Immigration & foreign manpower

• Police are investigating the migrant workers and their employers for organizing and participating in unlawful public assemblies under the Public Order Act 2009.
• The Ministry of Manpower confirmed that the workers were not owed salaries and had no wellbeing concerns.
• MOM is also investigating the employer for illegally deploying workers and abetting illegal acts under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, with appropriate actions to follow if warranted.

• The average waiting time for Class 4 driving licence applicants to start lessons was about five months between October 2023 and September 2024, due to increased foreign worker demand and a shortage of instructors.
• Traffic Police will allow driving schools to hire foreign instructors to boost training capacity and will prioritize applicants who need the licence for occupational purposes.
• Traffic Police is prepared to license additional driving centres beyond the current sole provider to expand Class 4 training facilities and address the backlog.

• Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Home Affairs about the number of stateless persons with Special Passes in Singapore and whether the government would consider allowing them access to Singpass accounts.
• As of 31 December 2023, there were 853 stateless persons living in Singapore, with 204 of them holding Special Passes.
• The government is currently reviewing whether stateless persons on Special Passes may be granted Singpass accounts.

• Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Home Affairs for the average annual number of foreigners who remain in Singapore illegally after their visit passes expire over the past two years, and the total number of overstayers not yet arrested.
• The Minister responded that an average of 450 overstayers were arrested each year in the past two years, with about 270 being holders of Short-Term or Long-Term Visit Passes.
• An estimated 500 to 600 overstayers have not been arrested, representing less than 0.001% of annual visitor arrivals; some stay inadvertently while others do so intentionally, such as to seek employment.
• Arresting overstayers immediately is challenging if they change their contact details or addresses, but the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority continues rigorous enforcement checks and collaborates with agencies like the Singapore Police Force.
• The overall situation is kept under control through ongoing efforts to detect and arrest overstayers.

• The Minister reported that passport-less clearance at Changi Airport has been fully operational since 30 September 2024, with close to 1.5 million travellers using it by 15 October, leading to a 60% reduction in average clearance time from 25 to 10 seconds and improved convenience for travellers and productivity for staff.
• Refinements are ongoing, including collaboration with airlines to ensure timely submission of passenger and crew information to avoid delays in the clearance process, as well as continued monitoring and stakeholder engagement to enhance the system.
• The Minister confirmed that no security issues have been identified, with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority using iris and facial biometrics for authentication and maintaining checks comparable to automated passport-based clearance.

Patrick Tay Teck Guan asked about the impact of the raised minimum salary threshold of $22,500 on the number of Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) holders. Tan See Leng confirmed that PEP applications approved in the past 12 months have dropped by approximately 50%, from over 3,200 to 1,400 following the threshold increase.

Leong Mun Wai asked about the percentage of HDB blocks and neighborhoods that have reached the Non-Citizen Quota for renting flats since 2021. Desmond Lee responded that as of September 2024, approximately 1% of HDB blocks and neighborhoods are affected by the Non-Citizen Quota, with these figures remaining stable since 2021. The specific blocks and neighborhoods that have reached the quota have varied over time. Flat owners and potential tenants can check the status of specific units on a designated government website.

Nadia Ahmad Samdin raised concerns about rising illegal moneylending cases affecting foreign domestic workers and inquired about actions against illegal moneylenders and support for affected Singaporeans. K Shanmugam referenced a prior response from May 2024 detailing efforts to address unlicensed moneylending targeting foreign domestic workers. He advised that individuals experiencing harassment from unlicensed moneylenders should report to the Police or call 999 for immediate assistance, assuring that the Police will take strong enforcement action against offenders.

Leong Mun Wai questioned the Minister for Home Affairs about the number of applications for permanent residency and citizenship from stateless persons over the last five years, their success rates, and the possibility of expediting these applications for those with family ties to Singaporeans or long-term residency. K Shanmugam reported that, on average, 17 PR and 60 SC applications from stateless persons were processed annually, with approval rates of approximately 35% for PR and 60% for SC. He emphasized that applications are evaluated based on multiple criteria, including the applicant's contributions and links to Singapore, and rejected the notion of expediting applications without assessment.

Hazel Poa asked for statistics on Student Pass holders applying for Permanent Resident status and their guardians applying for Long-Term Visit Passes since 2020. K Shanmugam responded that between 2020 and 2023, approximately 4,500 PR applications from Student Pass holders were processed annually, with about 1,100 approved each year and an average/median age of recipients between 12 and 14. Additionally, around 4,300 Long-Term Visit Pass applications from guardians were processed each year, with an average of 4,100 approvals.

Leong Mun Wai asked whether the rules for changing race apply to foreign pass holders and if the ICA verifies their declared race. K Shanmugam explained that foreigners applying for long-term passes must declare their race, and the ICA may request supporting documents when necessary. However, foreign pass holders are not required to change their registered race with the ICA if they decide to do so, as their stay is transient. In contrast, Permanent Residents and Singapore Citizens must register any change of race with the ICA.

Hazel Poa raised a question about whether the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) could provide guidelines for stateless persons with Special Passes to open bank accounts. Gan Kim Yong responded that MAS does not prevent banks from offering accounts to these individuals. Banks assess each application individually, and some have already opened accounts for stateless persons holding Special Passes.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked about the possibility of expanding the Public Rental Scheme to include families with one Singaporean and one non-Singaporean who is not a Permanent Resident. Desmond Lee explained that HDB's public rental flats are heavily subsidized and prioritized for citizen households, requiring at least one Singapore Citizen applicant alongside another citizen or Permanent Resident. For families in urgent need but ineligible for public rental, HDB refers them to social service agencies for assistance.

Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked about the ability of workers on Special Passes to hold Singpass accounts and access the Ministry of Manpower's eServices portal for checking claims. Tan See Leng responded that migrant workers with Special Passes can access Singpass accounts and use the EmPOWER platform for tracking salary and work injury claims. However, stateless persons with Special Passes do not have Singpass accounts. Workers without Singpass accounts can seek assistance from their case officers.

Yip Hon Weng questioned the Minister for Home Affairs about the entry of members of a Japanese money laundering syndicate into Singapore, seeking clarification on their detection, prior information on their criminal activities, and communication from Japanese authorities regarding a wanted notice issued in August 2024. K Shanmugam responded that the fugitives were not known to be wanted by foreign authorities upon their entry into Singapore. He also mentioned ongoing communication with foreign counterparts while indicating that further details could not be disclosed at this time.

Leong Mun Wai inquired about the percentage of Singapore residents and non-residents among employees of foreign-owned firms earning above $12,500 monthly. Tan See Leng responded that two-thirds of these employees are Singapore residents.

Assoc Prof Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim raised several questions regarding stateless children and youth under 18 in Singapore, asking for their numbers, legal parental responsibilities, and how Singapore complies with UN provisions on child registration and nationality. Minister K Shanmugam stated that Singapore does not automatically grant citizenship to children born to foreign parents, with citizenship applications evaluated on various criteria. As of December 2023, there are seven stateless children under 12 and 13 youth aged 12 to 18, making up 2.3% of the total stateless population. The responsibility for a child's well-being lies with their parents or guardians, although those lacking caregivers can receive protection under the Children's Act. Stateless persons have access to healthcare, education, and housing services, but there are restrictions for those not holding Permanent Resident status.

Louis Ng Kok Kwang raised concerns about the Singapore Food Agency's (SFA) inspections of licensed caterers for migrant workers, particularly regarding the preparation and delivery of food to comply with the four-hour consumption rule. Dr. Koh Poh Koon explained that SFA conducts inspections and timestamps food for safety, but the issue seems to stem from logistical coordination between companies and caterers rather than policy itself. Ng pointed out that food is often prepared too early, potentially exceeding the four-hour rule by the time workers receive it. Koh suggested that specific instances of issues should be reported to facilitate better communication between food providers and companies for timely food delivery.

• Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim inquired whether the Ministry of Manpower proactively inspects food delivery freelancers to ensure they are Singaporeans or PRs, the frequency of checks, and any violations in the past six months.
• Minister Tan See Leng stated that MOM relies on platform operators to prevent account misuse rather than proactive inspections due to the decentralized nature of delivery work.
• MOM acts on complaints, with 14 complaints received from January to June 2024, resulting in one enforcement action after the rest were found unsubstantiated.

• Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked for statistics on the duration of stay in Singapore for adult foreigners before obtaining permanent residency and for permanent residents before obtaining citizenship, specifically the 25th percentile, median, average, and 75th percentile for grants in 2023.
• Minister K Shanmugam explained that the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority considers multiple factors beyond residency length, such as family ties, economic contributions, and integration, with different criteria for different applicant backgrounds.
• The government declined to publish percentile data on residency duration, citing concerns that it could be exploited to manipulate applications or be used by foreign countries against Singapore's national interests, though some profile indicators are publicly available.