Bringing nanny/househelper

[lorgnette]

Previously, our friends' parents sent their Indonesian helper from the islands. Since they are responsible for her welfare, food, lodgings and paid her wages back home in Indonesia so they registered her as a member of family. She stayed with them until they graduated.

Regulations changed recently.

Lately, I heard expats bringing in their children' nannies and registered them as such.

Generally, it should be fine as long as she and you fulfill MoM requirements found on website e.g., English language level (unless you appeal that you understand a mutual language- is this acceptable), passes Entry Test and awareness course ET/AC, medical exam, enroll in EOP and supply the requested docs etc.

Specifically, ASAP register for Singpass to start online application process. When approved, you will receive IPAL online, print it out and on arrival, MoM wiill set certain criteria e.g., medical exam, xray pass tests etc to be completed.

When completed, bring all docs, her IDs and her and IPAL hard copy for processing. With complete docs submission, you will receive a letter (with all doc receipts checked) and a date for work pass collection/ stamped on pp.

It is laborious process but doable.

Good luck.

[ecureilx]

Originally Posted by lorgnette

Previously, our friends' parents sent their Indonesian helper from the islands. Since they are responsible for her welfare, food, lodgings and paid her wages back home in Indonesia so they registered her as a member of family. She stayed with them until they graduated.

Do you have some reference to this ? Or is this another 'he said, she said' thing ?

if they did fake her as a family member, then they have violated too many laws here ..

No, not to offend you .. but I have contacts who are doing Maid recruitment, and they will be thrilled to know that they were not aware of such a scheme, even if it is defunct .. and so would my VWO as they are constantly seeking ways to help FDWs

Regulations changed recently.

Lately, I heard expats bringing in their children' nannies and registered them as such.

You can only bring in a nanny as a nanny / DH, there is no other clause, unless MOM Is hiding it from the rest of the world ..

You cannot bring in anybody other than siblings, parents, parents-in-law apart from spouse / children, with you acting as sponsor .. please provide some reference ..

[lorgnette]

if they did fake her as a family member, then they have violated too many laws here

Did you see the term previously, which translates- past and gone.

Anyway, you misunderstood. To elaborate, her family grew up as they worked for my friend's family household-( Indonesian Chinese) for decades watching the children born and grow. Their salaries, compensation, medical, housing are paid at home. They are family not servants or slaves. The girl came over and stayed with her mistress's high school children as a helper and chaperon. She received no wages in Singapore.

In reflective thinking having a family helper abroad is doable in certain circumstances, so why do you nonchalantly assume she is a fake?

Should you still require clarification, suppose a tourist is staying here and working on a book ready for publication in UK for 2014, and receives no wages or royalties in Singapore. Does that make him a fake tourist?

Please be mindful in your baseless assumptions in your comments and do not mislead. It does not help any thread writer in his understanding on local ground situation. Many of these questions show a genuine need for a productive reply as these potential visitors will be traveling a long flight to Singapore- an unknown destination.

If we can, we should all do our best to comply to their need for constructive answers, don't you agree?

[ecureilx]

Originally Posted by lorgnette

Did you see the term previously, which translates- past and gone.

Anyway, you misunderstood. To elaborate, her family grew up as they worked for my friend's family household-( Indonesian Chinese) for decades watching the children born and grow. Their salaries, compensation, medical, housing are paid at home. They are family not servants or slaves. The girl came over and stayed with her mistress's high school children as a helper and chaperon. She received no wages in Singapore.

let me put it this way, from MOMs point of view, unless she was a family member, and she wasn't paid wage, it is exploitation (that's speaking academically .. ) and one too many NGO will be more than happy to highlight the case (no offence .. )

Should you still require clarification, suppose a tourist is staying here and working on a book ready for publication in UK for 2014, and receives no wages or royalties in Singapore. Does that make him a fake tourist?

For a start, how exactly will this "TOURIST" stay in Singapore ? under what pass ? Social Visit ? in which case, he or she couldn't stay for more than 90 days at a go, based on his passport, and if he or she adopts your recommended "VISA RUNS" he may be barred from Singapore for 6 months .. so what would his 'residential status' in Singapore be ?

Please be mindful in your baseless assumptions in your comments and do not mislead. It does not help any thread writer in his understanding on local ground situation. Many of these questions show a genuine need for a productive reply as these potential visitors will be traveling a long flight to Singapore- an unknown destination.

If we can, we should all do our best to comply to their need for constructive answers, don't you agree?

See, since the last few years MOM and ICA has been tightening the screws, and one too many person who couldn't get their relative or loved one took on plan B in getting them in as maids and have seen their passes summarily rejected for fraud .. so does it go for those part timer maids ..

No, I am not giving misleading advice, I am merely stating that if you bring a maid in as a maid, declare as such, and get the proper paperwork done ..

and for your statement "Regulations changed recently." > let me clarify - Regulations for employment of DH/FDW has been the same, virtually unchanged, since atleast 1995 from what I know ..

let's not start arguing here ..

again I will differ to your advice and experience and knowledge

[BBCWatcher]

In other words, you could be doing "the right thing" in the abstract and be a wonderful employer, but Singapore's MOM has some rules. They expect foreign domestic workers to receive payment at a certain level (beyond room and board), adequate and safe boarding, at least minimum time off, and home country visits (with paid-up travel) as examples -- and they require the employer to post a bond sufficient to protect the worker's rights. Those provisions may exceed what you're already doing or may not.

For what it's worth I agree with MOM's policies.