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How to Apply for Permanent Residency in Singapore

People who are allowed to reside indefinitely in a country without having the citizenship are known as the permanent residents. If you are willing to apply for permanent residence ship in Singapore then browse through the page to come across various steps that requires to be completed to get the approval of the authorities.

The eligible candidates are required to meet the qualities needed for getting the approval of the authorities. An individual submitting the application should fulfill the following criteria-

Spouse and unmarried children of a citizen of Singapore or a permanent resident status holder of the state
Old parents of a Singapore Citizen (SC)
Working pass holder under categories like P, Q or S
Entrepreneurs and investors looking for investment opportunities in Singapore

The candidates must enclose with the application original documents, official translation and duplicates of all the original documents. Insufficient documents may lead to the non-acceptance of the application.

Documents required for PR application

One can download and fill in the required form online or visit the office of Permanent Resident Services Center for information. Given below is a list of documents required for application for work pass holders, spouse, children and parents resident status:

Form number 4 and 4A for P, Q or S work pass holders

Recent photographs

Valid travel document

Identity card of the applicant and sponsor (as applicable)

Sponsor’s citizenship certificate

Sponsor’s income tax returns for three years

Sponsor’s valid business registration certificate in case of self- employed

Sponsor’s monthly CPF contribution statement for a year

Sponsor’s employment history mentioning the date of employment, duration, designation and salary for the last six months

Valid marriage certificate of the applicant and spouse

Identity card and valid travel document of the applicant’s spouse and children

Sponsor’s birth certificate

Change of name affidavits

Highest education certificate of the sponsor

Work pass of the applicant

Valid business registration certificate for work pass holders and entrepreneurs

Previous employment history

Payslips of past six months

Birth certificate of the applicant, spouse and children (as applicable)

Highest qualification certificate of the spouse (as applicable)

Death certificate or divorce certificate and the custody papers for children (as applicable)

Procedure for PR application

The process for PR includes submission of the filled in form 4 and 4A along with supportive documents at the Permanent Resident Services Center. One needs to make an appointment before visiting the office. The address of the office is given below:
Permanent Resident Services Center
5th Storey, ICA Building
10 Kallang Road
Lavender MRT station
Singapore - 208718

Investors and entrepreneurs are required to submit their application in the following office:

Singapore Economic Development Board
Address: 250 North Bridge Road
#28-00 Raffles City Tower
Singapore - 179101
Tel: 68326832
Website: www.sedb.com

Fees and charges To get the permanent residency status, one is required to pay the following fees: Entry permit: S$100
Re-Entry Permit: S$10 per year
Visa Fee: $30 per issue (for foreigners requiring a visa)

All the payments can be made through NETS or Cashcard.

Additional helpful information The following information is important to pay attention to:

Applicant must note the file number for all the communication with the concerned departments
Original documents, certificates and translations of the same must be produced to the authority upon request. Application will be subject to cancellation for insufficient documentation
PR status doesn’t waive off the need for registering with proper professional bodies

National Service Liability The Enlistment Act requires all the male residents and permanent residents (unless exempted) of Singapore to register for the National Service or NS. It would require them to serve 40 days each year till 50 years of age in Operationally Ready National Service (ORNS). Failing to serve the NS may renounce one’s permanent residency status. Children of permanent residents are also liable to enroll themselves to NS as they reach 16 and ½ years of age. The current estimation shows that around 500 foreign PR males enroll to NS on an annual basis.

Exemption Not all are compelled to serve the ?National Service. Foreigners granted residential status under the Professionals/Technical Personnel and Skilled Workers (PTS) Scheme or the Investors Scheme may be exempted from serving at the NS.

Location
Permanent Resident Services Centre
5th Storey, ICA Building
10 Kallang Road
(Next to Lavender MRT station)
Singapore 208718
The official procedure takes near about three months. Once the PR status is approved the candidates are informed by mail. One can pick up the entry and re-entry permits within a single day.

The importance of Singapore has grown over the years as a thriving and stable economy of the world. The strategic geographical location and investor-friendly policies of the government have initiated a spurt of economic growth in the region. As a result, many people now want to take advantage of this thriving economy and its modern lifestyle by opting for permanent residency status. The demand for permanent citizenship in Singapore is therefore very high. The permanent residency status in Singapore offers the following benefits to the applicants:

Living in the most thriving economy of Asia without visa restrictions once you receive the Blue Card
Enjoying high priority in public schools for children
Freedom to buy property
Participation in the retirement fund scheme
Freedom to change job without reapplying for work permit
Provision to become a Singapore national

Acquiring permanent residency status in Singapore involves several legal processes. The department for Immigration and Checkpoints Authority is the responsible government department to deal with permanent residency in Singapore applications. Permanent Residency in Singapore can be applied for individuals and also for families but all might not involve the same application process. When applied for permanent residency or PR for a family it will cover the applicant, spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 years. In Singapore, one can apply for PR status after working there for six months to five years but it also has several other PR schemes. It has been estimated that annually over 36,000 foreign citizens apply for PR in Singapore under the different PR schemes offered by the state:

Singapore PR Scheme for Individuals Working in Singapore
Singapore PR Scheme for Foreign Artistic Talent
Singapore PR Scheme for Capital Investors
Singapore Landed Permanent Residence (LPR) Scheme