Debated in Parliament on 4 Jul 2022.
Ms Ng Ling Ling asked the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry will consider mandatory counselling for Singaporean men who intend to marry foreigners on the implications about obtaining their partners' long-term immigration facilities, such as long-term visit passes, permanent residence and Singapore citizenship, before allowing them to register their marriage in Singapore.
We recognise that marriages between Singaporeans and foreigners may face unique circumstances, such as cultural differences and the need to obtain their partners’ long-term immigration facilities. Therefore, MSF introduced the Marriage Preparation Programme (MPP) and Marriage Support Programme (MSP) in 2014. The MPP, which takes place prior to marriage, focuses on building a strong marriage foundation within a cross-cultural context and provides practical information on immigration issues and processes. The MSP supports couples post marriage and provides information on living in Singapore to help foreign spouses adapt to life in Singapore. Singaporean-foreigner couples whose Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) application are approved may be required to attend the MPP and MSP before they are issued the LTVP.
To provide greater clarity on whether the foreign spouse can qualify for long-term stay in Singapore, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) implemented the Pre-Marriage LTVP Assessment (PMLA) in 2015. Prospective Singaporean-foreigner couples are strongly encouraged to undergo the PMLA before marriage to help them better understand each other and plan for their future. The Registry of Marriages (ROM) has also set up specific onsite kiosks to provide Singaporean-foreigner couples with greater clarity on the PMLA and its benefits, and to highly encourage couples to complete the PMLA.
We will continue to explore ways to better equip Singaporean-foreigner couples with sufficient knowledge on the process of applying for long-term immigration facilities for their foreign partners, before registering their marriage in Singapore.
PAPERCUTS