Singaporeans and PRs who have Applied for Foreign Domestic Workers to Enter Singapore and for Waiver of Their Stay-Home Notice Dedicated Facility Accommodation Cost

16 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Manpower (a) since April 2020, how many Singaporeans and permanent residents who have applied for their foreign domestic workers (FDWs) to enter Singapore and are not successful, have appealed for their entry; and (b) how many Singaporeans and permanent residents have appealed for a wavier of the Stay-Home Notice Dedicated Facility accommodation cost for their FDWs.

The Minister of State for Manpower (Ms Gan Siow Huang) (for the Minister for Manpower): Mr Speaker, the population of Foreign Domestic Workers (FDWs) in Singapore has remained largely stable at 250,000. From April 2020 to January 2021, MOM approved around 25,000 requests for Foreign Domestic Workers to enter Singapore. The Foreign Domestic Workers took on work with new employers or replaced Foreign Domestic Workers who had left employment and returned home. About 600 Singaporeans and Permanent Residents whose initial applications were not successful submitted appeals, and about 500 succeeded eventually to bring their Foreign Domestic Workers to Singapore.

Appeals by Singaporeans and Permanent Residents for waiver of the Stay-Home Notice Dedicated Facility cost for their Foreign Domestic Workers are carefully reviewed. Taking into consideration household income and financial circumstances of the appellants, about 3,200 appeals were acceded to, constituting 13% of all entry approvals.