As some might already be aware, Singapore is having its General Elections soon, and during every such events, there will be people who are looking forward to changes, while there are those who hope it remains exactly the same. But whether or not the government changes or not, there can still be policy changes. How can these potentially affect you if you intend to apply PR in Singapore?
First of all, there are proponents of a 10 million population in Singapore by some politicians, while there are some who are vehemently against that. However, most are in agreement that new immigrants are necessary, but the exact target number may not be. So will any potential policy come up and say that there will be zero new immigrants allowed now? The chances of that is nearly zero, because the local population’s birth rate is too low to sustain itself. However, to be safe, do not treat it as that means an open door policy – because there has been way too many against it. Therefore, the government is likely to welcome more new immigrants into our country, but it will be nearly impossible for it to go back to the rates that it did in the early to mid 2000s.
Second of all, regardless of what happens in the GE, one can be confident that the criteria for new permanent residents will only get tougher over time, as is the case with virtually every other developed country. This is due to social, political and economical reasons. Therefore, if you are looking to be a PR here, make sure that you have all of your documents prepped at all times, so that when you are ready to apply, you need not fumble around or be missing essential documents!
Third of all, skill up and be very valuable. If you have skills in the job sphere which are so valuable and rare, every company will still be scrambling to hire you and pay you well. This will in turn help you get higher chances of being approved for a PR application because of your stable and high pay job. (Having a high paying job well over $12,000/month as of now will also allow you to apply for LTVP for your parents.) If you are a phenomenal businessman or investor, it is also extremely likely for the local government, regardless of whoever wins, to maintain its residency via GIP Singapore investment scheme. However, like the above mentioned, the criteria for it may also increase over time.