Because of your parents' good care for you as a child, all the amenities, education, and everything you need have been provided to you by them, you have reached to the stage where you are. So their contribution in your life can not be ignored. So it is only natural that you would want to stay near them and take all their care possible in old age. As a new citizen, you may also be interested in moving your parents to Singapore now that you have made it your home. Read on this guide to learn more about how your elderly parents can join your family during this exciting new phase of your life through Permanent Residency.
Please note that this article only discusses PR applications by parents of Singapore citizens and LTVP visa as an alternative.
In order to qualify for PR in the little red dot, your case must satisfy the following three conditions;
Only the aged parents of a Singapore Citizen are eligible to apply for PR. If you are a Singapore PR, your parents may only apply for a Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP).
You must act as your parents' sponsor if your parents apply for PR as Singapore Citizens. If they have the right passes or capital, they would need to obtain the status under the PTS Scheme or Global Investor Programme. However, generally, if parents are retired, then these two options (PTS scheme and GIP are not available to them).
You must provide supporting documents that prove your relationship with your parents during the application process. Failure to do so may result in their application being rejected. Normally your birth certificate showing both parent's name is a way to prove the relationship.
The vast majority of applicants under this scheme will obtain a Long-Term Visitor Pass (LTVP). The chances of obtaining an LTVP are higher than those of obtaining PR status. LTVP allows parents or parents-in-law to stay in Singapore with their child(ren) who is/are:
An LTVP is similar to the PR status in that it allows your aging parents to remain in Singapore for longer periods (and work with a valid Letter of Consent or Employment Pass). In general, the LTVP provides all the flexibility to the parent of a Citizen. Therefore, you should first determine if you really need to apply for PR and why.
Our experience is that many Singapore citizens' parents continue to live in Singapore on a long-term visit pass, and will not apply for a PR.
Nevertheless, if you decide to apply for their PR, read on.
Application for the PR of parents is like any other PR application. However, you are advised to take care of the below points specifically.
Sponsors are also responsible for proving to immigration officials that they have the financial resources to support their parent's retirement years. Since your parents are no longer receiving a salary at this stage, it will be up to you to carry the financial burden. Sponsors must provide certain financial statements in the application process, such as their current income or living situation, to demonstrate their financial capability. As a result, the immigration officials will be able to get a sense of how capable you are of supporting a larger family.
Financial information is also required if you apply for LTVP for your parents. However, when applying for PR, the scrutiny is strict.
It is also beneficial to have comprehensive health coverage for your parents. You should be able to show that your parents will not become a state dependency, but you can also take their care for medical and hospitalization costs.
A key factor in your parents applying for Singapore PR is how they assimilate into the community. Your parents should do their part to maintain a harmonious society in which people of different races and nationalities can live together. PR status would be more likely to be achieved if your people have already assimilated into society or are capable of doing so easily. In addition to participating in cultural events, you might also encourage your parents to learn conversational English so they can converse with other locals. You might also encourage them to help with volunteer work in the community. As a result, any friction that may arise when misunderstandings eventually occur would be reduced if our culture and way of life were understood.
While applying for PR on behalf of your parents may seem straightforward at first, you might get stuck at some point. Here are four common problems you might run into:
While many applicants may feel comfortable exploring online portals, some applicants may have difficulty using the e-PR System due to its complexity. Since the required documents must be scanned and uploaded onto the portal, the application process may be challenging for those who are not comfortable using a mouse or an iPad. A specialist in immigration can help you with the entire process of submitting your documents.
Immigration officials require information on your other family members for a straightforward reason — this helps them make an informed decision about your application. If you have siblings in other countries, the immigration officials believe that your elder parents would be in the presence of family members that can care for them and allow them to live out their retirement years in comfort in their former home country. Since you might not be their only caregiver, your parents' chances of acquiring Singapore PR would be lower.
We are obviously referring to your parents' documents, some of which can be quite old, maybe 60-70 years old. Therefore, sometimes some of the documents aren't available, or they are in bad shape if they are.
Also sometimes getting new documents may prove difficult.
Your important documents may be presented in a language other than English, depending on their country of origin. In order to get them looked at by immigration officers, you must have them translated into English according to ICA requirements, which can be quite a hassle. Moreover, it is important to keep in mind that a handwritten translation won't suffice. In Singapore, it is necessary to translate the document at the country's local embassy issuing it or at a notary public. The above two authorities can verify and stamp private translations of these records. The submission of documents in a language other than English or that haven't been translated will be ignored.
Once you have prepared all the details and are ready to start the lodgement process, you must log in to the e-PR system.
You will be required to enter all the details of your parents and yourself.
In the next stage, you will upload the required document copies one by one. Based on the specific information entered, the system will decide which documents are required to be uploaded.
After the uploading of documents is completed, the last step will be payment of the required fees. You have to pay 100 SGD per person included in your application.
After completing all the above steps, you have finished applying for the Singapore PR. Now you will have to wait. The average waiting time ranges between 6 months to 15 months.
During this period, if there are any significant changes to your parent's profile, you should promptly inform the ICA.
A Singapore PR is highly revered by many because of the abundance of benefits it offers. In 2018, an article published in TODAY reported that the government limited the number of immigrants who entered the city-state after the General Election in 2011 when foreigners were a big talking point. The authorities have adopted stricter criteria for PR applications to ensure only those who deserve the status are granted PR.
Due to this, applying for Singapore PR is indeed more difficult. However, the ICA takes each submission seriously and vets them thoroughly. In order to be eligible for PR under this scheme, your parents must demonstrate that they are highly functioning and contributing members of the nation. Nevertheless, getting approval for parents' PR has sometimes been problematic.
In Singapore, the prospect of becoming a Permanent Resident is extremely appealing to many elderly parents. Most of their retirement needs — housing, medical, and lifelong learning — would be met in such an elderly-friendly environment. Start by preparing a strong application for your elderly family members.
Don't worry about how your application will stand up to immigration officials who scrutinize every detail. Contact Epica Immigration who will help you construct a convincing proposal for your parents to ease your mind. You should start as soon as possible because immigration policies may change and tighten depending on what happens in parliament each month. Get in touch with us today!