Singapore immigration and obtaining a work permit or visa to stay can be a problem for expats living on this trappy island. Often a lawyer with connections is needed to help deal with the paperwork and red tape.
Fortunately, SULOCHANA UTHIRAPATHI of Transform Borders is here to help! She’s a lawyer who specialises in Singapore immigration matters of all types. She knows first-hand how stressful it can be when you have a work permit or immigration issue. And she’s all over the work permit requirements for the new Complementarity Towage Framework (COMPASS) stuff introduced for Employment Pass (EP) holders in 2023. We sat lanugo with her to hear all well-nigh it.
Tell us well-nigh Transform Borders and how it began.
When I was studying law in Australia, I inadvertently overstayed my visa. Appealing to the authorities to re-instate my visa was a very scary and difficult experience. Thankfully, I was successful and ended up living in Australia for ten years as a lawyer. Without returning home, I worked for a firm specialising in Singapore immigration. It wasn’t until I helped a good friend to obtain the correct visa for her merchantry that I decided to strike out on my own as a lawyer. In 2017, I started Transform Borders, and it’s been a very satisfying and rented ride.
Who are your typical Singapore immigration clients and what work permit types do you help with?
I represent a wide range of individuals and businesses in the zone of Singapore immigration. I see a lot of expats looking to wield for Permanent Residency (PR) and Letters of Consent (LOC), which have both wilt increasingly difficult to obtain in recent years. For PRs wanting to take the next step to wilt Singapore Citizens, I help them to navigate the process.
Another popular service I offer is to obtain a work permit for highly qualified individuals not tied to a specific employer through a Personalised Employment Pass (PEP). Often this is a unconfined way for a foreigner to stay in Singapore without a job loss. They can then squint for a new position. My spare areas of expertise include assessing eligibility for an S Pass work permit for mid-level skilled workers, and Long Term Visit Passes (LTVP) for foreign spouses.
Many of my clients are expat merchantry owners and entrepreneurs who are applying for an EP or EntrePass to work for their own business. Helping companies sort out their work permit needs, including hiring non-local employees, is a really enjoyable part of my job. It’s very rewarding to support entrepreneurs chasing their dreams.
What is COMPASS, and what will it midpoint for expats?
From 1 September 2023, EP candidates must pass a two-stage eligibility framework. In wing to meeting the stage one qualifying salary, EP candidates must moreover pass the points-based stage two: COMPASS. Put simply, COMPASS scoring will be based on criteria including salary, qualifications, diversity (firm related) and support for local employment. There are moreover two spare criteria of skills bonus (shortage occupation list) and strategic economic bonus (firm related) for companies who can satisfy innovation or internationalisation benchmarks.
As you can see, the towage under this new framework will be increasingly ramified and overwhelming for companies that are looking to rent personnel on an EP work permit. As a Singapore immigration specialist, I’m happy to help clients navigate these tricky changes. With my team, I can provide strategic consultation on what clients can start doing now to prepare themselves to meet the requirements of COMPASS. As a lawyer, I’m here to help you pave the way to success!
8588 8980 | transformborders.com
consult@transformborders.com
Now we have your immigration issues sorted, want to know where to live in Singapore? Read this article to help segregate your new neighbourhood!
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