Singapore Celebrating Progress Through Diversity
With the euphoria of Singapore’s recent bicentennial commemorative S$20 note dying down, we can take a step back and reflect on the luminaries who made modern Singapore what it is today. These individuals displayed resolute strength and grit to carve out a better life for themselves and their families. Interestingly, they all had one thing in common – all were immigrants.
Be it for commerce or cultural exchanges, Singapore’s geographic locality and safe harbour has contributed much to her growth. Throughout time, Singapore has always been the port of call in the region. Today, it still is.
As of June 2018, close to 40% of residents in Singapore are foreigners. With a country that does not have natural resources, Singapore has to look to human capital to propel its economic engine forward – and that is exactly what the Selective Immigration policy is set out to do – to get the right profiles of candidates in via Permanent Residence or Citizenship.
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The Selective Immigration Policy
Fortunately, Singapore manages immigration carefully through a balanced approach. Our Selective Immigration policy is built on a firm notion that look to immigrants to not only complement the local workforce but also to mitigate our rapidly ageing population. The government has put in place policies aimed at increasing our birth rates, while remaining open to controlled immigration to fill the population gaps, as documented in the Population White Paper in 2013.
