The Singapore Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) announced changes to the Singapore Permanent Residence (PR) application process. The following outlines and compares the previous and current Permanent Residence application process.
| S.No. | Details | Previous PR Application | Current PR Application (with immediate effect) |
| 1. | Education Documents | Diploma and above education qualifications (transcripts were needed only for India & United Kingdom) | For all education qualifications: Required final degree certificates + transcripts required for all PR applicants |
| 2. | Employment History | Basic employment details required (Latest 10 years) | Detailed employment history (start to current, regardless of any country employments) including salary information required, is mandatory |
| 3. | Household Registry | Not required for any applicants unless not able to submit Birth certificate | Required for applicants from certain countries (e.g., China) along with Birth certificates |
| 4. | Family Member Information | Less detailed information required | Detailed family information required for main pass and Dependant pass holder (Foreign Identification Numbers, Passport numbers, Employment and Education History etc.) |
| 5. | Singpass | Not required for family members | Required for family members who are PR applicants |
| 6. | Income Tax Documents | Not mandatory for overseas working applicants | Overseas applicants must provide income tax returns/receipts for the last 3 years. |
| 7. | Letter of Employment (LOE) | LOE dated within 1 month of PR application | LOE can be dated within 3 months of PR application. The company has more time (3 months instead of 1) to issue the LOE. |
| 8. | Annex A | Required for PTS Scheme applicants | No longer needed Annex A form, information to be filled directly in ICA portal. |
| 9. | Application Drafting | Submission within 7 days once it is drafted | 14-day drafting window:
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| 10. | Submission Process | Offline completed manual form upload or ICA e-Service options | Only via ICA e-Service (no offline forms). |
| 11. | Processing Time | Based on application submission, typically 6-9 months. It may take longer even more than a year | Processed within 6 months, timelines vary with combined PR and LTVP applications. |
As noted in items 7 and 8 in the table above, instead of Annex A, the following information must be declared during the submission of the application for PR.
| Employment | Company/Applicant |
| Company’s Paid-up capital |
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| Company existing staff strength |
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| No. of staff under supervision by applicant | |
Annual turnover of latest 3 years as per the company’s Financial Year:
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Erickson Insights & Analysis
The remaining changes are provided solely for the applicant’s awareness regarding the recent changes in the PR application process. However, as always, applicants and travelers, are recommend to check the ICA website for the latest guidelines and requirements to ensure they have all the necessary documents and meet the eligibility criteria before proceeding to apply for the applications. Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.