Permanent residency in Singapore
Permanent residency in Singapore is an immigration status in Singapore, second only to Singaporean citizens in terms of privileges. Collectively, both Singaporean citizens and permanent residents form the country's resident population and are calculated together in terms of census data and statistics.
A permanent resident of Singapore has most of the rights, privileges, obligations and responsibilities that citizens do, including National Service obligations for first and second generation males as well as compulsory Central Provident Fund contributions, among others.
However, notable exceptions include not being able to vote in elections or to hold public office, more limited public benefits such as education, medical and housing benefits, lower public government and government-aided school placement priorities as well as some limits on driving for transport services, among others.
Conditions of status
In general, permanent residents of Singapore are permitted to live, work, study, serve, start a business and retire in Singapore indefinitely. PR status is robust in practice but not absolute, and individuals could have their PRs stripped and deported from Singapore if convicted of a crime. Prominent individuals who had their PR status reviewed for a possible revocation after being convicted included actors Christopher Lee for drink driving and Ian Fang for a sexual offence. Academic Huang Jing had his PR status revoked in 2017 for being a alleged foreign agent.PRs are also subject to an active Re-Entry Permit if they wish to leave Singapore for any length of time for any reason. If a PR leaves Singapore without a valid REP, or if a PR is outside Singapore when his/her REP expires, that individual's PR status automatically and, with rare exceptions, irrevocably ends. Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority generally renews REPs for every 5 years, subject to PRs demonstrating their actual residence and economic, familial or other continued relevant connections to Singapore.
Eligibility
Starting in 2010, Singapore has set an approximately 30,000 annual cap on the number of individuals being granted PRs. There is a relatively stable population of just over 500,000 PRs in Singapore.Individuals eligible to apply for Singapore PR include:
- spouses and unmarried children of Singapore citizens or permanent residents
- aged parents and legal guardians of Singapore citizens
- foreign workers in Singapore possessing valid work passes, and their dependents
- students studying in Singapore
- investors and entrepreneurs
The government does not disclose its evaluation criteria or decision processes beyond broad generalities, such as long-term citizen population-related goals. One of the government's stated public policy goals is to maintain relative stability in Singapore's racial and ethnic population proportions in order to promote and maintain racial harmony. Consequently, a PR applicant's family, cultural and ethnic background all influence ICA's decisions. According to ICA, the processing time of PR application is around 6 months, but varies based on the complexity of the case. The processing fee is S$100, which is not refundable.
PR status is central to Singapore nationality law since naturalisation as a Singaporean citizen requires that the applicant first be a PR. PRs can apply for citizenship if at least 6 months have passed since being granted PR.