A current Singapore citizen or PR can apply for Singapore permanent residency for their foreign national spouse. This type of application would fall under the sponsorship scheme (Form 4SC) with the spouse who holds Singapore permanent residence or citizenship as the sponsor.
When using this scheme, it should be noted that children, who are unmarried and under the age of 21-years, can also be included, presuming that they were born within a legal marriage or were legally adopted.
Remember that eligibility does not guarantee approval. Cases are evaluated based on merit and in comparison with other applicants. If your spouse eventually wants to become a Singapore citizen, they must obtain Singapore PR first.
Average Success Rate
On average, the success rate for applications under the sponsorship scheme is around 49%. This number is relatively high compared to some other schemes. This is likely because the Immigration Checkpoints Authority wants to admit families who can build a future in Singapore. You stand a better chance in the sponsorship programme if you and your spouse already have family ties to a Singapore citizen.
Evaluation Criteria for a Singapore PR Application
In the case of the sponsorship scheme where the spouse of a Singapore citizen or PR is applying for PR status, both the applicant and their spouse are evaluated. It is essential to be very careful when you apply PR for yourself or your spouse.
Economic Criteria
Singapore holds both education and career in high regard, so an applicant who has a successful career and holds a good role within their field is much more likely to succeed than one who does not. Authorities will also want to see that the applicant’s income is conducive to sustaining a household and sharing in societal tax obligations. The spouse’s economic status will also play a role in this evaluation.
Educational Background
The reputation of your qualification and the institution you obtained it from will significantly impact your application. The possible impact that such a qualification can hold in relation to Singapore’s economy is also considered.
Social Considerations
Singapore places great importance on the concept of social cohesion within its diverse community. They value someone who adds meaningfully to society and someone who integrates well into their local community. Family ties will also play a role here and how long applicants have lived and worked in Singapore.
Importance of being Legally Married
For this application, the legality of your marriage certificate is essential to the success of your application. Anything less than a legal marriage does not qualify and might even be illegal in Singapore, such as a marriage for the purpose of immigration.
Since it is difficult to establish the legitimacy of marriage in this regard, what authorities usually lookout for is new marriages. The longer you have been married, the better your chances of a successful application.
Under the LTVP+ scheme for foreign spouses, there was a clause stating that the foreign spouse had to have been in a marriage with the Singaporean PR or citizen for at least three years prior to application, or they must have a Singaporean child together. This strongly suggests that three years is a good amount of time to start with.
Steps to the Singapore PR application process for a Spouse
Your Singapore PR application will take place on the ICA’s e-Service, where your application form and all required documents will be submitted. There is no face to face interviews, so everything you want to bring to the attention of the ICA must be included in your submission to the e-PR system.
It is advised to download the explanatory notes document and the 4SC application form before beginning your application. Read through these documents carefully and make sure that you have everything ready to complete your application. If you are still waiting for some of the required documents, you should refrain from starting the application process until you have all the required documents. Once the process starts, you only have seven days in which to complete it before it is automatically submitted.
Complete Application Form
Your first step is to fill in the form. This is done offline and is only submitted online once complete and checked for errors. It is essential to be correct, consistent, and complete in your application form.
You must provide all details accurately, and the details you provide should remain consistent throughout your application. It should also be reflected in the documents you submit supporting your application. You should also refrain from omitting important information.
Prepare Documents
You will be able to find a list of documents both for the applicant and the sponsor. They are listed both on the form and in the explanatory notes. Scans of these documents should be high quality and clearly legible.
Documents should be smaller than 2MB each and be either in PDF or jpeg format. Your documents should also be in English; if not, they must be translated according to official rules regarding translation.
Privately created translations should be attested by the country where the document originated from and must be notarized by a notary public in Singapore or the country they were issued in, to be accepted. Translation produced in Singapore or the country where the documents were issued by a notary public is accepted. Translations provided directly by the embassy of the originating country are also accepted.
Missing documents can result in your application being denied.
Online Submission
Once you are sure that you are ready to submit, log into your valid SingPass Account. Follow all instructions provided to submit your application form, and remember to review all of the details that you provide. You should also be able to pay the application fee during this process.
When you submit, you will receive an ICA acknowledgement. It is essential that you save that document with the final copy of your completed application form and the receipt for your payment.
Waiting for Feedback
It takes an average of four to six months for Singapore authorities to review your PR application. This is only an average estimation, and the process can sometimes be much shorter or much longer. Extreme examples range from two months to eighteen months.
Once your Singapore PR application has been reviewed, your feedback is mailed to you. This is yet another reason to keep your personal details updated throughout the duration of your application.
You will be able to track the progress of your application online. While it is being processed, it will show as pending. If your application for Singapore permanent residency is successful, the status will change to approved. If you were not successful in your Singapore PR application, your status would show rejected.
Singapore PR Status is Granted
If you have been successful in your application to become a Singapore permanent resident (PR), then you will receive an approval letter. There will also be further instructions for additional steps to take in order to get your NRIC and Re-Entry Permit. Remember that there is an additional fee for documents like your re-entry permit or an entry visa for your family member who does not yet have PR or is not an S-Pass holder as yet.
Singapore PR Application is Rejected
If you have not been successful in your application for Singapore permanent residence, you will have to wait a minimum of six months before attempting a new application. If you feel that the rejection is unfounded, you can follow the appeals process, but it is important to note here that should your appeal be unsuccessful, it can further delay your application by quite a few months. So you should think carefully before attempting an appeal on a Singapore permanent resident application.
List of Documents Required for Prospective Sponsorships of Singapore Permanent Residents
For the Applicant:
- Payslips for the last six months (if you have been employed in Singapore)
- Letter of employment
- Date of commencement
- Role in the company
- Monthly salary
- If self-employed:
- Valid Business Registration Certificate from ACRA
- Company’s Profit and Loss statement for the last twelve months
- Disembarkation/Embarkation number
- Copy of the passport biodata page
- Recent passport-sized photo as per the photo requirements
For the Sponsor:
- Payslips for the last six months
- Letter of employment
- Date of commencement
- Role in the company
- Monthly salary
- If self-employed:
- Valid Business Registration Certificate from ACRA
- Company’s Profit and Loss statement for the last twelve months
- Notice of Assessment for Singapore Income Tax for the last three years
- A statement from the Central Provident Fund showing your monthly contributions for the last twelve months
- Identity Card
Required From Both:
- Divorce certificate for any previous marriages (or a death certificate where appropriate)
- Marriage certificate
- Highest Educational Certificates (including Vocational Trade Certificates)
- Birth certificate of any children in the marriage
- Document translations produced as per instructions above
Including a Spouse in Your Singapore PR Application
You can include your spouse in your application for PR status. If you are applying for yourself and your spouse under the Technical Personnel and Skilled Workers Scheme (PTS Scheme) or the Foreign Investor Scheme (GIP), then only you will have to submit employment paperwork that is related to your employment pass and current or previous employers. Your spouse will still have to submit education certificates and transcripts.
You can also apply for yourself and a spouse to become Singapore, permanent residents if you are an Employment pass or S-Pass Holder.
The degree of employability of permanent resident applicants cannot be understated. There is a minimum monthly income requirement, and your and your spouse’s ability to add meaningfully to the Singaporean economy is essential for permanent resident consideration.
People applying for permanent residency under the GIP programme as foreign investors must produce far more evidence for their application than in the PTS Scheme. Such an individual will be a Personalized Employment Pass holder, and there must be evidence of significant contributions made to the economy. They must either invest a minimum amount of money in an existing business or they must invest the amount in their own startup business, which is based in Singapore. They must also submit future business plans showing further contributions to the local economy.
Essential Considerations when applying for Permanent Residency
While there are many financial and tax benefits as well as increased access benefits to permanent residency, there are also some downfalls. Any male children of parents with permanent residence or male children born in Singapore (and are therefore natural Singapore citizens) are subject to compulsory National Service for a minimum of two years when they turn 18. Following this, they will need to complete training and service in accordance with operationally ready national service. Even when an individual renounces their permanent residence status or Singapore citizenship, they are still required to complete their military service.
If you and your spouse are serious about becoming a permanent resident, then it is time to start collecting supporting documents for Singapore immigration. Remember that you need to be able to show evidence in terms of answering: Is my spouse eligible for Singapore PR status. Also, remember to think carefully about which scheme you are considering. A foreign investor has to provide a lot more evidence on their PR applications than other applicants.
If you have family ties to a Singapore citizen or PR, then that can count in your favour and has to be included in your PR application form. Leaving anything out can adversely affect your application. Making use of a service like SPIC can be a good way to establish the likelihood of actual success in your application through a consultant’s assessment.
If you are looking for information on another type of PR application, check out the rest of our website! We have information on any kind of PR or citizenship application, including information for foreign students. There are also step by step instructions on how to access ICA platforms as a foreign student with your foreign identification number.
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