Proposal for Mandatory Counselling for Singaporean Men who Intend to Marry Foreigners
Ministry of Social and Family DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms Ng Ling Ling’s inquiry on whether mandatory counselling should be required for Singaporean men marrying foreigners regarding their partners' long-term immigration facilities before registering their marriage. Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli B M M highlighted that the Marriage Preparation Programme (MPP) and Marriage Support Programme (MSP) were introduced in 2014 to provide immigration information and cross-cultural support. He explained that attending these programmes may be a requirement for couples whose Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) applications are approved before the pass is issued. Additionally, the Pre-Marriage LTVP Assessment (PMLA) was implemented in 2015 to offer clarity on stay qualifications, with the Registry of Marriages using onsite kiosks to encourage its completion. The Ministry remains committed to exploring further ways to equip these couples with sufficient knowledge on applying for immigration facilities before they register their marriage in Singapore.
Transcript
112 Ms Ng Ling Ling asked the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry will consider mandatory counselling for Singaporean men who intend to marry foreigners on the implications about obtaining their partners' long-term immigration facilities, such as long-term visit passes, permanent residence and Singapore citizenship, before allowing them to register their marriage in Singapore.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: We recognise that marriages between Singaporeans and foreigners may face unique circumstances, such as cultural differences and the need to obtain their partners’ long-term immigration facilities. Therefore, MSF introduced the Marriage Preparation Programme (MPP) and Marriage Support Programme (MSP) in 2014. The MPP, which takes place prior to marriage, focuses on building a strong marriage foundation within a cross-cultural context and provides practical information on immigration issues and processes. The MSP supports couples post marriage and provides information on living in Singapore to help foreign spouses adapt to life in Singapore. Singaporean-foreigner couples whose Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) application are approved may be required to attend the MPP and MSP before they are issued the LTVP.
To provide greater clarity on whether the foreign spouse can qualify for long-term stay in Singapore, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) implemented the Pre-Marriage LTVP Assessment (PMLA) in 2015. Prospective Singaporean-foreigner couples are strongly encouraged to undergo the PMLA before marriage to help them better understand each other and plan for their future. The Registry of Marriages (ROM) has also set up specific onsite kiosks to provide Singaporean-foreigner couples with greater clarity on the PMLA and its benefits, and to highly encourage couples to complete the PMLA.
We will continue to explore ways to better equip Singaporean-foreigner couples with sufficient knowledge on the process of applying for long-term immigration facilities for their foreign partners, before registering their marriage in Singapore.