Singapore Encourages Foreigners To Become Citizens

[george]

Singapore encourages foreigners to become citizens

SINGAPORE: -- Singapore is encouraging more foreigners to take up citizenship to boost its population, complementing incentives aimed at convincing couples to have more children, reports said on Saturday.

Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng, the city-state’s “population czar”, said boosting the number of citizens through immigration was important because “babies take many years to grow up.”

Wong was quoted in the Straits Times as saying foreigners wanting to become permanent residents or citizens would soon be assessed not just based on their academic qualifications but also on their talent, skills and experience.

The potential contributions of the applicant’s family members and how they could fit into the country’s requirements would also be taken into consideration.

Currently, academic qualifications play a central role in deciding to admit applicants for permanent residency and citizenship.

Wong said the government would also target foreign students on scholarships here who could be convinced to settle in Singapore with their families.

“We are exploring all these points,” he said.

Singapore’s population comprises three million Singaporean citizens, 350,000 permanent residents and 800,000 foreigners on long-term permits. Singapore’s low birth rate has become an urgent concern after the fertility rate hit an all-time low of 1.26 children per woman in 2003.

The low birth rate will also mean a higher proportion of elderly citizens in the long term, resulting in heavy social welfare costs.

About 6,500 foreigners chose to become Singaporean citizens last year, down from highs of 10,000 during the 1990s when the economy was booming.

Last month, the government unveiled a 300 million Singapore dollar (176 million US) additional annual package to encourage couples to have more children and reverse the alarming fall in the birth rate.

The package includes tax relief, an extra month of maternity leave on top of the current two months, and lower levies for the right to employ a foreign maid to look after kids.

It comes on top of existing incentives worth 500 million dollars a year.

Broader criteria to attract immigrants

New immigrants into Singapore could soon be assessed on their talent, skills and experience, and not just their academic qualifications.

Such an approach could help boost the population, Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng said yesterday.

Many foreigners can contribute but lack the right educational papers, said the minister who now oversees the population portfolio.

'We should therefore consider broadening the set of criteria so that they are not overly focused on academic qualifications.'

Along with skills, talent and experience, another factor to consider would be whether the immigrants' family members can also contribute to the country's growth, and possibly how well the immigrants and their families can fit in, said Mr Wong.

The move away from relying on academic qualifications alone in assessing newcomers has already begun in at least one area. The EntrePass scheme, introduced last year, allows them here based not on their salary or academic papers, but business plans.

Mr Wong said that another target group is foreign students on scholarships, who might be persuaded to get their families to settle down here.

'We are exploring all these points,' said Mr Wong, in his first interview since his appointment as Minister-in-charge of Population Issues was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last Sunday.

The policy review could see some changes to the population mix. There are about three million Singaporeans, 350,000 permanent residents and 800,000 foreigners here on long-term stay passes.

Last year about 6,500 foreigners became Singaporeans.

During the booming 1990s this number sometimes hit 10,000 a year.

But Mr Wong said there are no set targets for PRs or new citizens.

'Our aim is not to hit a specific number, but to build a competitive economy as well as a vibrant and cohesive society with a core of citizens,' he said.

Immigration is an important plank of the population strategy, as 'babies take many years to grow up', he said.

The two approaches - of having more babies and bringing in more foreigners - are complementary, he added.

But he stressed that a premium will always be placed on Singaporeans, even as foreigners are treated well.

'You have heard the Prime Minister say that we will always treat Singaporeans well and they come first,' he said.

Immigration is one of the four key issues in the population strategy, he noted.

The others are

- Changing mindsets so that more citizens will marry and have more babies.

- Helping overseas Singaporeans stay connected.

- Dealing with ageing concerns.

To ensure immigrants do not add to the last concern, the target group of newcomers will be mainly younger people, he said.

Urging Singaporeans to do their bit to help PRs and new citizens feel at home, he recalled how his own parents came from China in the 1930s.

Many Singaporeans' forefathers also hailed from China, India and the Malay archipelago and helped make Singapore a modern country.

'So in the same way, the contributions of the new residents will help Singapore soar to greater heights,' he said.

Recent immigrants said most find out soon enough if they can fit in.

For Ms Alice Yim, 47, a company director from Hong Kong who became a citizen in 1999, it was immediate: 'I was comfortable from the time I landed... this is a safe and good place to raise and educate my daughter.'

--AFP, Agencies 2004-09-04