Promote Understanding for Immigration as Strategic Imperative for Sustained Economic Growth and National Security

Mr Neil Parekh Nimil Rajnikant asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance what further policy initiatives can the Government introduce to enhance public understanding and support for immigration as a strategic imperative for Singapore's sustained economic growth and national security.

Like many other advanced societies, Singapore faces the demographic challenge of a low fertility rate and ageing population. The Government is strongly committed to supporting Singaporeans' marriage and parenthood aspirations. Immigration supplements this to keep our citizen population from shrinking over the longer term.

Most Singaporeans understand Singapore's overall need for immigrants. A 2021 Institute of Policy Studies survey found that over 75% of Singaporeans agreed that immigrants are generally good for Singapore's economy, and 62% agreed that immigrants improve Singapore society by bringing in new ideas and culture. However, some may be concerned that immigrants dilute our national identity or that immigrants do not put in effort to integrate with locals.

These are valid concerns that we seek to address as follows. First, we keep the pace of immigration measured and stable, and are careful to grant Permanent Residency and Singapore Citizenship to those who can contribute to Singapore, integrate well and are committed to sinking their roots here. The majority of the immigrants we take in are of working age and contribute meaningfully to our economy. Many of them share family ties with Singaporeans or have studied, worked or lived in Singapore for some time. We continually review our immigration framework to ensure it remains relevant to our social context.

Second, we have programmes to help immigrants to adapt to local norms and way of life. Our new citizens undergo a mandatory Singapore Citizenship Journey to improve their understanding of Singapore's history, norms and values. The People's Association has a nationwide network of over 1,500 Integration and Naturalisation Champions to drive integration efforts at the local level and foster good relations between new citizens and their Singaporean neighbours. A National Integration Council (NIC) was also set up in 2009 to coordinate and encourage integration efforts across the public, people and private sectors. The NIC offers resources, such as the Unity in Diversity resource kit and the Community Integration Fund, to support ground-up integration initiatives.

Third, we foster understanding of immigration in our public education and communication efforts. For example, our students learn about the value of integration and harmony through National Education in schools and through events such as International Friendship Day. Through lower secondary History classes, students grow an appreciation for our forefathers' contributions to Singapore's development as a port city under the British and how Singapore continued to remain open to the rest of the world after it became a nation-state in 1965. In Social Studies classes, students explore the contemporary experiences of living in a diverse society and how to strengthen cohesion and contribute towards harmony, while appreciating the economic and cultural contributions of different groups.

Integration is ultimately a two-way process that takes time and effort. While immigrants need to make an effort to integrate and adapt to local ways of life, it is equally important for Singaporeans to be understanding and welcoming, and support our new neighbours, friends and colleagues in becoming part of Singapore society.