Singapore’s robust economy has made the Little Red Dot the top choice to live and grow for many foreign individuals. If you’re reading this article, we trust that you’re one of those aspiring to become a Singapore Citizen.
Most foreigners first apply for Permanent Residency. Once they’ve become a Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR), their next step is to attain the highly coveted Singapore Citizenship. SPRs themselves benefit from many incentives, but as one of Singapore’s own, Citizens enjoy far more privileges. Therefore, the perks your family members and yourself will receive as a Citizen outnumber what you’re currently enjoying as an SPR — they’re immeasurable.
If you’re ready to learn the reasons to upgrade your blue-coloured National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) to the notable pink-coloured NRIC, continue reading.
Reason #1: Economically Prosper
If you’re an individual looking out for a successful career and financial stability, becoming a Singaporean is your best bet. We’ve listed three ways this sunny island’s Citizenship will help you prosper economically.
1. Tax Rebates
Once you’ve owned the Singaporean Pink NRIC, you can expect more beneficial tax relief programs for parents, spouses, children — among many others. Do speak with our informed immigration specialists for an exhaustive list of tax reliefs you get to enjoy when you become a Citizen.
2. Monetary Incentive
As Singaporean, your monetary benefits don’t just end with tax rebates. The government announces multiple grants and funds to help citizens cope with the economical costs during each annual national budget report. These include aid for lifelong learning, childcare, pregnancy, grocery, medical, and prosperity packages. On top of that, even private firms in Singapore offer several collective benefits for their employees such as transport, retirement, childcare, and healthcare.
3. Ease To Start Business
Thinking of starting a business in Singapore? The procedure isn’t at all complicated for locals. The entire system assures efficiency, and it’s designed for all to navigate the steps with ease. In case you face any roadblocks, you’re not left to fend for yourself either. You may contact the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) to help you guide along with the processes. Furthermore, as a Singaporean, you are entitled to multiple grants and loans that are available for startups. Most likely, these formalities would just take around three to ten working days to complete.
4. Career Advancement
Singapore’s professional world is continuously growing and getting better, providing assurance that it’s the best nation to grow your career. From construction to medical, this bustling country offers plenty of different industries for you to choose from. No matter what you do, you’ve got a great opportunity to make a lasting career over here. Most importantly, you will receive preferential treatment as a Singaporean — the government encourages local firms to employ Citizens first. You will also be the first to undergo courses for lifelong learning by your companies and be entitled to promotions if you complete recognised courses for career advancements. Therefore, to boost your employability and seal job security, apply for Citizenship with us at your earliest.
Reason #2: World-Class Transport System
Over the years, Singapore has carved its way bit by bit and morphed itself into a giant economic powerhouse of Southeast Asia. Today, it helms an incredible transport infrastructure for your family and yourself to navigate the island and the rest of the world effortlessly. Let’s delve a little deeper into what encapsulates our amazing transport system:
1. Outstanding International Airport
The much-lauded Singapore Changi Airport has received the World’s Best Airport Awards multiple times, proving its status as one of the best airports in the world. The Changi Airport’s successful transformation has consistently been recognised by the aviation and tourism industries, alongside global media. This 4-terminal complex has a total annual handling capacity of 80 million passengers, while continually achieving business excellence and providing an incredible passenger experience. Even the transit area is comfortable, cosy, and elegant that you may even forget you’re walking around in an airport. The Changi Airport showcases the following too:
- Well-designed sunflower and orchid gardens
- Famous water features including the Rain Vortex
- Koi ponds
- Comfortable lounges
- Swimming pool
- Complimentary massage chairs
- Retail shops and eateries
2. Extensive Rail Transport System
The local train network webs extensively across the country both under and above ground level. Currently, it has six interconnected lines that span more than 228 kilometres and 170 rail stations, serving more than 3 million commuters in a single day. This expansive travel system forms the backbone of the local public transport in Singapore. Over the many years, the Singapore government has been working hard on improving the public transportation system. The extensive rail network allows your family members and yourself to commute from one place to another within minutes. With the relevant authorities making plans to expand the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) in the upcoming years, it’ll make travelling from one end to the next much easier and quicker for you.
3. Interconnected Transport System
One of the greatest accomplishments of this tiny nation is its affordable, well-connected, and highly efficient transportation system. Numerous buses connect residents to places where the MRT does not. Today, it’s much more interconnected than ever before. In fact, you don’t even require a private vehicle in Singapore. If you’re in a hurry or prefer to travel in comfort, you’re free to consider booking a ride via the many ride-hailing transport services in the country, too. Otherwise, you can easily connect from a train to a bus or vice versa in a jiffy. Since this country is compact, every connection to the rail-road system improves the connectivity for residents to get from one area to another area.
Reason #3: Highly Liveable Environment
Singapore is a land of peace, security, and survivability. It’s a place where one can live comfortably, feeling safe day and night. You’ve got a continuous supply of multiple basic living needs that will ensure your liveability at affordable costs. Moreover, the government places increased emphasis on continuing to improve living conditions for its residents now and in the future.
1. Constant Availability of Clean Water
Residents in Singapore enjoy constant availability of clean water. The nation’s sound water management and other effective policies have ensured that no Singaporean will ever have to thirst again as long as the nation continues building up its resources for water sustainability. NEWater is one such instance, providing the state with an advanced technique for converting wastewater into ultra-clean and top-grade recycled water. This revolutionary water management method meets almost 40% of the island’s current water needs with five NEWater desalination plants in Singapore.
2. Electricity That Will Never Burn Out
Singapore also provides its residents with ease of access to electricity. Natural gas is the most common source of power, with increased efforts to ramp up solar deployment, develop fast-response generators, and invest in low-carbon technology. These plans will help to bolster the nation’s power needs when electricity plants retire. With the Public Utilities Board (PUB) and Singapore Power overseeing the national utility system, Singaporeans will constantly have water and power for their consumption.
3. Guaranteed Housing For All
If you’re a Citizen, you get to enjoy priority housing perks in this city-state. Singaporeans can purchase a public unit without any restrictions from the Housing Development Board. These types of houses are more affordable compared to private apartments or condominiums. Citizens of Singapore are always backed by government schemes and grants that even SPRs don’t get to benefit from. Public housing is heavily subsidised by the local government, ensuring an affordable roof above your head. Most of the housing infrastructure in Singapore is made up of high-density residential blocks with amenities like parks, social living spaces, community clubs and shopping malls. Catering to various income groups, family nuclei, and preferences are HDB flats in different sizes with varying costs:
- Two-room Flexi
- Three-room
- Four-room
- Five-room
- 3Gen (for extended families)
- Executive flats
Becoming A Citizen: 7-Step Application Process
Time matters when it comes to applying and obtaining Citizenship status. Singapore Citizenship application doesn’t require any official interviews. Instead, your application depends solely on what you submit to the authorities via an online portal, tightening the competition to become a Citizen.
A professional can vastly increase your chances of approval, giving you an edge above the rest of the applicants. Do note that each applicant’s processing timeline and requirements may differ. Here’s how you can get around to become a Citizen in Singapore:
1. Consultation
Firstly, you may wish to inform an immigration professional of your interest. Reach out to our specialists by signing up using our contact form. Our immigration specialists will soon get in touch with you to discuss your eligibility over the telephone and later arrange for a formal consultation appointment in person.
2. Eligibility Assessment
At the appointment, the immigration specialist will check your eligibility with your original, hard-copy documents. Therefore, it is vital that you bring along all the necessary documents such as proof of identification. Once your eligibility has been ascertained, the specialist will advise the next course of action. Don’t give up hope if you do not meet the eligibility requirements. Our experts are there to provide you with sound advice on how to improve your case for future applications.
3. Verification of Documents
It is highly critical to have all documents ICA requires in hand ahead of time. The immigration specialists will pass you an exhaustive list of documents required to collect for this application. The authenticity and English translation scripts of the documents are highly vital. Do ensure that you get the formal paperwork accurately done and have it formally verified by our Consultants.
4. Collation of Vital Documents
Next, the Specialist will help you collate the documents and ensure that all the paperwork is fully completed. If one document goes missing, your application might be rejected and we’re sure that you’d not like such a misfortune event. Have our Consultants help you compile the documents as per the requirements for you.
5. Preparation of Cover Letter
Here’s a bonus if you engage the services of citizenship professionals like Paul Immigrations: we will help you craft an outstanding cover letter. As you’d already know that the competition is fierce when it comes to citizenship and the approval rates are limited, you must stand out from the crowd by including an incredible cover letter to impress the ICA reviewers. By speaking to our specialists, you’d understand how critical the inclusion of the cover letter is. Generally, a cover letter indicates your strengths, contributions, and other positive traits. However, the one crafted by our experienced in-house writers is a cut above your usual cover letter. Chat with our expert Consultants to learn more today.
6. Online Submission
Now, it’s time to do the online submission. Ensure that you have your SingPass credentials, digital copies of your documents, and a stable internet connection ready before beginning. You should use a desktop to submit the application. Next, follow the instructions on the portal. You should fill in every field and upload the required documents for submission based on your checklist. Note that this application uses SingPass, hence it has to be completed by you. However, if you’d need guidance, our experts are ready to help you out.
7. Approval From ICA
The Singapore Citizenship application generally takes about six to twelve months to process. You may check your results via the MyICA portal, but in the interim, you may receive status updates via email. Therefore, ensure that you provide a valid email address during the time of application.
Final Takeaway
If you’re unsure of any of the above-mentioned steps, feel free to reach out to your dedicated Specialists at Paul Immigrations. Our agents are fully trained to expertly navigate the application process and very glad to help you through it from start to finish.
Singapore is a bustling city-state where every year, thousands of individuals apply to become a Citizen. Attaining the status allows you to enjoy exclusive multiple perks in housing, career growth, monetary benefits, and stable living conditions. With consistent focus on the needs of its people and policies that will continue to grow the city-state as a whole, your future is secure as a Citizen. If you’re planning to make the move from a Singapore PR to Citizenship, don’t hesitate to speak to our friendly consultants at Paul Immigrations.