Thinking of helping your spouse become a Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) but not quite sure how? Look no further than this article. While our country’s civil service is well-known for its reputation as Asia’s most efficient — as reflected in a global study by Perc in 2013 — the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) does complicate the process just a tad.
Moreover, complete information can seem quite elusive, largely due to the way they are scattered across different pages. So, if you are both ready to commit truthfully and set roots here, scroll down for a comprehensive, one-stop guide on how to apply for Singapore PR for your spouse.
Step 1: Verify Your Spouse’s Singapore PR Eligibility
Applying for PR does not merely start with searching for the right forms. Instead, it has to begin by verifying the eligibility of the applicant in question. Otherwise, it would be pointless to attempt anything, only to discover that they do not meet the eligibility criteria. Hence, consider where your spouse might fit among the categories that are most likely to apply to them:
1. Spouse of a Singapore Citizen or PR (Family Scheme)
If you are a Singapore Citizen (SC) or PR, your spouse is eligible to apply for PR under the Family Scheme as long as your marriage is recognised by the eyes of the law. In addition to this, ICA will assess you and your spouse based on the length of your marriage, the state of your family’s finances as well as the presence of children from your marriage. These checks have been set in place to prevent people from resorting to sham marriages in order to procure the Singapore PR status.
2. Spouse of a PR Applicant Under the PTS Scheme or GIP
If you are a PR applicant under the Professional, Technical Personnel and Skilled Workers (PTS) Scheme or Global Investors Programme (GIP), your husband or wife can be included in your application as a dependant. Similar to the above category, ICA will take extensive measures to assess the authenticity of your marriage by assessing your relationship based on its length, your finances as well as the presence of children within the context of your marriage.
3. PR Applicant Under the PTS Scheme
While your husband or wife would rely on you as their sponsor or the main applicant in the first two categories, they may be eligible for PR on their own merits if they are an Employment Pass (EP) or S Pass holder under the PTS Scheme. However, they would have to apply for the status on their own, using their own SingPass account. Nevertheless, your relationship would still be taken into consideration by ICA officers, especially if you are a Singaporean.
4. PR Applicant Under Global Investor Programme
Finally, if your better half is a foreign investor, he or she may also be eligible for PR on their own merits under GIP. However, they would have to apply for the status on their own and submit their application to Contact Singapore, a division of the Economic Development Board (EDB). Under this scheme, your spouse can apply for PR if they have at least three years’ worth of an impressive track record in business and entrepreneurship. Additionally, they are required to select from one of two options: the first one is to invest at least S$2.5 million in either an existing or new local business entity while the second is to invest at least S$2.5 million in a GIP fund that invests in companies based in Singapore.
Step 2a: Prepare Your Spouse’s Documents Required for PR
Once you are certain that your husband or wife is eligible for the status, proceed with preparing the documents required for the PR application. It is recommended that your spouse ensures they have settled all paperwork before proceeding to Step 3. Some are mandatory across the board for all applicants while others are specific to the category under which they are attaining it. Do note that if any of them are not in English, your husband or wife is required to include translations for them in their application. ICA will accept translations from the following three sources:
- The high commission/embassy of the country where the document was issued
- A notary public based in Singapore or the document’s country of issue
- Privately hired translators whose translations are (a) attested by the embassy or high commission office of the document’s country of issue; or (b) notarised by a notary public based in the country of issue or Singapore.
The following are the documents required from your spouse if you are applying for PR status for them:
1. Passport-Sized Photograph
All applicants are to provide a digitally coloured passport-sized photograph with a size of 400 by 514 pixels, taken within the last three months against a plain, white background. There should also be no borders or shadows around the portrait, or accessories such as a pair of sunglasses or headgear (except for religious or racial reasons), obscuring their eyebrows or eyes. However, they are permitted to wear a pair of spectacles if they usually wear them. Additionally, if they have a printed photograph instead of a digital one, ensure that its finish is matt or semi-matt with a size of 35mm by 45 mm in order to simplify scanning. Either way, the final digital file that will be uploaded to the e-PR system has to be in JPEG format and under 2MB.
2. Applicant Under the Family Scheme
Under the Family Scheme, your spouse is required to provide copies of the following:
- Valid travel document with passport biodata page and valid Immigration Pass
- Identity card (if they have one)
- Birth certificate or family register with their parents’ names or official household census
- Deed poll or change of name certificate (if they changed their name)
- Death or divorce certificate of your children’s other parent from a previous marriage
- Custody papers of your children from a previous marriage
- Highest educational certificates, including all tertiary qualifications
- Work pass (if they are employed or self-employed)
- Valid Business Registration Certificate (if they are self-employed)
- Occupational license (if they are self-employed)
- Payslips for the last six months (if they are employed)
- Employer’s letter, addressed to the Controller of Immigration and dated within a month of the PR application, stating their date of employment, current position held and a detailed breakdown of their monthly salary (basic, overtime, allowance)
3. Dependant under PTS Scheme
As a dependant, your spouse is required to provide copies of the following:
- Valid travel document with passport biodata page and valid Immigration Pass
- Identity card (if they have one)
- Birth certificate or official household census or family register
- Deed poll or change of name certificate (if they changed their name)
- Death or divorce certificate of their children’s other parent from a previous marriage
- Custody papers of their children from a previous marriage
- Highest educational certificates, including all tertiary qualifications
- Highest educational transcripts
- Vocational trade certificates (if they have any)
- Professional license/membership certificates (if they have any)
Step 2b: Prepare Your Documents Required for PR
If you are helping your husband or wife apply for Singapore PR, you will also be expected to provide documents that are required for PR. Similar to Step 2a, you are required to furnish English translations of any paperwork that are in any foreign languages. Please refer to the section above for a list of sources of translations that are recognised by ICA. The following are the documents required from you when applying for PR for your spouse:
1. Sponsor Under the Family Scheme
Under the Family Scheme, you are required to provide copies of the following:
- Identity card
- Official marriage certificate
- Death or divorce certificate of your children’s other parent from a previous marriage
- Custody papers of your children from a previous marriage
- Highest educational certificates, including all tertiary qualifications
- Valid Business Registration Certificate (if you are self-employed)
- Occupational license (if you are self-employed)
- IRAS consent letter (if you are self-employed or employed)
- CPF consent letter (if you are self-employed or employed)
- Payslips for the last six months (if you are employed)
- Employer’s letter, addressed to the Controller of Immigration and dated within a month of the PR application, stating their date of employment, current position held and a detailed breakdown of their monthly salary (basic, overtime, allowance)
2. PR Applicant under PTS Scheme
Under the PTS Scheme, applicants are required to provide copies of the following:
- Identity card
- Official marriage certificate
- Death or divorce certificate of your children’s other parent from a previous marriage
- Custody papers of your children from a previous marriage
- Highest educational certificates, including all tertiary qualifications
- Valid Business Registration Certificate (if you are self-employed)
- Occupational license (if you are self-employed)
- IRAS consent letter (if you are self-employed or employed)
- CPF consent letter (if you are self-employed or employed)
- Payslips for the last six months (if you are employed)
- Employer’s letter, addressed to the Controller of Immigration and dated within a month of the PR application, stating their date of employment, current position held and a detailed breakdown of their monthly salary (basic, overtime, allowance)
Step 3: Complete the Online PR Application for Your Spouse
When you have prepared all your paperwork, move onto the online PR application. ICA no longer accepts physical submissions, opting to assess all cases electronically via their e-PR system. Hence, all your documents have to be scanned and saved on desktop beforehand. Here is a chronology of the online PR application process:
1. Proceed to the e-PR System on the ICA Website
Open the ICA website on your browser. If you already have a SingPass, the quickest way to gain access to the e-PR system is by clicking on the red ‘MyICA’ button on the top right-hand corner of the homepage. There, you will be prompted to log in using your SingPass. Once you are in the system, look for ‘Permanent Residence’ under ‘e-Services’ and click on the option to ‘Sponsor for Permanent Residence’ if you are a Singapore Citizen or PR. If your spouse is applying for PR on their own, the option ‘Apply for Permanent Residence’ will be available instead.
2. Fill in the Forms
The e-PR system will begin by prompting you to fill in three forms: Application, Disclosure, and Personnel List. For a smoother experience, ensure that you do not leave any sections in these forms blank, even if they do not apply to you. Instead, enter ‘NA’ for fields that are not applicable to either you or your spouse. Failure to do so may lead to non-acceptance during submission. Additionally, make sure that you review all the information that you have provided here before proceeding with the next step — you will not be allowed to amend them afterwards.
3. Upload All Documents Required for Singapore PR
Once you are done with the first three forms, you will be led to the next section where you are required to upload your supporting documents. The system would have generated this section based on what you have submitted in the Personnel List. Select ‘Choose File’ in each subsection to upload a file, ensuring that each of them are under 2MB and saved in JPEG or PNG format (unless it is a passport photograph). However, if you have difficulty compressing your files within the size restrictions, you may wish to convert your PNG files to JPEG since PNG files are usually much larger. Note that you should not leave any of these subsections blank. Instead, input ‘NA’ for subsections that are not applicable to you. Take your time with this, reviewing each subsection thoroughly before proceeding with the final part of the online application.
4. Pay the Application Fee
Cap off the online application by paying a non-refundable application fee of S$100 before submitting it. You would have the option of doing so via the following payment methods:
- MasterCard or VISA credit card or debit card
- American Express (AMEX) credit card
- Direct debit via local POSB/DBS, UOB, OCBC, Citibank or Standard Chartered Bank internet banking
Step 4: Finalise the Online PR Application
If ICA finds your spouse worthy of the PR status, both of you would have to come to the ICA Building in person in order to complete the formalities. In most cases, you will be informed on the final outcome of your online PR application via letter within four to six months. However, it is also possible that ICA may require additional time with yours. If you wish to keep an eye on this, you may check the current status of your application through the e-PR system. Here is a chronology of what you can expect, following a PR approval:
1. Book an e-Appointment
The completion of the formalities of a PR application is done via appointment only. Therefore, you would have to book a date for an e-Appointment on the ICA website. If you have trouble doing so, you may approach an ICA officer at the ICA building, who will be able to assist you with this.
2. Head to the ICA Building for the Appointment
On the day of your appointment, head down to the Permanent Resident Services Centre on the fifth level of ICA Building in person. Make sure that you bring hard copies of all your supporting documents to allow the ICA officers to verify them.
3. Pay for Your New Documents
As a new Singapore PR, you would have to pay for your new official documents such as your new identity card and entry permit. The new identity card costs S$50 while a standard and five-year entry permit cost $20 and S$50 respectively. Additionally, if your spouse needs an entry visa, they are required to pay S$30 for one.
Singapore PR Application: A Final Note
Applying for PR seems quite manageable once you have broken down the entire process into the steps above. However, besides the uncertainty of your spouse’s true chances at attaining the PR status, attempting to compile and organise the documents required for PR can prove to be a true challenge. Alas, even the slightest of mistakes can lead to a rejection letter.
Take no chances with your PR application. Contact our team of highly trained specialists at Paul Immigrations today for a personalised guide on the entire process from Step 1 to 4.