Debated in Parliament on 8 Jul 2013.
Mr Baey Yam Keng asked the Prime Minister (a) if he will provide a breakdown of the number of Permanent Residents who have resided in Singapore for (i) 20 to 29 years (ii) 30 to 39 years (iii) more than 40 years; (b) what is the percentage in the respective groups whose applications for citizenship have been rejected; and (c) what are the reasons for these rejections.
Based on available data, around 10% of the Permanent Resident (PR) stock have been PRs for 20 or more years. Among those who have been PRs for 20 years or more, about 8% had previously applied for Singapore citizenship and were unsuccessful in their applications.
Every application for Singapore citizenship is evaluated on a range of criteria, including economic contributions, qualifications, age, family profile and length of stay in Singapore, to assess applicants' ability to contribute and integrate into our society, and commitment to sinking roots. For those with family ties to Singapore citizens, we also consider the local sponsor's ability to support the family. As applications are evaluated holistically, there may be a number of reasons, taken together, for rejecting an application.
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