 1 company phone and 1 personal on Singtel multisim; and 1 personal Celcom.

Firefly having a RM99 (one way) promo for flights booked 30 days in advance. For SIN-IPH, everyday except Fridays and Saturdays. For IPH-SIN, everyday except Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.

Booked all the way to CNY next year already since it's available for booking. The website can now book 12 months in advance, up from 6 months in the past.

This post has been edited by seantang: Jun 2 2013, 12:51 AM

Ya, that's the one I booked. Just work from home a few days.

You just need is a laptop, broadband, forward the office phone to your handphone and some discipline to actually sit down to do 6-8 hours of work in your pajamas.

And it helps that my boss is in the US, and I run my own show in Asia.

Simple... get a job where there's nobody in Singapore more senior than you in your function/dept/biz unit. Then you have your tall mountains, distant emperors.

Depends on whether you need it to be successful in your job.

Professional and legal correspondence and communication in Singapore is in English. If you have a regional job... except for China, Taiwan - Mandarin is not used professionally. Chinese script and is only used in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong (where verbally Cantonese instead of Mandarin is used professionally).

But the fact is that most, if not all ethnic Chinese Singaporeans speak Mandarin. But unless you're dealing with the underbelly of the working classes or the most Chinamen of companies - English or Singlish is usually sufficient (or else where will the local Malays and Indians work?).

Chinese Singaporeans study Mandarin and Chinese script throughout their entire primary and secondary years and if they want, they can actually study pretty advanced Chinese curriculum in secondary school. Plus they live in an environment where Mandarin is used in daily life.

Would your Malaysian Mandarin really give you an edge over them? Even the PRCs and Taiwanese living in Singapore (who have significantly better mastery of the language) can't utilise that to their advantage (simply because the Singaporean workplace does not call for that level of advanced Mandarin).

So behave like China... still want to eat ramen but don't want to queue up?

Happens everywhere lah... in cities where the density is high and demand > supply.

Just look at Din Tai Fung... from their native Taiwan to SG and HK... always a big long queue during makan time.

My observation... this type of queuing happens in a public transport dependent city. Let's say you organise all your pakcik makcik, take an hour's walking, bus & MRT to get to the restaurant... and it happens to be crowded. What do you do? Walk away and come back another day? And eat at some other makan place that nobody wanted to go to in the first place? If you look for another desirable place to eat... it probably involves another hour of walking, bus & MRT? And no guarantees that there's no queue...

So once you're there... you feel committed already from all the time & public transport discomfort it took you to reach there.

Whereas in KL, if this shop got a lot of people, just get back into your car and drive to another nice shop to eat. And your car is just parked (illegally) in the street nearby. Singapore must park in HDB car park, or shopping center basement - and it probably took you a long time to find parking... so you really don't want to give it up after you park. Committed again.

Of course. That's the whole premise behind the neighbourhood mom&pop store, 7-11, milkbar, Ramli Burger, coffeeshop, kedai runcit etc.

What they offer are convenience and proximity.

As long as you're happy with your decision, that's all one can hope for.

In my opinion, the best time to come to Sg to work is immediately after graduating, when you're ready to start a new phase of life and not too tied up with relationship baggage.

The other good time to move is when you're mid-career and your employer is willing to compensate you handsomely to give up your relationship baggage or pay you enough to bring all your baggage over here.

This post has been edited by seantang: Jun 7 2013, 10:31 PM

Studied and worked in Australia for 5 years, just didn't feel as comfortable there as I do at home. To me, Sg is the closest thing to living in Malaysia (literally and figuratively) but earning a gwailo's income.

The only thing I miss are the winters.