A divorced, middle-aged Malaysian woman applied for Singapore Citizenship after 10 years of holding a Singapore PR status. This was her first and only application.
Singapore Citizenship For Middle-Aged Malaysian
Application Details
| Gender | Female |
| Country of Origin | Malaysia |
| Ethnicity | Chinese |
| Education | Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) – Equivalent to Singapore’s GCE ‘O’ Level |
| Occupation | Accounts Executive in Logistics Industry |
| Social Integration | NA |
| Number of Years in SG | More than 10 Years |
| Reason for Application | Decided to permanently live in Singapore because she feels Singapore is home. |
Citizenship Application Challenges: Age, Divorced Status, Education & Career
- The applicant was worried that her age and divorced status would impede her chances of getting Singapore Citizenship.
- She is also not a diploma or degree holder.
- She is not holding a management position nor is she working in a focus or legacy industry.
Profile Attractiveness Score – 61%
Disclaimer: Please note that this scoring system and analysis is only based on IASG’s knowledge, expertise, and past experiences handling client cases. This is in no way a standard metric to be used to gauge Singapore Citizenship approvals. IASG is not liable for any consequences of the usage of this scoring system and analysis by any person.
Talent & Industry Representation – 60%
The applicant works in the logistics industry as an accounts executive. While the logistics industry does not belong to one of the focus or legacy sectors, it has been a stable industry that contributed 7.4% to Singapore’s economy over the years. The applicant is also not holding a management position even though she has been in the same company for 10 years even though she is already in her 50s. However, due to the company size, there is no room for her to go up the career ladder. This does not mean that she is not doing well at work. In fact, she is managing her company’s accounts alone and has been doing it well for 10 years and this can be supported by annual pay increase that she has been getting.
Financial Stability & Grounding in Singapore – 77%
The applicant has quite a varied financial portfolio even though she is not a high-income earner, especially for her age. However, Singapore Citizenship approval is not based on one’s wealth or net worth. Her consistency working at the same company for 10 years shows stability in her career. Her ability to build her financial portfolio that includes insurance and investments shows her commitment to her future in Singapore.
Social Integration Efforts – 40%
The applicant, due to her busy work schedule, did not have the time to do any social integration efforts prior to her citizenship application. However, due to her previous marriage to a Singaporean, having colleagues at her workplace, and making friends within some interest groups, she blended into the Singaporean society very well. She has assimilated to the local lifestyle, culture, and lives amongst locals in an HDB.
Age & Nationality Demographics – 68%
As a Malaysian Chinese, the applicant has a good chance for approval. This is because the Chinese make up the majority of Singapore’s total population and yet it has the lowest birth rates as compared to the minority races. To maintain Singapore’s set ethnic quota, foreigners of Chinese descent have a higher chance of approval. However, this is not a guarantee as the Singapore government does not reveal specific approval criteria.
Another reason is also due to cultural similarities between Singaporeans and Malaysians. Because of the two countries’ geographical proximity, intertwined history, and local ethnic makeups, Singaporeans and Malaysians share a lot of similarities such as food, festivities, religions, and even languages. This makes it easier for Malaysians who want to become Singapore Citizens to integrate in the society.
IASG’s Case Analysis & Strategy
Main Concerns
The applicant first came to IASG for a free consultation to find out her chances for Singapore Citizenship approval. Her main concern was being divorced with no kids in her mid 50s. Her decision to become a Singapore Citizen, even though she has no familial ties here, is entirely based on her view of Singapore as her home. She had been living and working in the country for more than 10 years while holding a Singapore PR status.
Choosing IASG
Being Malaysian Chinese, the applicant was aware that she has a slight advantage. However, she also knows that Singapore does not reveal its selection criteria and process for its Citizenship approval. Hoping to get her Singapore Citizenship based on her nationality and ethnicity was not enough. Her work schedule can be quite busy and to do all the research for her citizenship application was intimidating and time-consuming. She met with a couple of immigration agencies and found that IASG is the best at answering her questions and addressing her concerns. She felt that IASG has the most experience given their years in the industry and the consultant is able to connect at her level and provide insight and maturity into approaching the application (and the problems faced within it) in a simple yet organized manner. Thus, she decided to engage IASG to submit her citizenship application.
Focusing on Strengths of Applicant
In recalling the first consultation, our consultant recognised the applicant’s strength in her long career and financial portfolio, showcasing her job stability, regular income stream, and solid financial future. It was also noted that Singapore has been experiencing a shortage of manpower in this industry due to lack of interest from locals. Further to that, we allayed her concerns on her marital status, age as well as the absence of a family unit as she does not have any children. The applicant became more confident of her application submission after this initial profile assessment and would like to quickly start the application journey.
Document Preparation & Submission
We were told that the applicant did her own PR application more than 10 years ago but she still remembered the painstaking process of preparing the documents for submission to ICA. She had help from her then husband but now that she is divorced, she had to do it herself. With her busy work schedule and managing her life on her own now, she was happy that IASG handled this part for her Singapore Citizenship application. It took the team about 3 months to prepare and submit her application.
Singapore Citizenship Application Result: Approved within 18 Months!
The applicant’s Singapore Citizenship was approved within 18 months after her submission. The wait was within a reasonable period, especially since the ICA requested for extra documents at some point.
The applicant was relieved that she could now call Singapore her home, truly.
Testimonial for Zen Tan, IASG’s Senior Immigration Consultant
The whole team was great! Zen is very knowledgeable and could answer all of my questions. I trusted and depended entirely on him and the documents team. We all worked very well together and the whole process was smooth. I was genuinely surprised that all went well. Thanks IASG!
