Family relocation · 4 min read
One Japanese family’s move: an EP, three Dependant’s Passes, then the PR file
Our client, a Japanese founder, moved to Singapore with his wife and two children. His company was set up in December, the family’s three Dependant’s Passes were approved in early January, and the family’s permanent residence application was filed by February. This case shows how a whole-family move is sequenced.
Details anonymised to protect client confidentiality. Facts, sequence and outcome are real. Every case is different and decisions rest with the authorities.
The situation
Our client did not want to move first and bring his family months later. He wanted everyone to arrive together. In Singapore, that depends on order: the founder’s Employment Pass must be approved first, because his wife and children’s Dependant’s Passes attach to it. The family also wanted to start their permanent residence (PR) application early, rather than waiting years to begin.
What we did
We incorporated the company in December and filed his Employment Pass within days. At the same time, we prepared the three Dependant’s Pass applications in full, so they could be submitted the moment his pass was approved.
Japanese documents needed extra work. The family register had to be translated and certified, school and graduation certificates collected, and every consent and declaration form signed. While the passes were processing, we built the family’s complete PR application in parallel, so it was ready to file weeks after they arrived instead of a year later.
The outcome
The wife’s and both children’s Dependant’s Passes were approved in early January, days after submission. The family moved together, and their PR application was completed and filed by February. The PR decision rests with ICA, and no one can promise that outcome. What we control is a complete, properly translated application, filed without losing months.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| December 2024 | Company incorporated; founder’s EP filed within days |
| Early January 2025 | Wife’s and both children’s Dependant’s Passes approved |
| February 2025 | Family of four’s PR application completed and filed |
What this case shows
- Order matters: the Employment Pass comes first, and the family’s passes attach to it
- Translated and certified documents take time; start them on day one
- The PR file can be built while the family settles in, not a year later
- A family moving together needs one coordinated plan, not four separate applications
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