There are several reasons why people look to immigrate to Singapore. For starters, it has a growing economy which provides endless opportunities. It’s also a safe country to live in, has good healthcare, excellent education, fairer taxation, etc. The number of PR applications received by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) exceeds 100,000 every year. Yet, only 30,000 are approved each year.
The best way to even your chances for approval is to ensure first if you’re eligible for the programme and then prepare all the necessary documents. With only a 7-day time limit from the start of the application process, you have to ensure you have all documents available and ready to be uploaded.
To help you draw up a checklist of the required documents, here are the 10 important documents you’ll need to apply for a Singapore PR.
10 Important Documents Required for Your PR Application
Digital Passport-sized Photograph
The ICA requires all PR applicants to submit a digital passport-sized photograph. To ensure uniformity in picture quality, the ICA has pre-defined specifications and settings for each submitted photo.
Photograph Size
The ICA-approved photograph size is 35 mm X 45 mm (WxH). As a digital image on the e-website, the acceptable size must be 400 X 514 pixels. The photograph should also not be larger than 1MB with a camera resolution of at least 2MB. The digital photo should be in either JPG or JPEG picture format.
Photograph Finish
The ICA mandates that the picture finish should be Matt or Semi-Matt. This applies only to photographs that were not taken by a digital camera. Matt/Semi-Matt finish eliminates distracting shadows or shine that could appear naturally when a non-digital photograph is scanned and uploaded.
Camera Quality
The digital camera used must have a resolution of at least 2.0 megapixels. A digital camera is preferred since it usually has automatic settings to set the proper white balance, focus, and exposure.
Photograph Background
The photograph must be taken with a white background. There should be no distracting shadows or stains on the white background.
Photograph Subject
- You should be positioned in the middle of the photograph.
- Keep your head straight and look forward. Your eyes should be open in full view.
- Your face must be free from any form of obstruction. However, an exemption is allowed if the head or facial accessories are worn because of religious beliefs or racial custom.
- Use proper lighting to avoid the Red Eye effect.
- The picture should not be subject to any form of editing.
Valid Travel Documents and Passes
PR applicants and sponsors are required to upload clear copies of valid travel documents and passes. This includes the current international passports of both applicants and sponsors. The ICA mandates that an acceptable international passport must have a minimum validity period of at least six months from the date of application.
Additionally, only the biodata page of the passports should be uploaded. The required photograph size of these travel documents should be less than 2MB.
A valid immigration pass includes any of the following:
- S Pass
- Employment Pass
- Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP)
- Short Term Visit Pass (STVP)
- Dependants Pass (DP)
- Entrepreneur Pass
- Personalised Employment Pass (PEP)
- Student Pass
Highest Education Certificates and Qualifications
Education documents are required to ascertain the highest level of education the applicant has attained. As such, not all PR applicants are required to submit education certificates. Applicants required to submit education certificates include persons that fall into any of these categories:
- Spouse of a Singapore PR or Citizen
- Children of a Singapore PR or Citizen
- Holders of Employment Pass and S Pass under the PTS scheme
- International student
- Foreign investors under the Global Investor Programme (GIS) scheme
The educational documents required to be submitted include the following, where applicable:
- Tertiary-level educational certificates
- Tertiary-level educational transcripts
- Professional license, Membership or Vocational trade certificates
Personal Identification Documents
PR applicants are expected to provide a copy of a valid means of identification. All documents should also be less than 2MB and a notarised translation attached when the language used is not English.
Valid identification and profile documents, if applicable, include:
- Identity card
- Change of name certificate/deed poll
- Birth certificate/family census/family register
Proof of Employment
PR applicants and their sponsors are required to declare their current employment status. This helps ICA to understand the financial capabilities of the applicant and the relevant sponsor. International students are not required to submit this document since it doesn’t apply to them. The document should also be less than 2MB.
Applicants under the PTS scheme can make use of testimonials from previous employers. If applicable, self-employed applicants must provide their valid Business Registration Certificate, occupational license and partners’ names.
All PR applicants must include Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) consent forms. Additionally, sponsors are mandated to provide consent forms from the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board.
Applicants must include a letter from their employer dated within a month prior to the start of the application process. The letter should expressly state:
- The current position held by the applicant
- Date of employment
- Payslip breakdown — basic salary, allowance, and overtime
Declaration Forms
PR applicants, as well as their spouses (if applicable), are required to complete the declaration forms and append their signatures before scanning and uploading them. All fields must be completed with accurate and verifiable information. In addition, each of the signatures must be clear and properly signed. Signed declaration forms serve as confirmation to ICA that all information provided is valid.
Marriage Documents
This is among the documents required to confirm the applicant’s marital status. It is only applicable to PR applicants that are married or have been married. It helps ICA ascertain the ties between the applicant and possible sponsor/dependant. These documents include:
- Official marriage certificate
- Death certificate (if applicable)
- Divorce certificate (if applicable)
Other supporting documents required if the applicant is married include:
- Spouse’s highest educational certificates and qualifications
- Spouse’s valid travel documents and passes
- Spouse’s birth certificate showing parent’s names
- Spouse’s deed poll/change of name certificate (if applicable)
Children Documents
This applies to applicants with child(ren), whether biological or adopted. The required supporting documents include:
- Child(ren)’s valid travel documents and passes
- Child(ren)’s birth certificate
- Child(ren)’s adoption papers/certificate (if applicable)
- Child(ren)’s deed poll/change of name (if applicable)
Notarised Translation
ICA’s official language is English. However, when documents have information not written in English, applicants must include a notarised translation for each document. Notarised translation can be done by a local Notary Public or the embassy of the country in which the document was issued.
Non-mandatory Documents
Applicants are not required to submit these documents during the application stage. They are only supporting documents/paperwork that helps ICA understand the applicant and build a profile on them. These documents do not guarantee that an application will be approved. They include:
- Cover letter
- Recommendation letter
- Proof of social integration
Examples of supporting documents that may be asked for during subsequent evaluation include:
- Bank accounts
- Retirement accounts
- Investment portfolios
Conclusion
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of documents and paperwork required when applying to become a PR. However, with proper preparation, you should be able to provide everything that’s needed before starting your application. ICA requests these documents for a good reason, and that’s to ascertain the economic and social relevance of applicants to the growth of Singapore.
If you want to ensure all the documents you submit are accurate, you should engage an immigration consultant. They would be able to vet the documents you are submitting as well as advise you to add any documents you have missed or remove the ones not required. Increase your chances of getting a positive response by including all the important documents required.
