Singapore Permanent Resident Application | FAQ

Singapore Permanent Residence Application

What is a Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) and what does it mean to be one?

A Permanent Resident (PR) refers to someone who has been given Singapore Permanent Residence status by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (ICA). However, they are not full-fledged citizens.

As a Singapore PR, he/she and their family have the right to live, work and integrate into the fabric of Singapore’s society just like ordinary citizens. He/she will get to enjoy the freedom of moving in and out of the country without the need for additional visas and passes.

What are some of the benefits of being a Singapore Permanent Resident (PR)?

The range of benefits that a Singapore PR can enjoy include leaving and entering the country without visa restrictions, a better standing in terms of public schooling options for their children, access to more employment opportunities within the country, and without the hassle of requiring any work passes, financial benefits in the form of the Central Provident Fund (CPF), and ease of acquiring housing loans through local banks.

In addition, should an individual aspire to become a Singapore Citizen, maintaining their Singapore PR status is the only way the Singapore Government will give due consideration to the Citizenship application.

What is the eligibility criteria to apply for Singapore Permanent Residence (PR)?

To be eligible for consideration for a Singapore PR, one must fall into one of the following categories :

Spouse and unmarried children (below 21 years old) of a Singapore Citizen (SC) / Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR)
Aged Parents of a Singapore Citizen
Employment Pass/ S Pass / Personalized Employment Pass holders
Investors

Is it more difficult to attain a PR these days? How true is this?

Since 2009, the government has tighten its immigration policies to ensure adequate expertise is being maintained across all industries. This also ensures that salaries and distribution of skills across sectors remain competitive. While nobody can guarantee 100% success rates for PR applications, one can be assured that every application is being considered on its own merits.

Those who have shown outstanding hard work, and commitment and social contributions to Singapore especially should not feel discouraged.

Furthermore, in the Population White Paper released by the Singapore Government in 2015, both citizens and foreign talents alike will have a major part to play in achieving economic and manpower stability for Singapore.

Why is my PR status rejected ?

The reasons for rejection, which could be due to many reasons, are not revealed by ICA. As such, we instead help clients work toward building up a profile that is strong based on other economical and social factors that can be determined based on our expertise.

What is the PR Approval quota like?

There is no specific numerical value that can be shared in terms of the quota given out by ICA for a given time frame. While the Government is working toward a framework that can support the objectives of the Population White Paper, the number of PRs given out during any time frame is dependent on the gaps of expertise in the economy. These gaps surface due to personnel leaving the industry, renouncement of PR statuses, or even due to newly created demand in the industry. While maintaining the ethnic balance of the country remains key, each PR application will still be accessed on its own merits.

National Service and PRs

While the government grant PRs many benefits, there are also certain obligations that is required of the individual, one of which is National Service. Under the Enlistment Act, all male Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents are liable to register for national service upon reaching 16½ years old. They are liable to serve for two years when they turn 18, followed by 40 days of Operationally Ready National Service every year until they turn 50 years old for officers, and 40 years old for other ranks.

Overview of Singapore PR Scheme

There are several ways to go about attaining a PR status in Singapore. They are as follows:

Professionals/Technical Personnel & Skilled Worker Scheme (PTS scheme)
Sponsor Scheme
Foreign Students Scheme
Foreign Artistic Talent Scheme
Global Investor Program Scheme (GIP Scheme)

Steps and Timeline for applying PR

Once one is certain of their interest in applying for a PR, the next step is to go through the requirements on ICA website, download the necessary forms, set up an appointment date with ICA, and then prepare the necessary documents. Upon the submission of documents, the PR application results will take at least 6 – 12 months to be released. In all, the entire process would take up between 1 – 2 years.

Alternatively, since time is of the essence and wasted time in terms of rejected applications would be highly inconvenient, interested applicants should work with us to understand how best to package and time their application. We guarantee documentation integrity and ensure that our clients’ interests remain a priority.