Work Permit Holders Granted Approval to Marry Singaporeans

Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Manpower (a) in the last two years, how many current and former Work Permit holders respectively have been granted approval to marry Singaporeans, segmented by gender; (b) what industries have these approved spouses of Singaporeans worked in; and (c) what criteria are currently used to decide such applications for approval to marry Singaporeans.

From 2021 to 2022, the Ministry of Manpower approved an average of about 1,100 applications per year from current or former Work Permit holders to marry Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents (PRs). Of the approved applicants, 84% were female. We assess all marriage applications holistically, taking into account the applicants' ability to look after themselves and their families.