Educational Qualifications of Persons Applying for Permanent Residence or Citizenship

Mr Png Eng Huat asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) from 2010 to 2014, what are all the universities that new citizens and permanent residents have declared to ICA as the awarding institution of their highest qualification when applying for citizenship and PR status respectively; (b) how does ICA check the validity of such educational qualifications listed in these applications; and (c) whether ICA keeps a list of suspected degree mills to aid the verification process.

The Second Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M) (for the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Home Affairs): Mdm Speaker, every Permanent Residency (PR) or Singapore Citizenship (SC) application is evaluated on a range of criteria, including economic contributions, qualifications, age, family profile and length of stay in Singapore. An individual's educational qualification is never the sole determining factor for granting PR or SC. The educational qualifications declared by applicants include those from public and private institutions in Singapore, as well as from institutions in other countries.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has multiple levels of checks when processing applications for PR and SC. These include requiring the applicant to produce the original documents for sighting, verification of documents with the issuing authorities overseas and face-to-face interviews with applicants.

We take a very firm stand against individuals who provide false information or who make any misrepresentation in their PR or SC applications. They will be dealt with firmly under the law and their PR or SC status, if granted, may be revoked or deprived respectively.