NEW APPLICATION PROCESS
From Dec 1, a permanent resident who is outside of Singapore without a valid re-entry permit will have a prescribed period of 180 days to apply for one, before their PR status is lost, said the ministry.
The period starts from Dec 1 if the permanent resident is outside Singapore without a valid re-entry permit on that date.
In other cases, this period starts on the date on which the permanent resident is first outside Singapore without a valid re-entry permit.
Permanent residents will have their status retained if they submit their re-entry permit application within the 180 days and it is approved.
Those who fail to apply for a re-entry permit within the prescribed period will lose their PR status the day after this period ends, regardless of whether they have returned to Singapore or are still overseas.
Permanent residents who apply within the prescribed period but fail to have their re-entry permit application approved will lose their PR status the day after their application is rejected, said MHA.
Permanent residents will retain their status during the prescribed period, or beyond, when their re-entry permit application outcome is still pending. This applies even if they are outside of Singapore without a valid re-entry permit during this time.
Those without a valid re-entry permit will still be allowed to re-enter Singapore during the prescribed period if they meet ICA’s usual assessment at Singapore’s immigration checkpoints, said the ministry.
“These individuals will be issued a PR’s single-entry pass for their re-entry into Singapore,” it said.
The ministry added that the amendments made it clear that permanent residents must apply for a re-entry permit within 180 days of being outside Singapore without a valid one, failing which they will lose their PR status.
With this revised process, there will no longer be an avenue for reinstatement once a permanent resident loses their status, said MHA.
Those who lose their PR status may submit a fresh application if they are eligible to do so, it added.
“We encourage permanent residents to obtain a new re-entry permit or to renew their expiring re-entry permit in a timely manner before travelling out of Singapore, to minimise the risk of losing their PR status.”
ICA will also be updating the entry permit conditions for all permanent residents. The updated conditions will be published on the ICA website on Dec 1.
In accordance with the Immigration (Amendment) Act, permanent residents who were not previously issued an entry permit will be given one that includes the updated conditions by Dec 1, said MHA.
According to the ministry, those who were granted PR status before 1987, or were born locally before 2005, were not previously issued with an entry permit for legacy reasons.
