No magic wand

Straits Times, July 6, 2009
by Sue-Ann Chia

It needs 3 parties: New residents and S'poreans to bond, and Govt to provide framework.

On his visit to Punggol Central on Sunday, Mr Shanmugam encouraged both Singaporeans and new residents to mingle and get to know one another.
HOW to get new immigrants integrated into Singapore society? Law Minister K. Shanmugam, who is also Second Home Affairs Minister, said on Sunday the Government cannot be the 'total solution' to this.
Rather, the tricky problem takes three parties to solve - Singaporeans, who have to be welcoming; new immigrants, who have to adapt to a new culture; and the Government, which has to provide a framework for people to bond.
Mr Shanmugam stressed this three-way partnership at an hour-long dialogue with Punggol Central residents, in response to a question from a resident who wanted to know what can be done to integrate the growing pool of new immigrants here.
Last year, 20,513 foreigners became Singapore citizens, while 79,167 took up permanent residency.
It is the people themselves - Singaporeans and new residents - who have to mingle and forge friendships with one another, said Mr Shanmugam. Singaporeans, he said, should welcome 'newer residents with an open heart and help them integrate, bring them in'. This is already taking place in housing estates, he noted.
Mr Charles Chong, an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, had last month estimated that up to 10 per cent of the residents in some blocks could be permanent residents or new citizens.
Noting how Singaporeans and new residents have come together to be involved in the programme for his ministerial visit, Mr Shanmugam added: 'That is a way integration takes place, at the ground level.'
As for new settlers, his advice was that they should 'take the attitude that they want to integrate'. He added: 'When we approve PRs, we look for people who can integrate, and can add value. We want to bring in people who will create more jobs...help the economy and all of us.'
The Government, on its part, will also find ways to help people interact, such as by setting up business organisations and social networks, he added.
The National Integration Council was set up earlier this year, headed by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports. Mr Shanmugam, who is part of the council, noted that there is no such thing as instant integration. 'You can't just wave a magic wand and say, 'okay, integration'. It takes many years,' he said.

Singapore Global Investor Programme – gateway to investors paradise

Singapore is evolving into an entrepreneurs Mecca, proximately located to the emerging Asia, ever expanding free trade area, converging ASEAN, efficient infrastructure are not the only reasons but the governmental policies that favor the entrepreneurs and investors alike.
Global Investors Programme administered by the Singapore Economic Development Board (SEDB) is one such one which attempts to ease the entry and of relocation investors, to enable them to setup and develop their business. After its launch this programme has attracted thousands of investors into Singapore.
The success of the Global Investor Programme can be attributed to great teamwork. What started out as an internal EDB objective to review its entrepreneurship programme, became an interagency collaborative effort to develop a holistic programme that caters to global investors in terms of our entry policy for foreigners interested in doing business here. The GIP eases the way for foreign investors, entrepreneurs and business executives to set up and conduct businesses in Singapore. EDB will provide assistance in linking up foreign entrepreneurs and investors with local business networks, thus opening up more opportunities for business collaborations. This Programme comprises of four key schemes offering a range of immigration options for the investors, entrepreneurs, and business executives.

1. Permanent Residence for Investors

2. Multiple Journey visa

3. Social Visit Pass for Entrepreneurs

4. Entrepass

Permanent Residence for Investors: Under this scheme investors can seek permanent Residence status in Singapore and will be qualified if he/ she
Invest at least S$1 million in a new business startup or expansion of an existing business operation

or

Invest at least S$1.5 million in a new business startup, expansion of an existing operation, approved Singapore-incorporated venture capital fund or Singapore-incorporated foundation or trust that focuses on economic development

or

Invest at least S$2 million in a new business startup, expansion of an existing operation, approved Singapore-incorporated venture capital fund or Singapore-incorporated foundation or trust that focuses on economic development. Residential property can be purchased with not more than 50% of the investment amount.
Other investment vehicles such as venture capital funds, foundations or trusts, and/or private residential properties will be considered for application for Permanent Resident applications. Up to 50% of the investment can be in private residential properties, subject to foreign ownership restrictions under the Residential Property Act (RPA).
Multiple Journey visa facilitates the frequent entry of business executives from visa-requiring countries into Singapore. Multiple visits, each lasting up to 30 days, are allowed during the validity period of the visa which may be for 1,2 or 5 year depending on the prevailing ICA’s guidelines. The application has to be submitted along with a Letter of Introduction from a Singapore Registered company. This eliminates the Visa application for each visit. This will be of immense relief to investors who have to travel frequently to Singapore to attend to their business and investments.
Social Visit Pass for Entrepreneurs enables an applicant to stay in Singapore for 6 months, to explore business opportunities, conduct feasibility studies or complete negotiations. During the validity period the holder can leave and reenter Singapore without any hassle. The application for the SVP has to be furnished along with a support letter from the EDB. To obtain a Letter of Support from the EDB the applicant has to provide an overview of the business indicating Objective of your stay, area of business interest, Preliminary business idea, Target market , Development strategy & proposed timeline, Track record of previous business ventures ,if any, Relevant skills & work experiences. It normally takes 5 days for the letter of support to be issued by the EDB while the SVP will be issued by the ICA quite immediately on the day of submitting the application or on the following day.
Entrepass is designed to facilitate the entry and stay of entrepreneurs in Singapore to directly manage the business operations, and comes with an initial validity period of up to 2 years. It is renewable as long as the business remains viable and lucrative. The EntrePass also allows the applicant’s immediate family to live in Singapore while the successful applicants start and grow their business here. With the EntrePass a person can leave and re-enter Singapore frequently with ease. The lucrative nature of business and efficacy of the business plan are the primary criteria for the Entrepass. Normally it takes around six weeks to know the outcome of the application.

MM Lee says immigration is more viable, long-term solution

By Channel NewsAsia, 22 May 2009

TOKYO: Singapore's Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew, said India and China are the only countries in Asia that will not need to depend on exports to the US.
He also debunked views that the rest of Asia could have a consumer-led economy.
Mr Lee was speaking at the Nikkei Conference - an annual meeting in Tokyo attended by Asian leaders and academics.
"Asia Confronting Challenges, Pursuit of New Frontiers" is the theme of this year's Nikkei Conference.
Mr Lee is a regular guest at the forum, and on Friday, he gave his take on what some see as "common sense advice" on how to stimulate demand and boost the economy.
In the first three months of this year, Japan - the world's second largest economy - recorded its worst ever annualised GDP fall. The country also faces a fast aging population and declining birthrate - similar to the problems faced by Singapore.
Mr Lee said: "Unless you change man's attitudes, this declining birthrate will be a disaster for Japan and for Singapore. And it is happening all over Europe. So they are getting migrants from North Africa, Turkey, black Africa, Muslims, pagans, all sorts of new entrants.
"Japan doesn't want these immigrants. It is part of the culture of the country. In Singapore, if we have not taken immigrants, the economy would have become slothful."
Japan has only recently begun to hire foreign workers from Indonesia and the Philippines for jobs such as nurses and day-care workers. But Mr Lee said this will not solve the problem, and believes that immigration is a more viable, long-term solution.

Singapore Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate (EPEC)

It is common for people having experienced the Singapore life seeking employment Pass followed by Permanent Residence to sustain the quality living. Beyond education qualifications, Singapore also looks for those with relevant experience and/or specific skills that can add vibrancy and diversity, and meet the needs of our economy. As the nature and needs of the economy change, Singapore governmental policies seek to adjust the requirements accordingly to ensure that new Permanent Residents (PR) and Singapore Citizens (SCs) fit the relevant profile. Generally an applicant can seek Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate (EPEC) if:

• Have good educational background and professional working experience?
• Looking for a job in Singapore?

If you are a foreigner and would like to work in Singapore, you:

Have to first secure a job offer in Singapore;
Once you have a job offer, you need to apply for an Employment Pass;
Only upon approval of the employment pass you can start employment in Singapore.
The problem faced by most potential applicants are that many Singapore based companies are reluctant to offers foreigners a job unless they have secured their employment pass, because many companies just don’t want to go thru the application hassle. To address this problem for employers and employees, the Singapore government has introduced “EPEC” employment pass eligibility certificate.

This certificate from Singapore government entitles you to stay in Singapore and find a job for the following two reasons:

• You will be issued a 6-12 months visa to stay in Singapore and look for a job.
• Your prospective employer will have the assurance that you will be issued an employment pass if they decide to hire you.

The processing time for an employment pass eligibility certificate (epec) application is about 3-4 weeks from the date of submission. We can help you with the application of employment pass eligibility certificate.

EPEC Requirements:
We will need the following documents from you for application of employment eligibility certificate:
Copies of your educational certificates and transcripts
Passport copy
2 passport size photos
A copy of your Curriculum Vitae (CV)
All documents must be in English or official English translation is required.

Supporting social integration

TodayOnline.com, Monday • April 27, 2009

IT’S like getting married. Once a foreigner has made the decision to live in Singapore, then he or she is part of the family and together with citizens born locally, are in the same boat to build a brighter future for their children.
Giving this analogy during a community visit to Nee Soon on Sunday, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan said this is why the National Integration Council (NIC) will help foster integration efforts between new citizens and local-born citizens. The formation of the NIC, which is headed by Dr Balakrishnan, was announced in February.
Giving more details about the 20-member council, which is made up of seven Cabinet ministers and leaders from the community and private sector, Dr Balakrishnan said: “We (already) have a fair democratic society that’s a big plus point ... and we have already integrated HDB estates where all races live together.”
He added: “Even foreigners can see that Singapore is a working example of a united, cohesive society and we’ve already come a long way”.
However, he said this has only worked because of “top-down” Government policies and initiatives. “The formation of the National Integration Council and the fact its members are from the people and private sector is because I want to encourage a bottom-up approach to give people opportunities.”
The council will support collaborative social integration efforts and drive integration initiatives in schools, workplaces, the community, and through the media. It will also keep an eye on the progress of social integration, share best practices, and help resolve any problems that may arise.
The council, which will convene for its first meeting soon, will start by consulting the ground for feedback and ideas. The Government will then provide funding and support to implement these plans.
Meanwhile, Dr Balakrishnan said one of the most effective ways to achieve integration is to participate in grassroots activities as this will enable neighbours to get to know one another. “If we don’t spend time doing this, I worry with the rates of immigration we will have people emotionally anxious. Singapore is changing too rapidly”.
In recent years, the buoyant economy and the broadening of the eligibility criteria for citizenship and permanent residence in 2004 have boosted the ranks of new citizens and Permanent Residents.
“Singapore has to continue to change; this is our karma — to be an open global city constantly attracting talent. But even as we change, we need to reassure Singaporeans that is a place for citizens who always come first but we will always welcome those who commit to our cause. Even as we welcome newcomers, they will become part of the mainstream and they won’t be kept in separate ghettos,” he said.