Case Studies

An immigration case is never the same as another. We customise the approaches to every case we handle to cater to the unique backgrounds of clients while fulfilling the criterias and requirements set by the Singapore government.

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Singapore PR Family of 4

Reason for application: Covid-19 made them realise the importance of having a safe and secure place for their children. At that time, Singapore was doing very well to cope with the virus and the government has been decisive and highly supportive.

Challenges

  1. Had a bad experience with another agency but decided not to put the application through as they were not confident with the experience and work. Decided to pull out mid way, despite paying full agency fees.
  2. Both husband and wife are very busy professionals and outside of work they are very engaged in the development of their 2 children. With the restriction of time, they want to work with a professional to take them through the process with as much handholding.
  3. It is the first time applying and they want to do it right. They understand that their age group may not be in the majority demographic as reported in the Singapore population Reports.
Age:49
Gender:Husband, Wife, 2 Daughters
Country of Origin:France & UK
Ethnicity:Caucasian
Education:Bachelor Degree & Above
Occupation:Finance Professional & Lawyer
Social Integration:Very Regular, including Pro Bono Photography
Number of Years in SG:7

Profile Attractiveness: 63%

Talent & Industry Representation – 80%

Main Applicant is in the Financial Services industry – which have been lacking in Singapore’s top talent pool in recent years. There is always stiff competition because many of such talents are vying for positions in Singapore. This has been exacerbated by the issues faced by Hong Kong’s riots and political stronghold which resulted in an exodus of talent in Finance.

In Singapore Ministerial speeches in 2022, there has been much focus on Singapore looking to complement the local talent pool within the Financial Services space with highly qualified foreign talent. This is documented under the Financial Services Industry Transformation Map (ITM) 2025. Part of it includes MOM putting in place higher entry barriers with higher minimum salaries as well as introducing the OnePass in January 2023 to attract top tier talent.

The talent strategy within the sector is gearing towards further developing Singapore as a leading international financial centre in Asia – to connect global markets, support Asia’s development, and serve Singapore’s economy. The Main Applicant’s role reflects this, specifically in the areas of Risk Management in a regional capacity for one of the big private banks. Having held leadership positions across many geographies, the experience and skills possessed matches the kind of talent Singapore needs at this point in time not only to drive sector specific initiatives, but also in the areas of knowledge transfer to the local talent within the organisation.

Financial Stability & Grounding in Singapore – 75%

Asset allocation in Singapore includes a large liquid cash portfolio held in a local bank. All applicants were also adequately insured in Singapore, on top of the group insurance available through the main applicant and spouse’s employment. The insurance policies in place include Term Life, Hospital & Medical, Accident and Critical Illnesses plans.

Social Integration Efforts – 70%

The entire family has been engaged in a myriad of social activities in Singapore on top of regular monetary donations. With a love for the arts and music, much of the volunteering and contributions went towards related causes. Additionally, applicants’ are heavily involved in their respective employer’s Corporate Social Responsibilities. Outside of traditional social outreach, they made some time to do pro-bono work centred around their love for the arts with some of the local hospices and through local private projects.

Age & Nationality Demographics – 30%

Both the main applicant and spouse are close to 50 years of age. Reflecting on published statistics issued out by the Talent Population Board, this age band accounts for the minority in past approvals. With Singapore focusing on developing a younger workforce that can ideally contribute to the economy for the long-term, quotas for very experienced applicants will be limited. Typically, successful applicants in this age band must display niche and profound expertise in their respective domains.

How IASG helped

After a very unfulfilling and unprofessional experience with another immigration agency, the clients came to IASG after a strong recommendation from one of IASG’s business partners in the wealth management space.

Understandably, having parted with some money, they are highly selective about who to partner next. The alternative was to do the application on their own, which they were not too keen on as applicants are extremely busy professionals.

The clients are smart individuals and are fully aware of the success rates published by ICA. They understand that competition is high and are fully aligned when IASG was very transparent with our success rates and how we approach applications with much thought and strategy rather than a ‘transactional over the counter ‘ approach.

We were very thorough throughout the process and with the clients being hands on, the preparation of the case traversed a very smooth trajectory. The strategy placed on the case centred around the expertise and track record of the Main Applicant. This was further boosted by some research pieces gathered supporting the industry’s lack of talent in specified fields. We also put together a strong portfolio of social contributions the applicants were involved in to support their cultural assimilation. The clients had no qualms over the quality of work and deliverables. Post submission, IASG continued to support them with the required updates to ICA punctually.

The Result

They got the PR approval after 10 months. The clients were on holiday and had a warm surprise when they decided to check on their application status online. There were some hurdles on the original documentation which were misplaced when the applicants shifted residences just prior to learning about their approval. IASG assisted with the advisory and preparation of declaration letters and the clients eventually completed the formalities in good fashion.

Excerpt of Testimony to IASG

“We’d be delighted to recommend you personally and will, for sure, spread the word among our network (most people are astonished that we got approved the first time around, in the current climate, and with 2 girls!!).”

Singapore Citizenship for Family of 3

Reason for application: Wants to cement place in Singapore for the long term after being separated from the family due to wife’s 3 year secondment in the Philippines. Their only child followed the wife to attend education there. Fear of wife’s PR not getting renewed plus preference for the child to complete education in Singapore.

Challenges

  1. Wife and only child has been based in the Philippines for several years for her employment responsibilities while Main Applicant (Husband) has been based in Singapore.
  2. Early stages of Covid made it difficult for travelling and the family was separated too long.
  3. Handling of Covid in Singapore at the time was much more efficient and assured.
  4. There was a fear of PR not getting renewed as Singapore slashed away on foreigner employment pool.
  5. Both husband and wife were highly accomplished professionals and have not met a consultancy that was able to have intellectual understanding of their industry and respective talent and skillset.
Age:Late 40s
Country of Origin:India
Ethnicity:Indian
Education:Masters Degree holder for both Husband and Wife
Occupation:Petrochemical & FMCG
Social Integration:Regular + CSR at respective companies
Number of Years in SG:20+

Profile Attractiveness: 72.5%

Talent & Industry Representation – 90%

Main Applicant is a seasoned Marketer, with key experiences across FMCG, and most recently a switch to Petrochemical, in view of Singapore’s interest to grow this space. At time of joining the new company, Main Applicant has already demonstrated successful managerial and leadership roles across several geographies, including Singapore. With Singapore looking to Sustainable and clean energy lobbying for the petrochemical sector, they require someone with experience handling global markets with Singapore as its HQ.

Co-applicant has a highly successful career in FMCG, representing one of the biggest global players in the space. Have worked closely with EDB in sector expansion and representation and represented the industry at multiple conferences. Profound expertise has led to several assignments outside of Singapore to grow emerging markets but has since requested to be based in HQ in Singapore to ground the family especially during the pandemic.

Financial Stability & Grounding in Singapore – 85%

The family’s combined household income puts them in a very comfortable position compared to national median. Having spent more than 20 years in Singapore, the applicants have also accumulated significant amount in CPF. Additionally, all of their savings and investments are in Singapore, including investments in residential property, Singapore equities, as well as the relevant insurance policies covering the entire family.

Social Integration Efforts – 80%

Entire family has been very active on the volunteering front at soup kitchens and through community events. Respectively, applicants were active at company CSR initiatives up till lockdowns happened. At time of application though, the family was able to produce evidence for at least 1 year of social integration efforts.

Age & Nationality Demographics – 50%

Though the couple were in their mid 40s at time of application, both are holding on to strong professional positions. Nevertheless, published statistics were not in their favour an having conducted their own research and through sheer anecdotal evidences from their work circles, it was quite clear that majority of their friends and colleagues who were in the mid 40s age band and from the same Nationality were having less success in the applications.

Further, having being rejected several years prior when they were still in the late 30s, confidence for a successful application this time had to hinge on professional achievements.

How IASG helped

IASG was engaged several months before Covid-19 but because Co-Applicant was not based in Singapore, IASG had to strategically advice to secure a move back to Singapore if the family wishes to have a better fighting chance.

Client took the advise as they have been rejected before in the past. IASG supported the decision with reassurances that this was not the first time advising on applicants based outside of Singapore. Further, there were several evidences surfaced by IASG on how the Singapore government is looking focus on grow local talent pool as a core focus of its immigration policies.

Unfortunately, Covid-19 and global lockdowns happened before the final move back to SIngapore for the co-applicant was completed. With the plans in limbo and family separated, IASG assisted to remotely continue to work and prepare on the application on the assumption that the relocation will take place. The strategy was to table the application as soon as the relocation paperwork was confirmed and the co-applicant can physically enter Singapore.

Outside of the engaged Singapore Citizenship advisory, IASG also fronted clients Safe Traveling matters – at a period where policies and rules were changing by the week. No doubt the entire process was starting to consume a lot more time than initially planned for, IASG remained on top of things and successfully tabled in the application at the soonest availability after the entire family has settled down in Singapore.

The Result

The Citizenship Application was approved after a gruelling 21 months. IASG assisted from an advisory perspective through to Stages 2 and 3 of the application process, including advisory on renunciation with the respective embassy.

Excerpt of Testimony to IASG

“I Used IASG for my Singapore Citizenship Application. Overall I would rate them excellent. They did an excellent job in : 1) Very clearly explaining the process and putting together a plan. 2) Helped me build a stronger profile, 3) Did a great job in preparing the paperwork, 4) Were always available in case of questions. I had a very positive experience dealing with Ryhan and would strongly recommend IASG.”


Employment Passes for 4x Senior Directors

Reason for application: Shifting the business Headquarters to Singapore to take advantage of infrastructure, talent and business opportunities. Singapore’s positive handling of the pandemic and ability to continue to attract foreign investments also gave confidence and affirmation to commit resources to Singapore. Having already incorporated a company in Singapore several years back, the next phase is to have all senior directors and shareholders be based in Singapore on EPs

Challenges

  1. It was during a period where travelling was still not prevalent. Making a decision on who to work with for the EP application was not easy to evaluate remotely
  2. A representative came down to Singapore to meet with and evaluate several agencies after doing some online research. It was extremely difficult to make a decision because price variations differed greatly for the same service requirement
  3. Singapore was still recovering from a negative growth in Foreign employment due to covid plus local vs foreigner sentiments were strong on the ground.
  4. MOM has also made announcements to tighten on Work Pass application approvals over 2 phases up till September 2023. This has dampened the confidence as the likelihood of getting all 4 Directors EP approved at the same time was advised to be very low across majority of the consultancies clients spoke to.
Age:45-55
Gender:Male
Country of Origin:India
Ethnicity:Indian
Education:Bachelor’s & Above
Sector:Tech
Occupation Roles:Senior Directors
Number of Years in SG:0

Profile Attractiveness: 63%

Talent & Industry Representation – 80%

Main Applicant is in the Financial Services industry – which have been lacking in Singapore’s top talent pool in recent years. There is always stiff competition because many of such talents are vying for positions in Singapore. This has been exacerbated by the issues faced by Hong Kong’s riots and political stronghold which resulted in an exodus of talent in Finance.

In Singapore Ministerial speeches in 2022, there has been much focus on Singapore looking to complement the local talent pool within the Financial Services space with highly qualified foreign talent. This is documented under the Financial Services Industry Transformation Map (ITM) 2025. Part of it includes MOM putting in place higher entry barriers with higher minimum salaries as well as introducing the OnePass in January 2023 to attract top tier talent.

The talent strategy within the sector is gearing towards further developing Singapore as a leading international financial centre in Asia – to connect global markets, support Asia’s development, and serve Singapore’s economy. The Main Applicant’s role reflects this, specifically in the areas of Risk Management in a regional capacity for one of the big private banks. Having held leadership positions across many geographies, the experience and skills possessed matches the kind of talent Singapore needs at this point in time not only to drive sector specific initiatives, but also in the areas of knowledge transfer to the local talent within the organisation.

Financial Stability & Grounding in Singapore – 75%

Asset allocation in Singapore includes a large liquid cash portfolio held in a local bank. All applicants were also adequately insured in Singapore, on top of the group insurance available through the main applicant and spouse’s employment. The insurance policies in place include Term Life, Hospital & Medical, Accident and Critical Illnesses plans.

Social Integration Efforts – 70%

The entire family has been engaged in a myriad of social activities in Singapore on top of regular monetary donations. With a love for the arts and music, much of the volunteering and contributions went towards related causes. Additionally, applicants’ are heavily involved in their respective employer’s Corporate Social Responsibilities. Outside of traditional social outreach, they made some time to do pro-bono work centred around their love for the arts with some of the local hospices and through local private projects.

Age & Nationality Demographics – 30%

Both the main applicant and spouse are close to 50 years of age. Reflecting on published statistics issued out by the Talent Population Board, this age band accounts for the minority in past approvals. With Singapore focusing on developing a younger workforce that can ideally contribute to the economy for the long-term, quotas for very experienced applicants will be limited. Typically, successful applicants in this age band must display niche and profound expertise in their respective domains.

How IASG helped

  1. IASG work pass application approach is not over the counter and transactional unlike most employment agencies. Distinctly, IASG is a consultancy that approaches business outcomes strategically before dispensing solutions. As such, several dialogues, discussions and billable consultations (which IASG majoritily waived) between senior management of IASG and Clients were held even before contract was agreed on
  2. IASG planned out a well thought out strategy that took into consideration alternatives in lieu of a rejection to ensure that EPs got approved. One of the option considered was to stagger the EP applications. However IASG managed to position the application simultaneously, citing urgency to have all Directors stateside in SIngapore soonest to embrace business opportunities once covid measures were lifted.

The Result

All 4 EPs were eventually approved at the same time, after a few internal justifications fronted by IASG

Excerpt of Testimony to IASG

“I interacted with Kenneth and Tracy related to Singapore work and visa. They were always prompt, thorough and completely professional throughout the process. It has been a pleasure to work with them and will highly recommend IASG and them for any such needs”

Business Incorporation

Reason for application: Client wants to diversify the business and expand into Singapore. Looking to invest in real estate in Singapore through this newly set up Holding Company. Next phase of business plans is to use this company to serve as a conduit for Vietnamese business people to access Singapore markets and vice versa.

Challenges

  1. Client has zero contacts, knowledge and access to credible information in Singapore to incorporate a business.
  2. Client has a very short window to take advantage of several investment opportunities and needs to incorporate a business successfully within 1 week to secure the investment opportunity.
  3. Initial agents she spoke to seemed more interested to secure payment than offering solutions — thus reducing business trust.
  4. Wants a packaged, customised solution that goes beyond just business incorporation and able to link up with other business solutions such as Relocation, Property Agents.
  5. Must be able to provide a solution to wire a large sum of money instantly between Vietnam and Singapore. By default, there are several hurdles to get this done due to local Vietnam monetary policies.
Age:34
Gender:Female
Country of Origin:Vietnam
Ethnicity:Vietnamese
Education:Bachelors
Occupation:Business Entrepreneur + Real Estate Investor
Social Integration:Not Applicable
Number of Years in SG:0
Registered Business Activity in Singapore :Other Holding Companies

Profile Attractiveness: 63%

Talent & Industry Representation – 80%

Main Applicant is in the Financial Services industry – which have been lacking in Singapore’s top talent pool in recent years. There is always stiff competition because many of such talents are vying for positions in Singapore. This has been exacerbated by the issues faced by Hong Kong’s riots and political stronghold which resulted in an exodus of talent in Finance.

In Singapore Ministerial speeches in 2022, there has been much focus on Singapore looking to complement the local talent pool within the Financial Services space with highly qualified foreign talent. This is documented under the Financial Services Industry Transformation Map (ITM) 2025. Part of it includes MOM putting in place higher entry barriers with higher minimum salaries as well as introducing the OnePass in January 2023 to attract top tier talent.

The talent strategy within the sector is gearing towards further developing Singapore as a leading international financial centre in Asia – to connect global markets, support Asia’s development, and serve Singapore’s economy. The Main Applicant’s role reflects this, specifically in the areas of Risk Management in a regional capacity for one of the big private banks. Having held leadership positions across many geographies, the experience and skills possessed matches the kind of talent Singapore needs at this point in time not only to drive sector specific initiatives, but also in the areas of knowledge transfer to the local talent within the organisation.

Financial Stability & Grounding in Singapore – 75%

Asset allocation in Singapore includes a large liquid cash portfolio held in a local bank. All applicants were also adequately insured in Singapore, on top of the group insurance available through the main applicant and spouse’s employment. The insurance policies in place include Term Life, Hospital & Medical, Accident and Critical Illnesses plans.

Social Integration Efforts – 70%

The entire family has been engaged in a myriad of social activities in Singapore on top of regular monetary donations. With a love for the arts and music, much of the volunteering and contributions went towards related causes. Additionally, applicants’ are heavily involved in their respective employer’s Corporate Social Responsibilities. Outside of traditional social outreach, they made some time to do pro-bono work centred around their love for the arts with some of the local hospices and through local private projects.

Age & Nationality Demographics – 30%

Both the main applicant and spouse are close to 50 years of age. Reflecting on published statistics issued out by the Talent Population Board, this age band accounts for the minority in past approvals. With Singapore focusing on developing a younger workforce that can ideally contribute to the economy for the long-term, quotas for very experienced applicants will be limited. Typically, successful applicants in this age band must display niche and profound expertise in their respective domains.

How IASG helped

  1. Client was introduced to IASG by a representative in the business they wanted to invest in. After an initial introductory meeting via Video Call, IASG took the initiative to bring the client through detailed steps, options, realistic timelines and costs
  2. Considering the time urgency of the case, IASG worked on the case immediately after confirmation of services way beyond usual work hours.
  3. The client was very motivated and patient in working with IASG to provide all requested information and documentation so that the ACRA registration could be processed same day.
  4. IASG secured a local Nominee Director and got all Legal Contracts and ACRA related documents drafted for Signatories within 24 hours
  5. IASG managed to advice for a solution through a remittance partner to solve the wire transfer challenge.

The Result

  1. Business was approved and officially incorporated within 2 business days.
  2. Banking facility was set up within 24 hours.
  3. Client was able to officially secure the investment way before deadline
  4. All these were done remotely with the client still in Vietnam. The level of trust client had in IASG was paramount and testament to our reputation.

Excerpt of Testimony to IASG

Nil – Client privacy

Single Family Office and Singapore Citizenship

Objective of SFO: Wealth and Legacy planning for only child / Diversification of assets out of Indonesia / Long-Term commitment to Singapore with Singapore Citizenship in mind.

Challenges

  1. It was during a period where travelling was still not prevalent. Making a decision on who to work with for the EP application was not easy to evaluate remotely
  2. A representative came down to Singapore to meet with and evaluate several agencies after doing some online research. It was extremely difficult to make a decision because price variations differed greatly for the same service requirement
  3. Singapore was still recovering from a negative growth in Foreign employment due to covid plus local vs foreigner sentiments were strong on the ground.
  4. MOM has also made announcements to tighten on Work Pass application approvals over 2 phases up till September 2023. This has dampened the confidence as the likelihood of getting all 4 Directors EP approved at the same time was advised to be very low across majority of the consultancies clients spoke to.
Origin of Applicant:Indonesia but Existing Singapore PR
Approximate Funding:S$111m
Source of income:Family Business (Garment Manufacturing)
Asset Class Exposure:Private Equity / Cash & Equivalents / Equities / Property / Bonds
Years in Singapore prior to SFO setup:15 years
Year SFO was setup:2017
Tax Exemptions:13U (formerly 13X)
Outcome:Successfully set up SFO and got Approval for 13U by MAS.

How IASG helped

  1. IASG took on all manner of immigration advisory and was one of the key panel members to project manage the case. Senior personnel of IASG were also fluent in Bahasa Indonesia, which instilled confidence and facilitated smoother communications.
  2. Delegation of tasks were done very clearly with IASG one of the key project facilitators
  3. IASG staff was available almost at all times, even beyond office hours, to provide required advisory that was time sensitive and reactive to policy changes.
  4. Fully understanding the requirement to quickly file the Citizenship application after SFO incorporated and funded, ample preparations were already done and actioned on ahead of schedule to facilitate timely application to ICA.

The Result

  1. SFO was incorporated within project deadline.
  2. MAS 13U was approved 6 months later.
  3. Singapore Citizenship was approved 1 year 2 months later.

Case study coming soon!

Past Case Studies

Below are more Case Studies we have handled in the past. Check out their stories and find out how IASG handled their cases.

Read all Case Studies

Find out how IASG can help you!

Every immigration case is unique and requires different approaches. Let our experts guide you with your concerns.