If you’re a Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR), you’ll eventually have to renew your status before it expires in 2 years time. There are several steps you can take to make the renewal process as simple and easy as possible. Here are the most important tips!
Step 1 – Gather all your documents
Make sure you have all your documents together. This includes passport, birth certificate, NRIC (if you’re a Singapore citizen), work permit and long-term visit pass if applicable, marriage certificate (if applicable), child’s birth certificate (if applicable), housing application form and related documents and any other personal information that is requested by IRAS in their eServices portal. You will also need to submit a recent colour photo of yourself with a white background that can be scanned in at high resolution. The clearer your photo is, the faster IRAS will process your application. Colour or black-and-white are both acceptable formats for photos but do note that there should be no shadows on you or your surroundings; otherwise it may affect processing time.
Step 2 – Have you been overseas?
If you’ve been outside Singapore for an extended period of time, such as 12 months or more, you will need to show that you have a qualifying residential status for a long enough period of time (such as one year). This is called presence. If it has been less than one year since your last visit to Singapore, show evidence that your overseas stay was for genuine purposes and wasn’t just a stopover. For example, if you were working in Sydney but have moved back home with your family to start your own business in Singapore. The best way to demonstrate presence is by having a permanent residence permit from another country or obtaining an employment pass. Otherwise, submit evidence like bank statements showing where you’ve lived overseas.
Step 3 – Receiving your reminders
After you submit your post for review, we will send you email reminders about things like when your guest post is scheduled to go live and what you need to do next. If you don’t respond in a timely manner, we’ll automatically reject your post. Step 4 – It’s time! Let’s look at what an example of one of these notification emails would look like: Example 1 (the good one): Subject: It’s almost time! My submission has been accepted and scheduled for review. It’s very important that I set aside some time on [Friday], August 14th between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Step 4 – Visit ImmiAccount to submit your application
The easiest way to submit your renewal application is by using ImmiAccount, which is a digital service that allows you to apply for various kinds of Singapore immigration and travel documents online, including visas, permits and certifications. You can sign up for an account on ImmiAccount with SingPass, so make sure you’ve got it handy when you start renewing your PR status. If you don’t have SingPass, visit Singapore’s SingPass website and create an account. There are also other ways to pay for your renewal application if you don’t have SingPass—just visit Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints
Step 5 – Receive acknowledgement
Yes, what you’ve written is a product worthy of someone’s hard-earned money. They aren’t necessarily interested in buying at that moment, but simply knowing your product exists can move them closer to pulling out their credit card (if you end up writing content for business-to-business marketing purposes). What matters most here is that you sent a very clear message with one goal: providing value and increasing relevance to potential customers who could be interested in your products or services. But did you know…There’s always room for improvement… Conduct another round of A/B testing: Follow the same steps as before, only try removing specific parts of your post (the intro or conclusion) and see how these change impact your click-through rate.
Step 6 – Sign and send back your affidavit form
It’s important to sign and send back your affidavit form immediately, so that you can prove you’re still eligible for permanent residency. If you’re renewing your PR as a couple, both of you need to sign it. Remember: if one spouse or partner dies before his/her PR expires, his/her family members will not be allowed to inherit it. That’s why it’s crucial for all partners in a marriage or de facto relationship to ensure their status is renewed on time. You can also find out more about Singapore Permanent Resident Renewal online at this website.
Step 7 – Wait for ACS to get back to you
This is where it gets exciting. If you did everything correctly, you should receive an email from ACS within a few days. In my case, I received mine in exactly one day! It’s not uncommon for it to take up to seven days, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t hear back right away. So what do they say? Thank you very much for your interest in our organization. That’s right, it’s nothing earth-shattering… but hey – we’ve earned a thank you by making sure our application looks good and doesn’t make them want to chuckle at how obvious some people are! You may also be invited to apply online the easiest way as opposed to mailing everything in. Again, go with whatever is easiest for you.
