Debated in Parliament on 4 Sep 2020.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many applications has ICA received to extend the social visit pass, Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP) or Long Term Visit Pass Plus (LTVP+) of foreign spouses of Singaporeans (i) between February and July 2019 and (ii) between February and July 2020, with a breakdown by social visit pass, LTVP and LTVP+; (b) what are the success rates for each category; and (c) what are the most frequent reasons for rejection.
From February to July in 2019 and 2020, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) received 6,419 and 8,395 applications respectively for extension of Short-Term Visit Pass (STVP) from foreign spouses of Singaporeans. 2.6% and 2.8% respectively were rejected.
From February to July in 2019 and 2020, ICA received 4,503 and 4,243 applications respectively for renewal of Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) from foreign spouses of Singaporeans. In both years, about 0.4% of applications were rejected. Over the same period, ICA received 987 and 1,554 applications respectively for renewal of Long-Term Visit Pass Plus (LTVP+) from foreign spouses of Singaporeans. 0.9% and 0.5% respectively were rejected.
Applications for STVP, LTVP and LTVP+ are considered holistically and there may be a number of reasons why a pass is not extended or renewed. STVP extension applications are rejected mostly because the sponsor or applicant was found to have adverse records, or the applicant was unable to substantiate the need for further extensions. For LTVP or LTVP+ renewal applications, reasons for rejection were mostly because the sponsor or the applicant was found to have adverse records, or was not able to demonstrate the ability to support the family financially.
To assist those with genuine difficulties during the current COVID-19 situation, ICA considers additional factors, such as the prevailing travel restrictions and flight connectivity, when assessing the extension or renewal of passes.
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