Breakdown of Statistics on Foreign Spouses of Singapore Citizens

Mr Laurence Lien asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs over the last 10 years, what is the breakdown for all non-Singapore spouses married to Singapore Citizens by immigration status and gender.

Mr Teo Chee Hean: Foreign spouses of Singapore Citizens (SCs) are typically granted a Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP) in the first instance. ICA will require some time to assess that the marriage is stable before it considers the foreign spouse for Permanent Residence (PR) and, subsequently, for Singapore Citizenship (SC).

Based on ICA records, the number of foreign spouses sponsored by their SC spouse for long term immigration facilities and subsequently for Permanent Residence and Singapore Citizenship under the Family Ties Scheme has been on the increase in the last 10 years.

The total number holding LTVP, LTVP+, PR or citizenship in 2003 and 2012 are as follows:

The majority of foreign spouses sponsored by their SC sponsors for long-term immigration facilities, PR or citizenship under the Family Ties Scheme are females.

The above figures do not include foreign spouses who applied for and were granted PR or SC under other schemes, such as the Professionals/Technical Personnel and Skilled Workers' scheme nor those who were already PR at the time of marriage.