Repeal of the Banishment Act 1959 on 30 May 2025

1. The Immigration (Amendment) Act 2023 (“the Act”) was passed by Parliament on 18 September 2023. The Act introduced amendments to the Immigration Act 1959 (“IA”) to better enable the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to improve ICA’s processes and strengthen border controls.

2. The amendments in the Act are being operationalised in phases and the first set of amendments were operationalised on 31 December 2024. More information on the Act and these initial amendments can be found in the Annex.

Repeal of Banishment Act

3. The Act repeals the Banishment Act 1959 (“BA”), which allows the Minister to remove a foreigner from Singapore if it is deemed conducive to the good of Singapore. The BA is no longer relevant today, as the Government has been relying solely on the IA since the 1980s, which also has the powers to remove undesirable foreigners.

4. Amendments to repeal the BA will come into effect on 30 May 2025.

5. The remaining amendments to the IA will come into force at a later date.

Annexes

1.

MHA Press Release on the Commencement of the Immigration (Amendment) Act 2023 on 31 December 2024

2.

MHA Press Release on the Immigration (Amendment) Bill 2023

3.

Second Reading of the Immigration (Amendment) Bill 2023 – Opening Speech by Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information & Second Minister for Home Affairs

4.

Second Reading of the Immigration (Amendment) Bill 2023 – Wrap-up Speech by Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information & Second Minister for Home Affairs