Singaporean citizenship |
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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 (PR) of Singapore have most of the rights, privileges, obligations, and responsibilities that citizens do, including National Service (NS) obligations for second generation males and first generation males applying as students and compulsory Central Provident Fund (CPF) 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 priority, and some limits on driving for transport services, among others.
In general, Singaporean PRs 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. [1] [2]
PRs are also subject to an active Re-Entry Permit (REP) 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 (ICA) generally renews REPs for every 5 years, subject to PRs demonstrating their actual residence and economic, familial or other continued relevant connections to Singapore.
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: [3]
Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) processes PR applications in three different schemes: Family Ties, Professionals/Technical Personnel and Skilled Workers (PTS), and the Global Investor Programme (GIP). ICA receives applications through an online system, and applicants must pay a nonrefundable processing fee. Nobody has an automatic legal right to PR status; the government's PR decisions are entirely discretionary.
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. [4]
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 two years have passed since being granted PR. [5]
PRs (age 15 and older) are issued blue colored National Registration Identity Cards (NRICs), in contrast to Singaporean citizens which are in pink. [6]
A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. Green card holders are formally known as lawful permanent residents (LPRs). As of 2023, there are an estimated 12.7 million green card holders, of whom 9 million are eligible to become United States citizens. Approximately 18,700 of them serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.
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Permanent residency is a person's legal resident status in a country or territory of which such person is not a citizen but where they have the right to reside on a permanent basis. This is usually for a permanent period; a person with such legal status is known as a permanent resident. In the United States, such a person is referred to as a green card holder but more formally as a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR).
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The National Registration Identity Card (NRIC), colloquially known as "IC", is a compulsory identity document issued to citizens and permanent residents of Singapore. People must register for an NRIC within one year of attaining the age of 15, or upon becoming a citizen or permanent resident. Re-registrations are required for persons attaining the ages of 30 and 55, unless the person has been issued with an NRIC within ten years prior to the re-registration ages.
The Permanent Resident card also known colloquially as the PR Card or the Maple Leaf card, is an identification document and a travel document for permanent residents of Canada. It is one of the methods by which Canadian permanent residents can prove their status and is, along with the permanent resident travel document (PRTD), one of the only documents that allow permanent residents to return to Canada by a commercial carrier.
Human rights in Singapore refers to rights both legal and in practice. Since Singapore's independence in 1965, the legal rights of its citizens have been set out in the Constitution of Singapore and include rights found in subsequent amendments and referendums. These rights have evolved through Singapore's history as a part of the Straits Settlements, its years under Japanese occupation, its position as a separate self-governing crown colony, and its present day status as a sovereign island country and city-state.
The Singapore passport is a passport issued to citizens of the Republic of Singapore. It enables the bearer to exit and re-enter Singapore freely; travel to and from other countries in accordance with visa requirements; facilitates the process of securing assistance from Singapore consular officials abroad, if necessary; and requests protection for the bearer while abroad.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is a law enforcement agency within the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the border control agency responsible for frontline border control operations at air, sea and rail ports in Singapore.
Singapore nationality law details the conditions by which a person holds Singapore nationality. The primary law governing nationality requirements is the Constitution of Singapore, which came into force on 9 August 1965.
Immigration to Singapore is the process by which people migrate to Singapore for the purpose of residing there—and where a majority go on to become permanent residents and Singaporean citizens. Singapore is an attractive destination especially in the region as it is a country with a strong currency that offers high living standards, including in education, work, wages and safety as well as an overall far higher quality of life compared to its neighbours. High-net-worth or skilled immigrants worldwide are also attracted to Singapore's low tax rates and ease of doing business.
A work permit or work visa is the permission to take a job within a foreign country. The foreign country where someone seeks to obtain a work permit for is also known as the "country of work", as opposed to the "country of origin" where someone holds citizenship or nationality.
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The Singaporean Certificate of Identity (COI) is an international travel document issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority to Singapore Permanent Residents (SPR) who are stateless and holding a Singapore blue identity card. The Singapore Certificate of Identity is to help facilitate SPRs to travel abroad. The holder will require a visa whenever they wish to visit or pass through other countries.
The visa policy of Singapore deals with the requirements a traveller must meet to enter Singapore. A foreign national, depending on their country of origin, must meet certain requirements to obtain a visa, which is a permit to travel, to enter and remain in the country. A visa may also entitle the visa holder to other privileges, such as a right to work, study, etc. and may be subject to conditions.
Illegal immigration to Singapore is the process of migrating into the Republic of Singapore in violation of its immigration laws. Singapore is an attractive destination especially in the region as it is a country with a strong currency that offers high living standards, including in education, wages and safety as well as an overall far higher quality of life compared to its neighbours.
The Legal Immigration Family Equity Act of 2000, also known as the LIFE Act and as the Legal Immigration and Family Equity Act, along with its Amendments, made some changes to laws surrounding immigration for family members of United States citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents, as well as people eligible for employment-based immigrant visas, in the direction of making it easier for family members and immigrant workers to move to and adjust status within the United States. It was passed on December 21, 2000, as title XI of Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law 106–553 (text)(PDF).
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The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore in 2020.