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❌ Singapore isn't always the "Crazy Rich Asians" dream. Here is the UNFILTERED truth after 12 years. From Work Visa (WP/SP/EP) struggles to moving to Germany 🆕 …
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99 Comments
I've been on EP for many years. Past few years i opted for lower salary but fulltime WFH. Way below the EP requirements. But every time my company send for renewal, they still give me the EP. I guess for existing, they continue to give it. YMMV.
My son and I are Australian. My son emigrated to Singapore to work there. He has no family there but he is doing well. He got promoted over Singaporean because he’s good at his job. He occupy a high position over what was his senior before his promotion.
There might be a norm people want to see colleagues leave & then with less competition
Of course Singapore wants high value people to become PR…..It’s the same for every country…..SG PR status is in high demand, everyone wants in……but we want people who can grow their roots here and not people who may leave anytime….
daym the prices are so abused
I feel like you made a massive shift in my decision making process. BTW I am also in Germany, but honestly the political landscape feels somewhat scary. And I am not sure if another far-right extremist will come to take the power and then I guess we should tell each other good luck.
The 9th min u mentioned about the 2 months waiting period for recruiters to hire Singaporeans before they can turn to foreigners. Well the truth is, many qualified Singaporeans candidates are called up for interviews just to go thru this process and be rejected and pave the way to foreigners like yourself to be recruited. How nice!
I loved Singapore for 14 of my young years during my work there , now back to my home country. And you are beautiful
sounds like a load of grief I think I will just not bother
Thanks from Ghana. This is a common problem in most developed countries.
Here is all about money money
You must have money to be here or forget about it
Here pay are low
Singapore is stressful place
Tax they take other way you not feel
Are you sure low tax?????
Singapore is very boring
Singapore is fucking expensive
The work place in every country in the world , developed and non developed is facing severe economic headwinds . Local Singaporeans are not spared and are being laid off in growing numbers in 2026 . Before coming to Singapore do your due diligence.
Why did u not try for Australia while working in Singapore is it too tough to manage both?
I 'm Student in Singapore. Yes it's Very very difficult to Stay in Singapore is very Expensive
I lived in Singapore for 4 years until 2019. I found only two things cheap: taxis and hawker centre food. But the latter wasn’t my taste. There were many things good about Singapore. I just didn’t like the year round warm weather. And inside was often too cold. I’m in Europe now and I much prefer the lifestyle. I can regularly walk or ride my bike long distances because the climate is temperate.
love. Eveey place is a double edge sword. Accept, to live and to learn.
All my friends and me, (Singaporeans) are moving to BATAM.<br>It's awesome there. They have developed the place very well now. It's safe and clean. <br>Rent a 3 bedroom condo in the city or a landed house on the outskirts for $500-$700 a month. <br>AND you can live on $20 a day for the whole family. (Excluding rent). All my friends are leaving once the kids are grown.
Tysm
I am Indonesia and I am living in Batam. I love SG, clean, well arrange, always bring kids there for a day or 3 or maybe having coffee and kaya toast with friends. I am certain that, over time, Batam will also become expensive—and that is only natural. Frankly, I am amazed at how people manage to live in Singapore given the ever-rising costs. I like the island, but I prefer viewing the country from the second floor of my home in Batam—even though, deep down, I really want my children to attend university there someday so they can gain a more global perspective.
I was an expat with an EP from 2010 (when I was 40 years old) to 2020. Work and salary is great. Just like Bella, I also find the rental and cost of living too expensive for my family and I. Eventually we move to JB and I drive a Malaysia car to my SG office. Please note that if you are a PR or a SG resident, you CANNOT drive a foreign car in SG. My expenses dropped by half once I move to JB. And I have a much bigger living space too - a bungalow with my own private swimming pool. I retired in 2020.
This video really changed my view of Singapore, especially when it comes to work stress. I used to think I could find a work-life balance here.
Why married only Singapore man and why just married Singaporean woman because it's legal like in taiwan
Thanks for your video and sharing your experience! Very interesting. Sometimes it puzzles me why more and more young people of your generation don't marry or have children. When I look at my family - both the Taiwanese side and American side - there are very few babies, certainly not enough to replace the older generation when we are gone. In fact, on the Taiwan side, there is zero 下代 and all of my nephews and nieces in Taiwan are nearly past child-bearing age, meaning in 50 years or so there will be no more family in Taiwan.
Could you please tell us why Taiwan is not your second choice for career and life, since your origin is Taiwan as you said?
Hi, the strict criteria is similar to other countries like UK, Australia. Just to share, the local graduates have difficulties securing employment due to influx of foreign nationals.
Good advice 👍
It is good that you have left Singapore. Only the best manage to stay in this country
Very well said i mean the life experience in singapore
There is no economic miracle in Singapore, they are just stealing Indonesia's natural resources, under invoicing, Singapore heaven of illegal transfer pricing, money laundering. <br><a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%23sellsingapore">#sellsingapore</a>
Go back CTaiwan, taiwan is part of Fujian province, u PRC,!!
What kind of life is it when you feel that you are not good enough all the time so you have to do better and better while any slip-up you are a failure? All the food, entertainment, etc. you can find the same in Taiwan. Let SG clean their own toilets and wipe their own Axxes. I am not a Taiwanie but i love Taiwan.
Very Informative. Thank You.
Boring and soulless country.
Am working in Singapore for 14+ years now, last 8 years with family and kids studying in Singapore. All the time I am in EP, applied PR 5 times before and all got rejected. That's the harsh reality.
Amen be blessed in Germany sister,you Will be blessed and a blessing for Germany keep Thy Faith hope in Hebrews 12:2,and Hebrews 13:5 Isaiah 54:5, Hosea <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlHycW2Eue8&t=139">2:19</a>,20 Will be thy assistant guide as Psalms 32:8😊 amen.oh yes since you're in Germany now,please remember to pray for sister muraya a Young German praying sister whom I met in Penang years back,be blessed in Germany.
Unless you and hubby's salary is above 20k, you can't survive here as expats with kids. School fees and medical expenses will be crazy for you.
We really enjoyed our 2 year expat assignment there on the EP. Both my wife and I worked for major energy MNCs (separate ones), and we lived on Emerald Hill, across from Somerset MRT. I thought that the work environment was pretty chill, but I think it has more to do with our respective MNC culture rather than the Singaporean one. We're now on expat assignment in the US, but really hope we could return to Singapore one day. One could only hope :)
Thanks for your candid feedback. As a country with natural resources, we can only rely on people - locals and foreigners. As a result we have no choice but be as competitive as we can. There are drawbacks of course, no society is perfect.<br><br>Wishing you the very best on your next step with your career!
In Singapore, you’ve got to truly love your work. It’s pure misery if it’s just a job. The attitude I adopt to thrive here is this: even if I’m not paid, would I still want to do this? This means I should have a clear vision of why I’m doing what I’m doing. If it’s just for the money, it’s just too painful and miserable. Passion is the only driving force that keeps me sane working here. But that also shows up in other areas too — work quality, positivity, and going the extra mile. When the going gets tough, that’s what gets you out of bed. So, step one really is to choose your job wisely. If you can’t, find the purpose in what you’re already doing. If not, and if you want to stay here, keep searching until you find your passion.
Sgp not the best, but I don’t like live in places where you or family have to look over shoulders on a night bus/train ride home, duno which day missile fly towards/ across your country or cold weather with much LGBTQ or sexual disease 😁
Been there , vibe is uptight.
cannot retire in SIN city.<br>your life~span shorten.<br>With 9% G.S.T.,every time you out,need to calculate how much you can spend
i thought the ep visa's minimum salary is 5,600 sgd or 6,200 for financial services, which is what google says
Thank you for the information
i gave up my Spore PR bcoz I dont see any work life balance. Everyday is work work work. Highly competitive. Thanks for sharing. Your spoken English is clear, concise, nice to hear, listen & understand. Cheers.
Singapore is no longer a country but a hub for foreigners to work and make money. Is a sad and good thing at the same time. For locals who are still struggling to compete with foreign worker, may god help you. And for foreigners working here, earn as much as you can and live a better life.
"Foreign professionals" not "Expats". "Expats" is a like a imported brand of "meat patties".
😂😂growing another white hair😂
Thank you for sharing your truth story. I find your experience explains more of the pros and cons of staying in Singapore than others, who only exaggerate the positives without mentioning the downsides. Hopefully, now you have a better life and career!
Welcome to Germany Bella, I hope you like it here 🙂
Just got back from a tourist vacation.. We stayed at the Marina Bay Sands for only six days.. it was beautiful, but I got the sense there were issues as you described.. And beyond that, it seemed like there’s not a comfortable place for the middle class. And it was obvious that they imported cheap labor, a common practice of elites. They either have open borders or unchecked immigration.
Renting is a nightmare and as a male there are not a lot of options. So many landlords have bullshit requirements, the most common one is "I only want to rent to a female" It is astonishing how often I see that in "for rent" ads .
I lived and worked in Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, China, Myanmar, USA and Canada.<br><br>I found Singapore to be the most sterile and unfriendly place to live.<br><br>I travelled by bus a lot in Singapore. I saw the same group of people at the bus stop each time. Nobody made eye contact or smiled. Very cold and unfriendly.
Totally agree there. I've worked in Singapore for 10yrs. 2yrs as an SP holder and 8 yrs as a PR. Even as a PR my wife and I (both PR) decided to migrate to a better country downunder :) reason is it's difficult to raise a family in singapore especially if youre a foreigner and is just a normal worker with an average pay. Singapore is great for maybe singles who loves to work but if you care for your private life and your family then Sg may not be the country for you. We love singapore its just that we feel that the system don't want foreigner to live there and enjoy life. We feel that the system only wants foreigner to improve/ develpe the economy. But yeah we still love singapore and we still visit Sg when we got the chance.
I have been thinking of relocating to Singapore recently.
Local business is run by underhanded dishonest cheaters who are doing kickbacks with government regulators. Lota of white collar crime is being done there, its accepted ans covered by the media who spread false propaganda. The courts are highly corrupt and give absolutely biased and ridiculous decisions to cheat and steal from people. Criminals there, corruption everywhere. Truly disgusting people run this authoritarian dictatorship that poses as part of the free world.
Living in a foreign country will obviously require some form of integration for you to be comfortable. while some of the points you raised are valid, I believe these are just some policies that the Singapore govt must keep in place to protect their locals. Otherwise, their own citizens will find themselves without jobs. As it is, some locals have been complaining about this for a long time. Lived there 8 years.<br><br>As they say, your mileage may vary. Also, marrying a PR does not guarantee you a PR. And for the love of god, please clip that mic to your shirt or something.
Thanks for sharing as someone who is looking to work there you’ve given me a lot to think about
Only seven years to get PR in HK and lower taxes and Universal Healthcare compared to Singapore. Seven years in fast paced HK is a blur
Great, don't be bitter if u can't get things your way.<br>Someone can get Singapore PR after a year working, but other can work even 10 years and still can't get it. It's not the same for everyone.
You are a very positive person.<br>Great information 😊
GOD-FORSAKEN malays NE CHINA SE MIL KAR singapore KO BARBAD KAR DIYA FOR SURE. . .
I prefer living in Malaysia
Just the roof over your head in singapore 😊
Due to high real estate costs its hard to soend more. You cant buy cars as u do in India.
You are very beautiful sister.
Be aware Singapore is a police state.
Good info… nice content.
Madam with all due respect - most foreigners’ intentions imho are to get as much experience, using Singapore as a stepping stone (WP or even getting PR) the final trajectory tend to always be US/ Europe/ Australia. Even if not for themselves they sure to send their kids overseas. So please spare us the ‘stress’ and ‘white hair’ build up. You got what you wanted so please move on whilst Singaporeans deal with another foreigner who’s stepped into the spot you vacated..
What do you do?<br>Why don’t you work in Taiwan? Their economy is booming too.<br>Or have you tried in the US?<br>I came to the US as an international student, went to college here, and have been working in the country ever since. I’m an engineer — I’m not bragging — but I started at $6 an hour decades ago on a practical training visa because I wasn’t a permanent resident yet. I later became a permanent resident and then a U.S. citizen. Today I’m in the top 1% wealth bracket. I invest in the S&P 500 and own two rental houses: my modest first home and a second one I bought during the 2011 housing collapse.<br>The American Dream is still real
Sinkapork love fools as long you don't compete with sinkapork
Is a Singapore PR even worth it? LOL
Hi Bella can I get a job as a training coordinator in Germany . Is there any age restrictions
in the similar situation.. completing 12 yrs with no hope on PR!!!
I live in Germany and would like to go Singapore but oh my days after hearing the visa situation I don’t want to risk it now tbh
wah bermanfaat. saya warga indonesia menjadi mengerti begitu susah untuk apply PR jika pakai Work permit/ SP
Lucky you leaving Singapore and choose Germany. Germany is much more better than Singapore in terms of their employment policy.
Thanks for the truth, i now realised why my relatives are so afraid to invite us there,i would never be able to live that rigid environment. The trade off between the good life and the life stress is too much
Both me and my wife were in EP back in 2014. I had to wait for 18 months to obtain Spass. I was in IT Consulting role prior eligible applying for permanent residency and citizenship along with my wife and kindergarden daughter. different situation on my wife condition. learnt bout Kiasi Kiasu Khekiang. <br><br>Indeed there will always be pro and cons upon living in SGD. You really need to come up with healthy pov to orchestrate those work life balance dream that u want.
I have been in Singapore for 12 years. study here, SMP, SMA, University, all is free. Now working in Meta, get a big salary..all is because of Jesus' love.. Thank you Jesus.
wow. compared to australia, rentals in singapore are cheaper, $ to $ comparison, not exchange rate. AU$ to SG$ exchange is so f*ked up. im paying $2000/4 weeks (which makes a year 13 months worth of rent) for a one room, one bedroom, one bathroom flat.
For many of us Malaysians, work in singhaproe is holy grail. thank you SIngapore
Running from who?😂 May be jogging?
This was very helpful. Thanks for sharing. Danke!
Hey Bella! Thank you for this vlog.<br>I truly believe that what you say at the end is worth a lot: "If you are meant to be here [in Singapore], then you will stay. If not, there is something somewhere better for you."<br>I bet you had to learn this lesson the hard way.<br> I wish you all the best!
Singapore is swamped by mainlanders yakk..cannot stand the city any longer
I guess you tell me much everything about Singapore. Thx
Because you kept spelling SINGAPORE AS SINGAPOUR 😂❤
Not really true … who says pr needs to get married? <br>As a Singaporean, I know that there is no such law…<br>To be qualified u must meet certain criteria …pls leave and do not come back… u may not be as competent and cannot keep up to our pace that’s why it will be better not for u to come back cos personally I wouldn’t employ u…
Thank you for the honest opinion.
Good information <br>Thanks a lot <br>Before I work Singapore <br>11 year's now I m Finland
Thank you for your comment! My journey continues after Singapore. I quit the safe life and here is why📺Subscribe for more!<br>🆕Update 2026: Why I took a $2k Pay Cut and moved to Germany → <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1PJQuIwa6Q">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1PJQuIwa6Q</a><br>💬 Bella's 1-on-1 consultations available for immigration & job search support in Germany and Singapore → <a href="https://calendly.com/bellahan49">https://calendly.com/bellahan49</a><br>🏢 Singapore Ministry of Manpower: <a href="https://www.mom.gov.sg/">https://www.mom.gov.sg/</a><br>🏠 Singapore Housing Platform - Property Guru: <a href="https://www.propertyguru.com.sg/">https://www.propertyguru.com.sg/</a>
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