SAFETY FIRST Ranks Expats Seeking Singapore Permanent Residence Citizenship
We have observed an ongoing trend amongst our clients emphasising safety as a reason to pursue Permanent Residence or Citizenship in Singapore. In fact, 80% of the expats we have helped secure Singapore PR/Citizenship status ranked Safety and Security as one of the top 3 reasons for their application. The other two reasons listed were education as well as employment opportunities.
Singapore has always been ranking highly in terms of Safety and Security among applicants coming from both developed and developing economies. A recent global study showed that Singaporeans feel safer than residents of any other country in the world, allowing Singapore to top the list of the Law and Order Index for the fifth year running. With 94% of adults in Singapore who feel safe walking alone at night vis-à-vis the global average of 68%, it is no wonder that many expats, especially those with families and children, stress safety as a motivating factor within their application in an attempt to achieve the coveted approval.
The aforementioned result is consistent with other studies; The World Justice Project’s Rule of Index (2017-2018) ranks Singapore first for order and security whilst the 2017 Global Smart City Performance Index published this year ranked Singapore as the world’s safest city. This was of little surprise to anyone as Singapore has always emphasised Safety and Security through all facets of society as a means to ensure her prosperity. This in turn becomes a key reason for many global firms to set up their headquarters for business in the Asia Pacific Region in Singapore. According to Mr Toby Koh, Group Managing Director of Ademco Security Group, “safety and security is paramount to top management.”
How is this relevant for potential PR or Citizenship Applicants?
From a commercial perspective, Safety and Security, coupled with sound infrastructure enables Singapore to be an attractive commercial magnet. This encourages global corporations to set up a base in Singapore to cater to the wider Asia Pacific region – creating more jobs along the process. This gives an opportunity for foreign talent to move to Singapore with their families for a better life and a higher standard of living.
All these factors makes Singapore an extremely attractive nation to settle down in, with the safety of their family being guaranteed and a secure job in a thriving economy. Singapore’s ranking as a top nation in terms of safety does however come coupled with a set of stringent Immigration policies that has evolved in the last 8-10 years. With a highly competitive approval rates for PR/Citizenship approval these days, applicants who wish to gain PR or Citizenship would have to set themselves apart from the rest as the crème de la crème of their respective industries in order for their application to succeed.
