September Mobility News Round Up
In this edition of our newsletter, we focus on the latest developments and challenges impacting expatriate destinations across Asia. From rising rental rates and housing shortages to evolving visa and immigration processes, navigating the complexities of global mobility is becoming increasingly intricate. We’ll explore key trends in countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, and China, highlighting regulatory updates, market shifts, and the impact on relocation planning. As businesses and expatriates adapt to these changes, our insights aim to keep you informed and prepared in managing international assignments and workforce strategies.
Rising Demand and Costs in Key Expatriate Destinations – Challenges in Southeast Asia
We continue to observe growth in expatriate destinations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, along with the challenges of decreasing availability and increasing costs. The rental rates in Kuala Lumpur and Vietnam have raised by 10 – 20 percent compared to last year. Korea is still facing housing shortages, and securing international school placements in Bangkok has become increasingly difficult.
Navigating Singapore’s COMPASS System and Visa Process Updates in Vietnam
Singapore’s new COMPASS system has enhanced fairness, and Vietnam’s recently introduced online application system appears to have resolved previous delays in the visa approval process. Additionally, there is a growing focus on local labor market testing and the local/expat employee mix in several locations. In Singapore, the need for educational certificate verification has increased the processing time before making employment pass applications. While the outcome of employment pass applications is typically issued within 10 working days, the educational certificate verification process can take 3-4 weeks or longer, depending largely on the timely response from educational institutions. For dependent pass applications for children 12 years and younger, Singapore also requires immunization record registration before submitting the applications, which can take 20 working days or more.
Lengthy Processing Times for Singapore Employment and Dependent Passes
The visa and immigration process for multinational corporations applying for work permits in China can be complex and time-consuming. It involves navigating multiple layers of regulations and requirements set by the Chinese government, with processes differing widely based on the city or province of relocation. The number of foreign expatriate employees in China has decreased compared to pre-COVID times. It remains unclear to what extent China will embrace foreign workers to mitigate looming domestic demographic challenges.
Understanding the Diverse and Changing Regulatory Landscape Across China’s Tiered Cities
China is a large country categorized into Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities and regions, each with its own set of rules and regulations. It is necessary to check each city or region before applications to understand the specific requirements for both the sponsoring company and the applicant. This can sometimes lead to confusion, as requirements and processes vary and change over time. Additional documents are often requested to support applications.
If you have any questions how these updates might affect your international employees or recruitment process, get in touch with us contact@movenet.com
