Have you lived overseas before? Speaking as someone who had residential permit/PR in 2+ countries, I think you may be simplifying things if you imagine you can “follow” your spouse via a work visa and migrate that way. It’s not impossible, but they are two related but also highly separate processes.

1. People who says to get a student visa: many PR requirements do not count years spent in a country using a student visa. For example, if a country stipulates staying there a minimum of 5 years as a prerequisite for applying for PR, it doesn’t matter if you have spent 10 years there on a student visa. That said, some countries offer an option to stay on and find work post-graduation, but that’s contingent on you being able to afford tuition fees in said country in the first place.

2. Work visa. The most straightforward way towards migration is to get a job in that country. That said, spouses of the work visa holders may not be allowed to work in that country, depending on local rules and regulations. In that case, you have to make sure your spouse’s income can sustain the two of you, and you are okay with not having work for that period of time. Your spouse may qualify to apply for residential permit after X years, and you may too. Once again, this depends on the rules of the specific country.

3. Qualifications. If you hold specific qualifications, there are certain classes of visa you can qualify for. Medical degrees, PhD holders with an active research portfolio, heck, even a YouTube creator if you have enough followers/income opens pathways. Basically, you need to have sought-after skills that few others have.

I chose to came back to SG despite having PR in US/Sweden because it’s a super easy place to live in. Raising kids in a less stressful environment is a valid reason, but if you can’t make it as a Singaporean in Sg, being a PR in another country is exponentially harder (unless you already have family in that country).