Foreign Students Applying for Permanent Residency and Subsequent Citizenship in Singapore
Ministry of Home AffairsSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the trends and success rates of foreign students applying for Permanent Residency (PR) and citizenship. Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked about successful applicant numbers and their subsequent retention, to which Second Minister Mrs Josephine Teo responded that 82% of 7,251 applicants were granted PR between 2008 and 2017. She noted that 18% of these PRs became citizens, while only 1% renounced their status, with the majority of successful applicants originating from Asia. Second Minister Mrs Josephine Teo emphasized that the criteria for approval include an applicant's potential to contribute to society and their ability to integrate with the local population.
Transcript
21 Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how is the trend among foreign students applying for Permanent Residency in the last 10 years; (b) what is the percentage of success; (c) how many stayed on and continued to work in Singapore and subsequently take on citizenship.
The Second Minister for Home Affairs (Mrs Josephine Teo) (for the Minister for Home Affairs): Mr Speaker, from 2008 to 2017, 7,251 foreign students applied for Permanent Residency (PR) on their own merits. Close to 82%, or 5,932, have been granted PR. Of these PRs, 1,072, or 18%, have subsequently taken up citizenship as at the end of 2017. Eighty-five, or around 1%, have renounced their PR.
Mr Speaker: Mr Saktiandi Supaat.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh): I thank the Second Minister for the reply. I have one follow-up question. Can the Second Ministeer share in terms of the nationalities of the students who have been successful and have taken up citizenship?
Mrs Josephine Teo: Can I ask Mr Saktiandi to repeat his question? I did not quite hear it.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat: The question I have is the nationalities of the students who had been successful in getting their PR and also those that had been successful in getting their citizenship as well.
Mrs Josephine Teo: Mr Speaker, I do not have the detailed breakdown. But suffice to say that they would have to reflect the profile of the foreign student population in Singapore. By and large, unless my memory serves me wrong, I think a good majority of them come from Asia. The important thing to point out is that in assessing whether an applicant should be granted PR or Singapore Citizenship, an important consideration is the applicant's ability to integrate with the local population as well as his potential to contribute to our society. These considerations apply to all applicants, including the foreign students.
11.30 am
Mr Speaker: Order. End of Question Time.
[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), provided that Members had not asked for questions standing in their names to be postponed to a later Sitting day or withdrawn, written answers to questions not reached by the end of Question Time are reproduced in the Appendix.]