Due to its vibrant and modern metropolis culture, Singapore attracts thousands of applicants seeking permanent residency every year. Immigration and checkpoint authorities introduced the e-PR system to file the PR application online in 2018. The first step in this application process is to fill up form 4A. Many applicants find this form overwhelming, and some persistently find some questions remain unanswered.
This guide is prepared for the applicants who need a guide about filling up Singapore PR Application form 4A.
We have prepared a detailed video, the link to which is next to this box; please watch the same. However, below we also present the explanation to the main sections in the Singapore PR application form and the care to be taken.
Watch the video or read below
To access the Singapore PR Application form, you first need to log in to the ICA website Pass holder Apply PR section. You will be then presented with an option which is as shown in this image.
You can download the Singapore PR Application Form 4A in PDF format, fill up all the details in that PDF form and then upload it for further processing. The other option is to fill the details directly in the ICA system. The recommended way by ICA themselves is to follow the PDF method.
The details required for the Singapore PR application are quite extensive. If you are applying with family and have an extensive work history, you will be preparing details that may span over 10-12 pages. Obviously, this is a lot of material. Therefore it is not recommended to enter this directly in the system. It is better to fill up these details in the PDF and then upload it.
Once you have entered all the details in the PDF and are ready to start the lodgement process, you will be required to log in to the e-PR system again and upload the completed file using the “Upload form” option. Once you upload the form, the ICA e-PR system will extract all the details from the form and will present it to you for confirmation.
To open the form for entry, you need adobe acrobat Reader. This is a free software available on the adobe site. Many internet browsers can open the PDF files. However if you try to open this file in say Firefox or Chrome, it will not open properly.
Some of the fields in the form are dynamic. Depending on the option which you select some new fields may appear.
A foreign identification number is asked on the first page of the form. This field is visible only when you enter the nationality. This refers to the identity card you hold in your country of nationality. For example, for Malaysians, it means “kadpengenalan Malaysia” and for Indian nationality, it means “Aadhar Card”.
If your country does not give an identity card, then you can select the option no foreign identity number.
The travel document section is quite self-explanatory. Basically, you need to give your passport details here. Kindly note that only current passport details are required. Do not enter details of your expired passports here.
If you hold a passport from more than one country, you can add a travel document.
ICA asks for the details of your previous employment in this section. Note the wording “Full Employment History in chronological order (Starting from current)”
That means you have to give full employment history (Starting from your first Job), you have to give it in a reverse chronological order where your current Job appears first. Depending on how many times you have changed the Job, it might mean an extensive list.
There are two more points here which need a bit of explanation.
The field for occupation has predefined choices. When you click in it, the form will open a window from which you need to select the occupation that matches your actual work. It is possible that you cannot find the one that exactly matches your current designation. In that case you will select the closely resembling occupation.
Salary needs to be entered in Singapore Dollars. However, you would have worked in your home country in the past where you would have received the salary in a different currency. In this case you can convert that amount to Singapore dollars using the current conversion rate. In some cases, that amount may appear very small (Like 800 SGD for example), But there is nothing to worry about.
In this section, you are required to give details of where you have stayed in the last 10 years. Again note the wording carefully.it says “List of Countries/Places and Addresses in which applicant has resided for more than 6 months in the past 10 years (until current).
So any short stays which are lesser than six months should be excluded from this list.
Again this section is quite straightforward. However, add only graduate and above qualifications in this section. We have seen people adding certificate courses in “Forklift driving” etc. Please avoid this mistake.
In case you don’t have graduate qualification, enter the details of your highest qualification here (like a secondary or diploma).
You may have a family, but the family is residing in your home country and is not applying for a Singapore PR. Even in this case you will need to provide their details and documents and indicate that they are not applying for PR with you.
There is one section , where the details of your Father in law and mother-in-law are asked. Some people get confused on what to write in the relationship. Some write adoptive. To answer this question correctly, you will have to look at your spouse’s relationship with his / her parents. So long as your spouse is a biological child of parents, the relationship should be mentioned as Biological.
Answer all the questions truthfully. Do not hold or hide anything. It is an offense to withhold information in an immigration application. The consequences of this can be grave. Some people sometimes try to hide details of previous marriages or children from previous marriages. However, if authorities find it later then you may face serious consequences.
One more document comes along ith the form 4A for PR application, called Annex A. However, this annexure is to be filled up by your company and not by you. This typically covers details like employing company capital, total workforce, annual revenue, etc.
You need to approach your company's HR department to obtain this document. Most companies are aware of this, and getting annex A to the form 4A should not be a problem. Since the company fills up all the details of this, you do not need to fill anything up.
In an unusual scenario, if the company refuses you to give this annex A, there are alternative ways to fulfil the requirement by alternative source.
The questions you had about the Singapore PR Application form should be clear by now. In case you still have doubts, you can think of engaging Epica Immigration Services.