
There’s been plenty of interest in relocation and Singapore PR (SPR) application recently as Hong Kong ex-pats have been exploring options given the current unsettling climate. There’s been an exodus of families since last year and currently with the extended closure of international schools until end April with the panic of the spread of the Coronavirus – Singapore has been the top choice for relocation given its reputation as a safe and sound alternative.
With the political instability in Hong Kong that began last summer in 2019 that culminated in school closures amongst other disruptions of daily life: MTR station closures and blocked roads, many of my expat friends have turned to me on my opinion and advice as a Singaporean about what it’s like to live in my home-land and how does permanent residency work.
Given the increased interest in settling in the city-state, it piqued my interest in the process and procedure as my husband’s PR application has been pending for the past 14 months.
Many Hong Kong and expat mums in my pilates class were exploring permanent residency in Singapore, as they looked into enrolling their children in local schools and settling the family there.

I left Singapore over 15 years ago and have in recent years been contemplating the idea to finally move home. Checking all the boxes from stability to safety and excellent health care and education system, along with plenty of exciting opportunities as a burgeoning biotech hub. For many foreigners, especially those with young children, living and working in that island-city is a no-brainer.
I applied for my husband’s SPR over a year ago (January 2019) and his application is still pending. I’ve just looked into options and consulting professionals on how to expedite our application to move this forward so that we could settle back home and not worry about him finding employment as a foreign national.
It is common knowledge that the Singapore government has very strict criteria in granting Permanent Residency status, which has to be renewed every five years. I’ve personally had several friends who’ve been rejected a handful of times. Most of them are married to local Singaporeans.
Thankfully, there is help to get through the tedious paperwork. Paul Immigrations take on the legwork of the administrative process and apply on your behalf.
As a Singaporean, I am grateful that the government puts our interests first and are very prudent with granting PR applications. Apart from having the legal status to work there, SPRs enjoy the same privileges as citizens from subsidised housing to healthcare, education and tax reliefs. The government makes sure that PRs are not just here to enjoy the benefits in the short-term, but have a genuine long-term investment in the country, contributing to the community and society, to build a life in the metropolitan city.
Singapore Pr: Who is Eligbile?
According to the ICA website, SPR Eligibility depends on the following:
As a foreigner, you may be eligible to apply for permanent residence if you are a/an:
- Spouse of a Singapore citizen (SC) or Singapore permanent resident (PR)
- Unmarried child aged below 21 born within the context of legal marriage to, or have been legally adopted by, an SC or PR
- Aged parent of an SC
- Holder of an Employment Pass or S Pass
- Student studying in Singapore
- Foreign investor in Singapore.
Other considerations: ICA takes into account factors such as the individual’s family ties to Singaporeans, economic contributions, qualifications, age, family profile and length of residency, to assess the applicant’s ability to contribute to the city-state and integrate into our society, as well as his or her commitment to sinking roots.
All applications are to be made online via the ICA website, with a non-refundable fee of SGD100. Having personally done this myself on behalf of my husband’s application, the paperwork and original translated copies need to be certified to be scanned and uploaded online. It’s time-consuming, to say the least, and definitely worth the expense to outsource the work.

Over the last decade, the city-state’s government has granted an average of 30,000 SPRs annually and as the world’s political and economic changes, the country’s immigration policies are subject to change and the professionals would know best how to navigate these changes.
With an excellent track record of over 15000+ successful applications under their belt, their consultants help foreigners navigate the conundrum of the paperwork application, from offering their professional insights and advice to organising all the necessary documents and paperwork, which includes personalised cover letters and any additional documents. In short, they do the administrative work on your behalf, saving you time and hassle with the back and forth of incomplete documentation. Besides, they also have strategic expertise in handling complex cases and will be leading you through the whole process.
“The key lies in understanding each individual client. One of our major success stories struggled to apply for PR for over 10 years before approaching us. Recently, he and his family finally secured it together. We did this by taking the time to learn more about their background to be able to help them highlight their achievements, contributions, and commitment to life in Singapore.” – Dom Lim, Operations Manager
Paul Immigrations Reviews – Procedure:
Working with your dedicated consultant, here are the six steps:
- Client interview over the telephone to access the client’s profile and eligibility
- In-Person appointment to confirm eligibility with proof of documents (work pass, marriage certificate to Singaporean citizen etc) and suitability of client profile. After this meeting, you can decide to engage their services moving forward.
- Request for documents. There is an essential checklist of required documents for the submission. You may scan the original copies and email them or bring them in person to the consultant for submission.
- Your Immigration Specialist will take it from here and complete the rest of the submission’s paperwork on your behalf. Their service includes personalised cover letters written by their in-house writers to help your paperwork stand out from the thousands of others ICA receives.
- Submission of PR form and documents will need to be done by yourself but your appointed Specialist will be there to guide you along.
The entire application process will take about one to two months to pull together all the relevant documents, get translations done and the copies certified. Once everything is submitted, we wait.
The Outcome
6. It takes about four to six months to receive the outcome of the PR application and the consultant at Paul Immigrations will advise you on the next best course of action.
In my case, it’s been 14 months since I submitted my husband’s application and it’s still pending. Once I receive notifications on the outcome of my application, and if unsuccessful, I’ll be going to Paul Immigrations to help smoothen the creases – as seen in testimonials of successful applicants. I wish I was previously aware of this service, it would have saved plenty of time and hassle getting through the process myself.
