Singapore is ranked as one of the best countries of the world in terms of living quality. From the aspects of crime rate, healthcare, infrastructure, educational institutions, unemployment level, housing quality, and business opportunities, Singapore can be considered as one of the best options. On the other hand, Singapore stands out as the best countries from the intangible aspects like multicultural and multinational society, racial harmony and access to the best tourist destinations of Asia.
The city-state is proclaimed as the business headquarters of Asia and the best place of the continent for a decent lifestyle. Obtaining a permanent residency status in this country makes sense. When this permanent residence status comes with the central provident fund advantages along with a myriad range of subsidies and personal tax reliefs, it makes life easier and comfortable. Citizens with permanent residentship in Singapore have access to quality education, public housing, and healthcare services at subsidized rates.
Schemes for permanent residency in Singapore
Mainly, a foreign national can enter into this country or obtain the permanent resident visa in 3 ways:
GIP scheme or global investor program scheme
Professional, Technical workers, and skilled scheme – PTS scheme
Foreign artistic talent scheme, ForArts
What are the eligibility criteria for permanent residency status in Singapore?
Under the GIP scheme and PTS scheme, foreigners belonging to the following categories can apply for the permanent resident status in Singapore:
Entrepreneurs and investors meeting the eligibility criteria under the global investor program scheme
Unmarried children and spouse of the permanent resident holder or Singapore citizen
S pass holders and employment pass holders – it includes entrepreneur pass and personalized employment pass
Aged parents of a Singapore citizen
What is the processing time required for permanent resident application?
As per the ICA, the normal processing time required for the permanent residentship application is 4-6 months. Some of the applications may even take a longer time.
The two major schemes for obtaining permanent residency in Singapore are as follows:
National service liability
According to the ICA, all the Singapore permanent residency holders and citizens have to register for the NS or National Service. After completing the full-time national service, they will need to serve minimum 40 days of the ORNS or Operationally Ready National Service every year for the duration of their training cycle, until they reach 65 years of age for officers and 40 years of age for other ranks.
Applicants who can become a permanent resident of Singapore are exempted from the National Service, but their male children are liable for the National Service as per the Enlistment Act, provided they are granted with the permanent residency status. If you want to escape the national service liability, the Singapore authorities can take strict actions.
Professional, Technical personnel and skilled workers scheme
This is known for being the most popular and preferred scheme when it comes to obtaining the permanent residency status in Singapore among the S pass holder, City States employment pass holders, personalized employment pass holder and entrepreneur pass holder. As per the estimates, it has been found that on 95% of the professionals have attained their permanent residency status through this scheme.
The children and spouse of an applicant can also apply for the permanent residency status along with the applicant, provided that they are below 21 years of age. Once the male dependence is granted with the permanent residency status, he will become liable for the Singapore National Service.
Successful permanent residency application for Singapore
Applications with relevant educational qualifications, skills and professional as well as financial background are given the foremost priority when it comes to securing the permanent residency in Singapore.
The other factors that can help you to obtain the permanent residency status in this country and other PTS scheme are as follow:
If the applicant has already paid and worked in this country for a year before applying for the permanent residency
If the applicant has received her education from a reputable institution
Is the applicant has any office family members in Singapore
If the applicant has a history of doing voluntary work as well as contributes to the local community and neighborhood in general
If the applicant is below 50 years
Is the skill set of the applicant compliments with the local workforce and not compete against it
If the applicant belongs to the specific needs which demand specialized skills sets
Singapore permanent residency visa rejection
Owing to remarkable advantages, the Singapore permanent residency visa is open pursuit by several foreigners, but it is sanctioned only to the valuable expats by the government. The value is generally measured by the contributions made by the foreigners to the economy of Singapore on the basis of coaching, knowledge, and skills. The ability of the individuals in matching the mindset with the local community also plays an important role in determining the success of obtaining the Singapore permanent residency visa. If due to any reason your permanent residency visa gets rejected, you can simply re-apply for the same instead of appealing. New strategic applications can work better in comparison to blind appeals. You can change your strategy for visa approval and get back to the ICA with a stronger profile that actually stands out.