Singapore Expats

Hi Everyone!
I am a Singaporean currently in Melbourne and my husband is an Australian Citizen.

Years ago, he lived and grew up in Singapore and was in fact a Singapore citizen.

With his parents, he moved to Australia when he was about 9 years old and they dropped the Singapore citizenship.

Fast forward more than 30 years now, we have a baby boy together. Hubby is keen for him to take up NS and be a Singapore citizen.

We have plans to move to Singapore perhaps in the next 5-7 years and am wondering if there is ever a possibility of my hubby getting a Singapore PR.

Does anyone here know of someone who had been in similar shoes and managed to get their SG PR approved ?

Hubby loves Singapore and often regrets his parents for cancelling his SG citizenship to move to Australia; as a legal minor he had no say in this decision.

I understand that it can be next to impossible almost with ICA but I am also hoping to get alternative perspectives here.


Thank you so much !

As this was done by his parents while he was a child, there is always the possibility as an adult but I couldn't make a guess on the probability. The thorn in the rose is the fact that he didn't do NS and NOW as he is too old for NS it appears to the average onlooker that he may have deliberately waited till he was age limited for NS himself. If they look at it that way, all bets are off. Especially considering the son may well have the same thing pulled as the father when the time comes. Good Luck.

A lot of people who haven’t lived in Singapore see it from the outside with rose colored glasses. Making long-term plans to move to a country you’ve never lived in for any meaningful years of your lives sounds like fantasy. There are tremendous challenges living in Singapore, especially if your kids do not have citizenship, that often require a tremendous amount of money to overcome.

Those who think moving to a new country (assuming both have a similar quality of life, which is the case here) is going to make them happier, are often disappointed. It’s other connections like family and friends that can make a difference. However, I do know quite a few people who left Singapore for Australia, and are happier for their kids to get out of the cut-throat education system.

It’s back to a saying I’ve often repeated - people only come to Singapore for love or money. Love can be any family connection and money can be any career opportunities. But IMO you generally need something compelling in these two areas for it to be worthwhile considering all of the sacrifices involved.

See if he (or you) can find a job first and get an EP approved.

Hi PrincessPika,

Perhaps he could try applying for an LTVP first being sponsored by yourself as a Singaporean? I'm not sure if that could be easier compared to PR? LTVP with a letter of consent will also allow him to find employment in Singapore with fewer restrictions compared to EP.

Please do update us on whether he does eventually get approved! I'm currently pregnant with a son and am trying to get as much information of how such decisions (should we choose to make them) will impact my son's future chances of living/working in SG.