How to Emigrate to Singapore and Get Citizenship?

Singapore is a great place to live: it’s safe, developed, and always sunny. If you dream to move here, bring your family with you and get passports, you need to start somewhere. We explain the process to become a Singapore citizen.

By the way, you can learn more about Singapore citizenship benefits by reading this article.

What steps do I need to take to get a Singapore passport?

There are 3 major steps to becoming a citizen: get a permit, become a permanent resident, get a passport.

Step 1: Get a Permit

There are three options that enable you to apply for Permanent Residency later:

GIP and ForArts schemes are very specific: you either need to invest a lot of money or be a recognized star. So the most common option is the Professionals/Technical Personnel scheme (PTS). It offers relocation under one of 3 visa types sponsored by the company that invites you and your stay depends on your contract.

• S Pass is a visa for skilled professionals, that is, mid-level technicians.
• Entrepreneur Pass requires you to open a company and either get government funding, or have an investor track record, or prove to have an innovative concept.
• Employment Pass is the most straightforward option: you need to receive a job offer from a company for a management position. If you don’t have any employee wishing to hire you, that’s ok: you can always open a business yourself and use it to process your Employment Pass.

Since Employment Pass is the most likely route to take, let’s take a closer look at how to get one.

Requirements for Employment Pass:

• A fixed monthly salary of S$6,000-8,000. If you plan to bring your family, it should be even higher, about S$12,000 a month.
• Higher Education, preferably from a respected University.
• Professional experience relevant to your job description.
• Profile of the inviting company.
• If you register a business yourself, you will need to prove that your intentions are serious and you can support the salary you’ll be paying yourself. Authorities look at your bank account, so make sure you have about S$50,000 deposited on your company behalf.

Timeline: 2-3 months if you get invited by an existing company, 4-6 months if you register a business yourself.

Family: You can bring your family to Singapore under Dependants’ Passes: your spouse and unmarried children under 21 years old. Note that the more people move with you, the higher your salary should be.

Step 2. Become a Permanent Resident via PTS scheme

Permanent Residency gets you all the privileges of a citizen except the right to vote or hold public office. Your male children will even have to serve in the National Service.

Requirements for Permanent Residency:
There are very few requirements for becoming a PR, but in reality, a lot of applications get rejected without any explanation. There is a cap of 30,000 individuals granted Permanent Residence a year, so the waiting list is quite long.

• Employer’s application also known as Annex A. Unlike Employment Pass, the Permanent Residency is not sponsored by your employer, but this document is a must for PTS scheme.
• Salary level confirmation. For PR status, your salary should be about S$12,000 a month, especially if you have a family with you.
• Documents, including an application with your photo, Employment Pass, id, birth certificate, marriage certificate, proof of education, salary, and employment. Any document issued in your native language has to be officially translated. If your, family applies with you, they need to prepare and translate documents, too.

Timeline: Technically, you can apply for PR status as soon as you’ve received your Employment Pass. In reality, it is best to wait for at least a year before you move to step 2. Officially it takes 4-6 months to process your application, but people wait for 6-18 months for a reply.

Family: Your relatives that stay with your under Dependants’ Passes normally apply for PR at the same time. They get approved or rejected together with you.

What are some factors considered for my PR application?

While the final say resides with the Singapore Government, the following are some factors that would boost the probability of being accepted.

• Educational Level. The Singapore Government is forward-thinking and holds meritocracy as a core tenet, therefore they would place a heavy emphasis on academics and professional experiences which are in high demand. Technical skills would also be considered for specialized positions. This emphasis can be seen on a policy level, with the Professional, Technical Personnel and Skill Workers scheme (PTS Scheme), designed to allow skilled immigrants to attain the Singapore Permanent Residency.
  
• Industrial Requirement. The ability to contribute to key industries - such as financial services, would also be considered. If your employment is integral to the key industries, your application would be favourable. There are countless industries that require foreigner talent support. What differentiates them is the level of requirement – some will have larger gaps to fill as compared to others. Singapore is aligning herself to be at the forefront – a leader of global initiatives. Safe to say, Digitalisation, IT, AI, Big Data, IoT, Cyber-Security, Data Analytics and Telecommunications are the areas the nation will be working on for at least the next decade.
  
• Unique Talent. Having a unique talent or skillset such as artistic excellence - would provide a leg up over the competition for your PR application. A fine example of such would be former national swim queen Tao Li, who eventually became a Singapore Citizen. However, it would depend on what these talents are and it’s potential to contribute to the culture and community of Singapore.
  
• Economic Contribution. Think of the Global Investor Programme by the Singapore Government. It demonstrates that beyond the earning prowess of an individual, the Singapore Government considers the willingness and ability of the individual to contribute and develop Singapore’s economy.
  
• Family Ties. The more familial ties an individual has in Singapore, the higher the chance of approval, as it reflects a sense of belonging, increasing the desire to settle down in Singapore. Singapore recognizes this and offers the ability for a Singapore Citizen / PR to sponsor their immediate family.
• Property Investments. Having property investments in Singapore – sinking one’s roots; would be looked upon highly favourably by the Singapore Government, as it reflects a long term commitment to the nation. This reduces the fear of someone hopping by just to reap the benefits and leaving without giving back.
  
• Social Integration. Contributions to Singapore’s society is a key factor for applications, demonstrating an applicant’s “goodness of fit”. It can come in many forms, from volunteering work to charitable donations - all of which are looked upon kindly. This sentiment is often echoed in the public discourse, where locals often call for foreigners to put in a concerted effort to fit in with the local culture.
  
• Testimonials. Nothing speaks louder than a well versed and specific letter from good standing individuals, highlighting the good aspects of your character. It would help flesh out your character, and appear genuine and believable.

Getting a Singapore PR takes time and persistence. Expect to get rejected and re-apply a few time for the PR status, however, with expert guidance from consultants with years of experience in the Singapore immigration landscape, it will significantly improve your chance of getting your Singapore PR. It will save you time and hassle when applying through a professional.

If you need assistance, our partner The Immigration People provides highly customized assistance for each and every application. They have combined years of experience of more than 15 years in Singapore immigration matters, and as ex-ICA trained officers, they would be able to help you understand more about it. Apart from assisting your PR application, they also provide expertise on Singapore Work Pass Application, Citizenship Application and Global Investor Programme.

Step 3. Become a citizen

In a way, this step is easier than receiving PR status, but it also takes longer and you never know if and when your application is approved.

Requirements for becoming a citizen:

• Submit documents: id, passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate, proof of employment, education, salary, and national service certificate for you and your family if they apply.
• Pass an interview in ICA (Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, a government body reporting to the Ministry of Home Affairs).
• Pay a state fee of $S100 for each applicant.

Timeline: you can apply for citizenship after you’ve been a Permanent Resident for 2 years. It normally takes the authorities 6 to 12 months to process the application, but they often take their time, so you might end up waiting for up to 2 years.

Family: your spouse and unmarried children under 21 years old apply with you.

Dual citizenship

The Singapore Government forbids dual citizenship.  Though there are some cases when a person can become a dual citizen:

• By naturalisation
• By descent when he/she has a foreign parent
• By birth in a foreign country

Have a look at the laws of Singapore citizenship in the Constitution of Singapore to know the details.

Is it possible to renounce your Singapore citizenship?

The only way to renounce citizenship is to legally become a citizen of another country. If you want to get all the necessary documents for Renunciation of Singapore Citizenship, you will have to send your full name and contact information to the Singapore Consulate by email. The renunciation takes 2 to 3 months to process and the fee is S$35.

In conclusion

To sum it up, getting a Singapore citizenship is real, but it does take time and persistence (and quite some money).

Expect to get rejected and re-apply a few times for the PR status. In the best-case scenario, if you open a company today, you can get your passport in 5 years’ time. In reality, you are likely to spend 7-10 years in the whole process. However, it doesn’t mean you have to postpone your dream: you can move to Singapore and have the lifestyle right away, at the same time processing paperwork to become a citizen.

East river also provides assistance with company incorporation in Singapore. Let us guide you through the whole process!