A selective immigration policy is one that nations adopt out of necessity because the sheer attraction a country receives from Immigrants far exceeds the actual sentiment towards foreigners that the society can accept.
The win-win for governments whose hands are forced to prioritise commercial and economonical interests over societal sentiments dictates that they have to carefully choose and admit individuals based on very specific criteria - typically to address economic, demographic, or social objectives. Such policies aim to attract immigrants who can contribute positively to the host country's development and meet particular needs over a 10-20 year horizon.
Selective immigration policies often involve criteria such as education, skills, work experience, language proficiency, and other qualifications. It is no different in Singapore, or especially in Singapore, considering its size and capacity where the government has acknowledged that they will be looking to onboard foreign talent strategicially - ie, individuals that 'complements the local talent pool'.
Lack of Transparency Makes Application Outcomes a Black Hole
From the immigrants' perspective, Singapore's immigration policies in the past decade or so has been nothing short of frustrating. Despite their high qualifications, income package and skillsets, rejections remain rife. On the flip side, some immigrant hopefuls have anecdotally reported how some of their 'lesser' colleagues have received approvals on their applications.
With absolutely no reasons for rejection provided by the ICA - Singapore's government body administrating applications, hopeful applicants are left speculating on the reasons for rejection or approvals. Despite multiple attempts and spending time and resource to ingrain into the society, it seems their application is simply a stab in the dark and lost in the void of a massive black hole.
Surely, there ought to be a better way for applicants to have a better understanding of their path towards Singapore permanent residency or Citizenship?
Adding some Colour into the Black Hole
In a written reply to Parliamentary Question on Unsuccessful Permanent Residency Applications, Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law shared :
1. Applications for Permanent Residency (PR) are evaluated on criteria covering a range of factors. The applicant’s length of residency is only one of the factors considered by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). The other factors include, but are not limited to, the applicant’s family ties to Singaporeans, economic contributions, educational qualifications, age and family profile, the applicant’s ability to integrate into our society, and commitment to sinking roots in Singapore.
2. We do not share the specific grounds for rejecting PR applications. First, information about detailed assessment criteria can be abused to inflate an undeserving applicant’s chances of success or to game the system. Second, the reasons for rejection may be used to arouse negative sentiments in other countries. This may create bilateral sensitives and is not in Singapore’s interest.
While the above response may seem unsatisfactory at the onset, it reiterates the notion of Singapore's country first before all else mindset. Unlike other countries who adopts a 'Points System' to administrate immigration applications, Singapore cannot accord such luxury due to its limited land space, and volume of applicants vis-a-vis the total available quota available at any one point in time.
At present, the average number of Singapore PR applicants annually stands at approximately 120,000 applicants. Out of these, an average of 32,000 - 34,000 gets approved in the last 4 years, bringing the industry success rate to around 30%.
The same can be said about the fate of Singapore Citizenship applications. With annual approximate applicants numbering around 60,000, of which only 21,000 - 23,000 gets approved annually.
Having represented applicants from over 70 nationalities traverse these applications since 2015, my view is that should Singapore adopt a Points System, it would lead to a swift catastrophe. The sheer number of 'highly qualified' applicants would probably bring the annual approval to about 70%. That translates to about 84,000 new PRs a year introduced into Singapore. This is not a sustainable number for both infrastructure and societal mores.
For now, indeed the win-win is to keep the policy status quo. Maintaining this cloak of uncertainty allows the government to ensure there is a consistent, healthy volume of highly qualified applicants so that they have the best profiles of candidates per industry and talent disposal at any given time to select from. Because Brand Singapore sells for itself, this is a policy that the Government can get away with for the time being, until a more attractive ASEAN alternative emerges.
Dissecting Singapore's Selective Immigration Policy
If we glean through Ministerial responses and policy papers in the last decade or so, we can derive a very practical and strategic blueprint that makes up the Selective Immigration criteria. These include, but are not limited to applicants' :
Age
Length of Stay in Singapore
Educational qualifications
Economic contributions
Job experience
Talent & Skillset
Industry Representation
Family Ties in Singapore
Commitment to Sinking roots
Social integration factors
Clean Criminal Records
Clean Family Background
The approach and strategy to apply requires a highly extensive discsusion as there are no two applications that are the same. The nuanced nature of each application requires an honest, expert audit to give applicants a transparent, and realistic overview of their chances of approval. This is even more so for highly skilled and qualified individuals because of the very stiff competition amongst elite profiles.
Muhammad Ryhan has extensive experience in facilitating successful pathways for individuals and businesses from diverse backgrounds into Singapore - having consistently delivered tailored solutions that align with Singapore's dynamic immigration landscape. He has provided expert insights on prominent media platforms like The Straits Times, The Business Times, and Thomson Reuters since 2014 and has ingrained into his work ethics unparalleled dedication to ensuring that your immigration journey is not just seamless but strategically aligned with your goals.
Book a consultation with me today for a discussion that could redefine your future.
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