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Malaysian working in accident repair workshop given Singapore PR and now applying for citizenship
February 1, 2010 by admin01
The Straits Times reported today of a 36 year old Malaysian and Singapore PR Mr Voo Chan Khong who has applied for Singapore citizenship and is intending for his three children to relocate to Singapore too from Sabah.
Mr Voo worked in an accident repair workshop. Though his exact job scope was not mentioned, it is likely that he is working as a mechanic.
With due respect to Mr Voo, a mechanic is hardly considered a “talent” needed by Singapore to increase the level of competence in Singaporeans.
During a speech made in August last year, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said:
“We need immigrants to make up for the children we are not having…..If we do not have educated Malaysians, China Chinese and India Indians and others from the region, our economy will decline. Our labour force will shrink….We accept only immigrants who increase the average level of competence of Singaporeans. They must have skills and at least secondary school education, preferably tertiary-education.”
Besides car mechanics, even construction workers, cleaners and masseurs are given Singapore PRs and citizenships.
Due to the ruling party’s liberal immigration policies, foreigners now make up 36 per cent of Singapore’s population, up from 14 per cent in 1990. Of the remaining 64 per cent who are citizens, an increasing percentage are born overseas.
Two out of three PR applicants are successful and many obtained their PRs within a few months. The media reported a China National and Singapore PR Zhang Yuanyuan who received her PR within 2 months of application.
While the influx of foreigners has kept the growth rate of Singapore at above 5 per cent for the last few years, it has negative repercussions on Singaporeans as well.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the easy availability of cheap foreign labor in Singapore has depressed the wages of ordinary Singaporeans, increased the cost of living, especially that of public housing, decreased labor productivity and led to an overall decline in the standard of living.
The ease of getting Singapore PR is illustrated by the plethora of schemes offered by the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) to attract foreigners to become Singapore PRs.
There is a Landed Permanent Residence scheme which gives a grant period of 2 years for applicants not yet working in Singapore to find employment in the country (read here)
For Hong Kongers, there is a special “approved-in-principle (AIP)” for Singapore PR which enables them to obtain Singapore PR without even stepping foot on Singapore!
It is likely that Mr Voo and his children will be given Singapore citizenship in due course.
After all, according to Lee, it is a “good thing” that Singapore welcomes so many Chinese immigrants as they are more “hard-driving and hard-striving” than locals.
February 1, 2010 by admin01
The Straits Times reported today of a 36 year old Malaysian and Singapore PR Mr Voo Chan Khong who has applied for Singapore citizenship and is intending for his three children to relocate to Singapore too from Sabah.
Mr Voo worked in an accident repair workshop. Though his exact job scope was not mentioned, it is likely that he is working as a mechanic.
With due respect to Mr Voo, a mechanic is hardly considered a “talent” needed by Singapore to increase the level of competence in Singaporeans.
During a speech made in August last year, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said:
“We need immigrants to make up for the children we are not having…..If we do not have educated Malaysians, China Chinese and India Indians and others from the region, our economy will decline. Our labour force will shrink….We accept only immigrants who increase the average level of competence of Singaporeans. They must have skills and at least secondary school education, preferably tertiary-education.”
Besides car mechanics, even construction workers, cleaners and masseurs are given Singapore PRs and citizenships.
Due to the ruling party’s liberal immigration policies, foreigners now make up 36 per cent of Singapore’s population, up from 14 per cent in 1990. Of the remaining 64 per cent who are citizens, an increasing percentage are born overseas.
Two out of three PR applicants are successful and many obtained their PRs within a few months. The media reported a China National and Singapore PR Zhang Yuanyuan who received her PR within 2 months of application.
While the influx of foreigners has kept the growth rate of Singapore at above 5 per cent for the last few years, it has negative repercussions on Singaporeans as well.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the easy availability of cheap foreign labor in Singapore has depressed the wages of ordinary Singaporeans, increased the cost of living, especially that of public housing, decreased labor productivity and led to an overall decline in the standard of living.
The ease of getting Singapore PR is illustrated by the plethora of schemes offered by the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) to attract foreigners to become Singapore PRs.
There is a Landed Permanent Residence scheme which gives a grant period of 2 years for applicants not yet working in Singapore to find employment in the country (read here)
For Hong Kongers, there is a special “approved-in-principle (AIP)” for Singapore PR which enables them to obtain Singapore PR without even stepping foot on Singapore!
It is likely that Mr Voo and his children will be given Singapore citizenship in due course.
After all, according to Lee, it is a “good thing” that Singapore welcomes so many Chinese immigrants as they are more “hard-driving and hard-striving” than locals.
