PERMANENT RESIDENCE FOR FOREIGN SPOUSES
Parliament of Singapore · 6 February 2004
Official Report, 6 February 2004, Vol 77, Issue 3 · Open in the reader (summaries, search, filters)
Column: 397
PERMANENT RESIDENCE FOR FOREIGN SPOUSES
2.
Ms Braema Mathiaparanam asked the Minister for Home Affairs in the last three years (2001, 2002 and 2003), (i) how many Singaporeans have applied for permanent residence or citizenship for their foreign spouses; (ii) how many were successful; and (iii) what are their educational and gender profiles.
Mr Wong Kan Seng: In the last three years, the average annual numbers of Singaporeans applying* for Citizenship and Permanent Residence (PR) for their foreign spouses are 2,400 and 10,400 respectively. About 90% of these applications were submitted by male Singaporeans for their foreign wives.
About 50% of the PR applications and 85% of Citizenship applications received were approved. The approval rates have been increasing over the last few years.
Of the successful cases, more than half of these foreign spouses have completed at least Secondary level education. About 30% of them hold at least a tertiary qualification (Diploma, degree or other professional qualification).
- Some of these are repeat applications from applicants who were rejected earlier.
Source: Singapore Parliament Official Report (Hansard) for 6 February 2004. Republished on SGParliament.