Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on Re-entry Permit Applications by Retired Singapore Permanent Residents, by Ms Sun Xueling, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development

Question:

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira : To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in the last five years, how many retired Singapore permanent residents applied for renewal of re-entry permits; (b) what proportion of these had their applications rejected; (c) how does this proportion compare with that of the previous five years; and (d) what are the considerations in deciding whether to approve such an application.

Answer:

1. A Re-Entry Permit (REP) may be renewed if the Permanent Resident (or PR) meets the prevailing criteria for renewal, including whether he or she is gainfully employed and still contributing to Singapore, and his or her family roots here. For PRs who have retired, we will generally renew their REPs, in recognition of their past contributions to Singapore.

2. In the last five years, approximately 52,400 retired Singapore PRs applied to renew their REPs. About 2% were rejected, largely because they were absent from Singapore for a prolonged period, and furthermore had no family roots here. This rejection rate is similar to that from 2010 to 2014.