Back in July 2020, we had written an article predicting that regardless of the outcome of the 2020 General Elections in Singapore, the government will be putting priority and giving more advantages to locals over foreigners.
Ever since, we have been proven right. As officially announced by MOM in August 2020, there are now increased salary requirements for E pass, S pass and financial services sector in SG. This increased amount has kicked into place since 1 September 2020. One can argue that this is done to improve the quality of foreigners in the country, to appease the voters, or a combination of that two all day long. However, one cannot argue with the fact that the trend is so clearly towards keeping more jobs for locals as much as possible. Even though there are still new initiatives like the Tech.Pass, as you can see, the qualifications are significantly higher than normal and checking much more stringent too.
We believe that the next thing the government may extend such types of changes will be towards the permanent residency in Singapore. This means that there is a possible tightening of regulations when it comes to new PR application approvals, so as to keep the maximum possible healthcare, social and financial benefits for both existing citizens and permanent residents. Needless to say, this will also extend to the Singapore citizenship application.
This means a few things for those who are still yet to apply for, yet intend to eventually become a PR here.
First of all, you will need to make sure that your profile is as complete and thorough as possible. Although making a high salary will probably always more or less ensure that you will see success, it is best to not depend on luck and make sure that the rest of your profile is good too. For instance, demonstrating examples (with proof) of social integration in Singapore is important too. Of course, if your income is high enough till the point that you qualify for even the GIP Singapore scheme, then you probably have less to worry about.
Second of all, it is important to keep your documents in order. ICA is already relatively particular about applicants who are unable to furnish all important documents. In the future, this will probably get stricter, and their checking will get even more thorough than now. Be thorough and prepare early and far in advance!
Thirdly, submit your form properly. It is shocking to see how many people submit without even preparation, and get rejected simply because they are so careless. Even right now, it is not easy to get your status. Do not make it harder for yourself. Submitting over and over again with zero improvements in your submission may probably even piss off some ICA officers and make life tougher for yourself. Do it once, and do it right.