Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Duration of Residence or Permanent Residency Before Adult Foreigners Obtain Permanent Residency or Citizenship Respectively

Question:

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to new permanent residencies and new citizenships granted in 2023, what is the 25th percentile, median, average, and 75th percentile of the duration in which (i) adult foreigners have resided in Singapore prior to obtaining permanent residence and (ii) adult permanent residents have held their permanent residence prior to obtaining Singapore citizenship.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:

1. The number of Permanent Residents (PRs) and Singapore Citizens (SCs) granted each year – including selected profile indicators such as age group, highest qualification attained among those aged 20 and over, and region of origin – are published annually.

2. In granting Permanent Residency and Singapore Citizenship, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority assesses each application based on a range of factors. The applicant’s length of residency is only one of the factors considered. 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. Different criteria may apply to different applicants, depending on their background and circumstances – for example, an applicant applying as a spouse of a SC will be considered differently from someone applying on the basis of having stayed in Singapore for a period of time, and contributed to employment creation in Singapore.

3. The Government will not make public data on the length of residency of new PRs and SCs by percentile. This could be used by others, including potential applicants, who may try to tailor their applications to game the system. Foreign countries could also make use of the data in a way that may not be consistent with our national interests. Thus while we make public some indicators (as referred to in the first paragraph), we have to be careful that we do so in a way consistent with our national interests.