Migrating

[Albeniz]

ya.. tough. u may find opp there. can try pudong shanghai, pay sud b higher then singapore.

 

I beg to differ.

Many mainland Chinese have swarmed to Singapore as engineers instead.

If pay is so good in Pudong, many would have flocked back to their home country by now.

They came here because they can't stand the heat back at home.

 

You might be pushing me into the fire pit with this suggestion.

[Apollo]

nolah... they CMI back home bah. u follow MNC lah. they dun trust the locals there. not honest. pay some1 who has better integrity and ability to comm in proper english to get work done.

 

they come here becos here becos they willing to sacrifice youth for experience mah.

Edited December 15, 2007 by Apollo

[Albeniz]

hey dun trust the locals there. not honest. pay some1 who has better integrity and ability to comm in proper english to get work done.

 

Yes, this is what Singapore is famous for.

高薪养廉

But they have to pay me well so that I am corrupt-free.

That's what we learnt from our world-class governor.

[Creative_tec]

Life could be hard in Singapore, some may still think its the rite lifestyle for them, while others decides on an alternative. There is no rite or wrong, and as i say, we respect each other.

 

actually the typical singaporean is educated to think this way, kiasi and kiasu. thats wat the government wants and thats the process of how the population is transformed into an obedient 'workforce'

 

I have the same thoughts as you and me too, i want to get out of the country. Been to london with my wife-to-be (wife same comp as me) on a 3 mths training and i can really see the difference of the outside world. I used to think that Sg got to be the best place to live in as it have security, wealth and everything that u want for a perfect life but 3 years back after i finish serving NS, my thinking changed totally.

 

In london, what i see is they increase the toll to city area for vehicles (like sg ERP) so as to discourage pple from driving into city and they channel the proceed to public transport, making it cheaper for the commuters. Their income tax is 40% .. yes that is high, but c'mon, the government pays you weekly at least GBP100 when u retires and they have minimum wages...

 

Talking about medical benefit, my wife-to-be fall sick and was admitted to hospital. As she have been working there for more than 2 months, the stay in hospital is free and all she needs to pay is for the medicine. I was told by the nurse that anyone below the age of 18 or above 45 (i think so) need not to pay for anything when they go hospital... this is what i call welfare for the pple... and the best thing is foreigners will need to pay at least GBP60 to visit a pte doctor and they have to pay everything from stay to medicine themselves. How abt here in sg? we PAY for foreigners to study here for FREE, everything is to the foreigners' benefit.. WTF!

 

My heart goes to london and i do hope i can migrate there thru my company. In fact, i don't miss sg at all when i was there training but it was my wife-to-be missing sg food and weather but i am enjoying every bit of my life there.

[Slowmo]

Wow.. all the best!

 

Keep in touch! I like to know whats the process of CPF refund also.

 

 

wish me luck too.

Edited December 16, 2007 by Slowmo

[Trex101]

You have to gave up your pink IC first before they will return you your CPF.

[Creative_tec]

i still have a long way to go before i can get out...

 

26 this yr, i plan to get out hopefully at 28 or 29...

 

once u give up the pink ic, you can withdraw ur cpf..

[Yeshe]

good for you!

[Sotong_kia]

Yeah, I know my response a bit late... cos was sick the last 2 days..

 

Anyway, I am in the process of moving out. At first, was quite determined to be a "move out and never come back"... As time approaches, it is natural to be apprehensive.

 

Even have sleepless nites for no reason.. like what if I cannot fit in ? What if this, what if that ?

 

I am going to move away in about 4 months time..

 

Migrating is a personal factor. Just running away from one factor (the govt) is not going to sustain your motivation. After a while, trying to adapt to new environment, etc.. many ppl will find it too tiring and wanna come back to SG.

 

First of all, I guess, is to see if your character can fit into your destination. Know yourself and know what you want.

Do not like the PRCs in Singapore (I know I am generalizing, but it is just to make a point). They do not fit in but instead cause the local to fit to them. (I personally blame the govt for not introducing programmes to get them to fit in)

 

In SG, most people are obsessed with $$$. I know this is the result of "efficient" and "productivity" driven govt in SG. Too bad. But if SG brings the same concept over to any other countries, then I think the migration will not work. In many other first world countries, quality of life is important.

 

And being our whole life here in SG, it might be hard for us to sometimes understand that.

 

SG is still a very good place to accumulate wealth. ACCUMULATE is the key word. Low income tax. Know how to limit your luxury spending, etc. If climbing corporate ladder, being financially successful, then continue to stay in Singapore.

 

But SG is not a very conducive place mistakes/failure, etc... Make one along the way, and one might never have a chance to make a comeback. So hope that you never make mistakes.. :)

 

SG is definitely not a place for me to retire. And I feel it is also not a good place to raise kids. Sure, kids here will score better academically, but I think that is not what I want.. But then, I don't have kids and I don't intend to have them anyway, so it doesn't matter to me.. Except how will the next generation treat me when I am older... That is an interesting question.

 

 

Back to the topic, I think many ppl are "running away" and not adaptive. Or "running away" because everyone else is doing it... following the crowd...

 

First step is to understand your own objective of "running away". Not listen to everyone else's reasons. Yes, its good to hear other opinions. But have your own and know yourself. That way, you can make plans that are more sound and higher chances of success.

[Slowmo]

that is correct, at least thats what I read about...

 

Its more of the 'after' withdrawal amount that I'm concerned about... As we know, taking out CPF 'prematurely' *may* somehow incur some wierd 'fees' or 'penalties' that we might not even be aware of. It is *MY* money but I really hope it is a 100% draw out sort of thing.

 

I guess only someone who's been down that recently path will be able to share info... or someone who's working with CPF in that particular dept.

[Slowmo]

To which country or state may I ask? If not convenient please share through PM?

 

While you have months to go, I think I've only got weeks left.

 

 

If we are going to the same place, maybe can meet up for kopi there.

[Carcrazy]

u will be surprised that with your HDB, you can easily afford a HOUSE somewhere else in this world ( FREEHOLD by the way )

 

i knw but knwing is another thing, any other way to migrate?

[Yeshe]

you can check with a migration agent. they can do a eligibility check to see if you will be qualify to migrate to the country you choose.

[Jack_jack]

Try to submit your migration papers yourself instead of going through an agent. That will save you a tidy sum of money.

 

I went through an agent due to my extensive regional travels that prevented me from carrying out some necessary procedures, i.e. obtaining police reports from Malaysia while abroad. In the initial consultation, everything was fine and dandy. After signing on, my case was assigned to a fcuking incompetent lawyer, probably a migrant himself from India. Stupid arse did a piss poor job in updating me on instructions from the Immigration Dept on a timely basis. Hence, my application was unnecessarily delayed. If I had done the application myself, there would be less hiccups.

 

Before making the big move overseas, it may also be prudent to find out from other "quitters" if life overseas is actually rosier. I'm saying this because from my personal experience, everything's so much more expensive here in Sydney. Furthermore, taxes are high, traffic jams are horrendous, healthcare system is disgraceful, public transport is absolutely 3rd world, and the road quality is much, much worse than those in my hometown of KL.

[Ncss]

I have the same thoughts as you and me too, i want to get out of the country. Been to london with my wife-to-be (wife same comp as me) on a 3 mths training and i can really see the difference of the outside world. I used to think that Sg got to be the best place to live in as it have security, wealth and everything that u want for a perfect life but 3 years back after i finish serving NS, my thinking changed totally.

 

In london, what i see is they increase the toll to city area for vehicles (like sg ERP) so as to discourage pple from driving into city and they channel the proceed to public transport, making it cheaper for the commuters. Their income tax is 40% .. yes that is high, but c'mon, the government pays you weekly at least GBP100 when u retires and they have minimum wages...

 

Talking about medical benefit, my wife-to-be fall sick and was admitted to hospital. As she have been working there for more than 2 months, the stay in hospital is free and all she needs to pay is for the medicine. I was told by the nurse that anyone below the age of 18 or above 45 (i think so) need not to pay for anything when they go hospital... this is what i call welfare for the pple... and the best thing is foreigners will need to pay at least GBP60 to visit a pte doctor and they have to pay everything from stay to medicine themselves. How abt here in sg? we PAY for foreigners to study here for FREE, everything is to the foreigners' benefit.. WTF!

 

My heart goes to london and i do hope i can migrate there thru my company. In fact, i don't miss sg at all when i was there training but it was my wife-to-be missing sg food and weather but i am enjoying every bit of my life there.

 

40% you still say good...

That means that if I earn 1mil a year, I have to pay 400k income tax...

 

This is crazy man... I rather pay less tax and foot the hospital bill....

 

GBP100 weekly for old ppl in London is nothing man... is like sucking your income tax and return peanuts when you are old

 

Heard London "GST" (they call "VAT") is about 17.5%... That is daylight robbery man

[Sotong_kia]

Singapore is a good place to accumulate wealth. Rest assured..

 

If you are earning 1 Mil a year , pay 10% to KEEP a good accountant.

 

Are you earning S$1Mil a year here ? Do you think in the next 15-20 years of your useful like, you can earn that kind of money ? What is your chances ? If you can be Minister, CEO of big company, successful businessman, then my advise is : STAY IN SINGAPORE. Whatever you don't like, you can buy your way through with money or power.

 

But for NORMAL middle class like me, I rather have the "SAFETY NET" than depend on my CPF, and work harder, etc.. and when I reach 50, have to drive taxi, or be Kopitiam cleaner....

[Creative_tec]

the GBP 100 is the min sum that will be paid to you. The more you contribute, the more you will get when you retire.

 

Think of it this way, you pay 40% of your income from the day you start work and when you are old (not 60 yrs old, you retire earlier than that), you don;t have to worry about hospital bills, gets money on a weekly basis. In singapore, we contribute 20 percent to CPF but when we retire or suay suay go hospital, you know for yourself how much the bill will come up to, even if its a small operation and the best thing is we can't even use CPF to foot the full bill. On top of that, with the plan to delay the drawout age to 85 for CPF and the ever raising hospital bills (even tot they keep saying its subsidized), you think you can live up to the age and enjoy retirement? Even if you can retire, i think by then you will need at least 2-3 mil to retire.

 

As for the VAT, it is nothing if you look at how the country have done to make its currency. On top of that, they have minimum wages. Tell me how much you earn working in Macdonald in singapore? SGD4.15/hr? In UK, its at least 10 pound per hour and that is 7 times more than our Mac here. So whats that 17.5% and the 40%?

 

If you do some simple calculation, you will know what is best for yourself.

 

End of the day, the country is TRANSPARENT and every single spending is accounted for. You pay for this and that, you know where the money is going to. Here you pay income tax and GST, do you know where the money goes to? and where in the world did you ever see public transport like train and bu services listed in stock exchange, declaring dividend every yr?

 

OK.. i must stop or else i will blast my blood vessels..

[Espire]

Be rest assured, if you need to stay in hospital for any long term illness.. *touch wood*

they will wipe out all ur savings u had saved over the years.

The system had been like this and will continued to be like this in time to come.