Immigration related matters are among the more common issues residents discuss with me at my Meet the People Sessions. Most involve a Singaporean husband and his foreign wife, who is seeking a Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) or permanent residency. Sometimes, I meet Singaporeans whose spouses’ LTVP is not approved by ICA, obliging them to apply for Short-Term Visit Passes, which allow a maximum of 89 days’ stay. This leads to uncertainty and, sometimes, the separation of the couple, which can be a strain on the relationship.
To reduce the uncertainty about whether an LTVP for a foreign spouse will be approved, a Pre-Marriage LTVP Assessment (PMLA) was introduced. However, based on a reply to my Parliamentary Question by Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam, less than 42% of LTVPs from foreign spouses of Singaporeans completed the PMLA before applying for an LTVP. In reply to another PQ, the Minister also shared that of the 3,000 Letters of LTVP Eligibility (following the PMLA) that were issued annually in the past few years, 63% were eventually granted an LTVP or LTVP+ (although not all applied).
From the figures and my interactions with residents, it appears many were unaware of the PMLA before they got married.
Here is the full Q&A from the 2 Aug 2023 sitting:
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Home Affairs in each year from 2016 to date (a) how many Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) applications are received; (b) of these, how many applicants have previously applied for a Pre-marriage Long-Term Visit Pass Assessment (PMLA).
Mr K Shanmugam: From 2016 to 2022, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) processed an annual average of 7,200 applications from foreign spouses of Singaporeans for the Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP). Of these, an annual average of 3,000 applicants had completed the Pre-Marriage LTVP Assessment (PMLA) prior to applying for LTVP.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Home Affairs in each year from 2016 to date (a) how many Pre-Marriage Long-Term Visit Pass Assessment (PMLA) applications are received; (b) of these how many are issued with a Letter of Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) eligibility; and (c) of those who are successful and applied for an LTVP, how many are eventually issued an LTVP or LTVP+.
Mr K Shanmugam: From 2016 to 2022, an annual average of: (a) 3,900 applications for the Pre-Marriage Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) Assessment (PMLA) were processed by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority; and (b) 3,000 Letters of LTVP Eligibility were issued.
Of those who had received a Letter of LTVP Eligibility, about 1,900 annually were eventually granted an LTVP or LTVP-Plus (LTVP+). This is because not every person who has obtained a Letter of LTVP Eligibility goes on to apply for an LTVP. Those with a Letter of LTVP Eligibility, which is valid for one year, will generally have their LTVP or LTVP+ approved if their circumstances were unchanged from the time at which they completed the PMLA.
Source: Singapore Parliament Reports (Hansard)
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