Foreign spouses not counted for foreign worker quota/levy?

October 3, 2012

I refer to the Ministry of Home Affairs reply “Help available for
foreign spouses” (Today, Oct 3) to the letters “Make it easier for foreign spouses of citizens to sink
roots” (Sept 26) and “Please make immigration policies more pro-family” (Oct 1, online).

Not counted in foreign worker quota and no levy

It states that “Foreign spouses on a Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) can
apply for work passes if they wish and there are concessions to
facilitate their employment.

They are not counted against the foreign worker quota of the company
that employs them or subject to the foreign worker levy.

We have made it easier for LTVP+ holders seeking employment. Their
prospective employer will apply to the Ministry of Manpower for a
letter of consent, instead of a work pass, for them. Those issued one
will not be counted against the company’s foreign worker quota nor
subjected to the foreign worker levy”.

Another loophole to employ more foreigners?

Is this not another loophole for employers to go around the foreign
worker quota, dependency ratio and foreign worker levy?

Is this why we sometimes see companies with more foreign workers than
what the regulations supposedly allow?

How many foreign spouses on LTVP are there?

Cheaper to employ LTVP than Singaporeans?

It may also be much cheaper to employ foreign spouses on LTVP compared
to Singaporeans, because not only do you save 16 per cent on the
employer’s CPF contribution, but also the foreign workers levy.

Applying letter of consent easier?

Is applying for a letter of consent less onerous in terms of the
process or eligibility criteria, etc, compared to applying for a work
pass? If so, then the playing field may not be level, vis-a-vis
competition with Singaporeans, when we on the one hand say that we are
curtailing the influx of foreign workers, but perhaps yet on the other
hand may be not counting foreign spouses on LTVPs?

Foreign university interns also not counted?

The other loophole that I understand that is not counted in the
foreign worker quota or levy, are foreign university interns who are
either studying in Singapore, or come to Singapore from another
country’s university on a typical 6-month internship.
Depressing Singaporeans’wages?

As I have seen such foreign university interns working for about only
$450 a month, they may be depressing the wages as well as competing
with Singaporeans for jobs.

How many foreign university interns are there in Singapore?
Counted in MOM and DOS statistics?

Finally, are these LTVPs and interns included in the foreign labour
statistics given by the Ministry of Manpower and the Department of
Statistics?

Leong Sze Hian

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About the Author

Leong
Leong Sze Hian has served as the president of 4 professional bodies, honorary consul of 2 countries, an alumnus of Harvard University, authored 4 books, quoted over 1500 times in the media , has been a radio talkshow host, a newspaper daily columnist, Wharton Fellow, SEACeM Fellow, columnist for theonlinecitizen and Malaysiakini, executive producer of Ilo Ilo (40 international awards), Hotel Mumbai (associate producer), invited to speak more than 200 times in about 40 countries, CIFA advisory board member, founding advisor to the Financial Planning Associations of 2 countries. He has 3 Masters, 2 Bachelors degrees and 13 professional  qualifications.