Singapore PR Application Support

What we charge, and what ICA charges

Most agency pages in this market will not tell you what they cost until you hand over your phone number. We would rather put it here, alongside the government fees, so you can work out the total before you speak to anyone.

Our fee

Our fee for preparing and submitting a Singapore permanent residence application is S$2,000 for a single applicant and S$2,500 for a family application. It is fixed in writing before any work starts, and it does not move once we have begun. We do not charge a percentage of the outcome and we do not charge a success fee. An adviser paid on approval has an interest in filing your application this year, whether or not this year is the right year, and that is a conflict we would rather not have.

What ICA charges

ICA’s fees are published and verifiable. They are separate from ours and are paid directly to ICA online, by card, internet banking or PayNow.

Table 1. ICA fees for a permanent residence application

When	Item	Amount
At submission	Application fee	S$100 for each application
At completion of formalities	Entry Permit	S$20
At completion of formalities	Five-year Re-Entry Permit	S$50
At completion of formalities	Singapore Identity Card	S$50
Later, on renewal	Re-Entry Permit	S$10 for every year, or part of a year, of the approved permit

All ICA fees are non-refundable. A refusal does not return the S$100. ICA also states that successful applicants will be notified of other applicable fees subsequently, so treat the figures above as the published baseline rather than a final total.

One point of honesty here, because several competitor pages state it differently. ICA’s published wording is “S$100 for each application”. ICA does not, on that page, publish a per-applicant breakdown for a family filing together. If more than one person is applying, confirm the amount the e-Service actually asks you to pay before you submit, and do not rely on a figure quoted by an agency, including us.

Costs that are not ours and not ICA’s

Two costs sit outside both fees. Official translation of any document not in English, and notarisation or embassy attestation where that is required. ICA accepts translations from the issuing country’s embassy, from a notary public in Singapore or in the issuing country, or a private translation attested by the embassy or notarised. ICA does not endorse any translation company. We do not mark these costs up and we do not take a commission on them. You pay the translator or the notary directly.

Who can apply for Singapore permanent residence

ICA publishes six eligibility categories. If you do not fall into one of them, you cannot apply, and no amount of preparation changes that.

Table 2. ICA’s published eligibility categories for permanent residence

Category	Who it covers	Who submits
Spouse	Spouse of a Singapore citizen or permanent resident	The citizen or PR spouse sponsors, using Singpass
Child	Unmarried child aged below 21, born within the context of a legal marriage to, or legally adopted by, a Singapore citizen or PR	The citizen or PR parent sponsors, using Singpass
Aged parent	Aged parent of a Singapore citizen who is at least 21 years old	The citizen child sponsors, using Singpass
Work pass holder	Holder of an Employment Pass or S Pass	The applicant, using their own Singpass
Student	Student studying in Singapore who has passed at least one national exam (PSLE, GCE N, O or A levels), or is in the Integrated Programme	The student if aged 15 or above, otherwise the non-Singpass option
Foreign investor	Foreign investor in Singapore	Via the Global Investor Programme, administered by EDB

Employment Pass and S Pass holders

This is the route most readers of this page will use. You apply for yourself with your own Singpass. Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can be included in the same application. This route is often called the Professionals, Technical personnel and Skilled workers scheme, or PTS, in commercial writing. ICA’s own eligibility page does not use that label, so if an agency quotes you “PTS criteria” as though they were published rules, ask where they are published.

Investors and the Global Investor Programme

ICA lists foreign investors as eligible but does not publish the criteria itself. It refers applicants to the Economic Development Board, which administers the Global Investor Programme and publishes the assessment criteria, the investment options and the application process. We do not handle Global Investor Programme applications and will tell you so at the first conversation. If you are a business owner looking at Singapore more generally, our affiliate Raffles Corporate Services handles incorporation and the resident director requirement.

The arts route

The Foreign Artistic Talent Scheme, known as ForArts, is administered jointly by the National Arts Council and ICA, with ICA remaining the final authority on the permanent residence decision. It does not appear as a separate line on ICA’s eligibility table, and applications go to the National Arts Council rather than through the ordinary e-Service. It is a narrow scheme for established arts professionals. We do not handle it.

Who cannot apply, and what to do instead

ICA’s list does not include Work Permit holders, Dependant’s Pass holders or Long-Term Visit Pass holders in their own right. Holding one of those passes is not itself a route to permanent residence. A Dependant’s Pass or Long-Term Visit Pass holder who is married to a Singapore citizen or permanent resident applies under the spouse category, sponsored by that spouse. A Dependant’s Pass holder married to an Employment Pass holder has no route until either the pass position or the family position changes. We would rather say this plainly at the enquiry stage than take a fee for an application that cannot be filed.

What ICA weighs

ICA publishes the factors it takes into account and does not publish a score, a weighting or a threshold. The factors are the individual’s family ties to Singaporeans, economic contributions, qualifications, age, family profile and length of residency. ICA uses these to assess the applicant’s ability to contribute to Singapore, to integrate into society, and their commitment to sinking roots here.

Read that list carefully, because it is the whole of what ICA says. Any agency presenting you with a points table, a percentage or an approval score has built it themselves. It may be a reasonable summary of what they have seen, but it is not ICA’s, and it has no standing.

Table 3. ICA’s stated assessment factors, and what typically evidences each

Factor, as ICA states it	What the file usually shows
Family ties to Singaporeans	Marriage to a citizen or PR, citizen or PR children, citizen parents or siblings
Economic contributions	Employment letter, six months of payslips, income tax assessments, business records if self-employed
Qualifications	Certificates and transcripts, skill certificates, professional licences, membership certificates
Age	Passport and birth records
Family profile	Marital status, children, non-applying spouse, previous marriages and custody position
Length of residency	Pass history, time actually spent in Singapore, continuity of employment here

Should you apply now, or wait?

This is the question most people should be asking and almost nobody sells an answer to. ICA does not publish a minimum time in Singapore, a minimum salary or a minimum age. It also charges S$100 that you will not get back, and a refusal sits in your record.

Signs your profile is probably ready

You have held your pass for a reasonable stretch and your employment here has been continuous. Your income has been stable or rising and your tax assessments match your payslips. You have spent your time in Singapore rather than largely abroad on a Singapore pass. Your family position is settled and documented, meaning marriages, divorces, custody and children are all evidenced. Your documents are complete, in English or properly translated, and consistent with one another.

Signs you should strengthen the profile first

You changed employer very recently, or you are in a probation period. Your income dropped in the most recent tax year and there is no explanation in the file. You have spent most of the last two years working outside Singapore on a Singapore pass. A previous application was refused and nothing material has changed since. Your marriage is recent and the relationship is thinly evidenced. Key documents are missing, in another language and untranslated, or contradict each other.

What usually changes in twelve months

A further year of residence and a further year of tax assessments. A completed probation and a confirmed role. A salary increase that is visible in the CPF and tax record rather than only in an offer letter. A qualification finished and certified. A family position that has settled and been registered. None of these is a guarantee of anything. All of them are things ICA can see and a strong file can show.

If we look at your position and conclude you should wait, we will say so, and we will tell you what to work on. If we think your case speaks for itself and you would do just as well filing it yourself through ICA’s e-Service, we will tell you that too. An adviser who never says no is not assessing anything.

Why PR applications are refused

ICA does not give reasons for a refusal. What follows is not a list of official grounds, because no such list exists. It is the pattern we see in the files that come to us after a refusal.

Applying too early

A short time in Singapore, a recent job change, or a pass held for only a few months gives ICA very little to assess on length of residency and economic contribution. The application is not wrong. It is simply thin.

Inconsistency across the file

A name spelled differently on the passport and the birth certificate. Employment dates in the form that do not match the employment letter. A salary in the form that does not match the payslips. Each on its own is small. Together they make the file look unreliable, and a file that looks unreliable is a file an assessor has to work harder to believe.

Submitting the wrong tax document

ICA’s checklist asks for the income tax assessment for applicants working overseas. People routinely submit a statement of account, which shows what has been paid, rather than the notice of assessment, which shows what was assessed. They are different documents and they answer different questions.

Untranslated or improperly translated documents

ICA requires certified true copies and official translations for anything not in English, and is specific about who may translate. An embassy of the issuing country, a notary public in Singapore or in the issuing country, or a private translation attested by that embassy or notarised. A translation from an unrecognised source is not a minor defect. ICA states plainly that insufficient documentation may result in an application not being accepted.

Incomplete documentation

Missing payslips, an employment letter dated more than three months before the application, no transcripts behind the certificates, no custody papers where there has been a divorce. ICA may ask for further documents, but a file that arrives complete does not depend on that.

Reapplying without changing anything

The most common pattern of all. A refusal, then a fresh application a few months later with the same facts, the same documents and a slightly different covering letter. Nothing material has changed, so there is no reason for a different outcome.

How we work with you

Six steps, and the first one is free.

Step 1. Profile review, and a straight verdict

We go through your pass history, employment, income, family position and documents, and we give you one of three answers: file now, strengthen the profile first, or this is not a route that is open to you. You get the two things that most weaken the file and what to do about them. There is no charge and no obligation, and if the verdict is that you should file it yourself, that is what we will say.

Step 2. A fixed fee and a written scope

If you decide to proceed, you get the fee and the scope in writing before any work starts. What is included, what is not, and what you will pay ICA separately.

Step 3. Documents

We work from ICA’s own document checklist, mapped to your circumstances, and we tell you which documents need certified copies, which need translation, and who is permitted to translate them. This is the stage that takes the longest and it is the stage that determines the quality of the file.

Step 4. Preparing the application

We prepare the application content and check every figure and date against the underlying documents, so the form, the employment letter, the payslips and the tax assessments all say the same thing.

Step 5. Submission

The application is submitted through ICA’s e-Service. Every person added as an applicant has to review the form and provide their declaration using their own Singpass, or the unique credentials ICA issues to those not eligible for Singpass. Singpass account approval can take two to five working days, so this is worth starting early. Where there is a sponsor, the sponsor logs in and sponsors the application.

Step 6. Queries and the outcome

ICA may ask for further documents. We handle that exchange. ICA notifies the outcome by email, and the status can also be checked through MyICA or the e-Service.

Table 4. Our time and ICA’s time, kept separate

Stage	Typical duration	Who controls it
Profile review and verdict	Within 2 business days of receiving your information	Us
Document collection	Usually 2 to 6 weeks, longer where translation is needed	You, with our checklist
Preparation and checking	1 to 2 weeks after documents are complete	Us
Declarations by every applicant	A few days, longer if a Singpass account is still pending	You and your family
ICA processing	Within 6 months, some applications longer	ICA

What you will need to prepare

ICA publishes a document checklist for permanent residence. The table below follows it. Every document must be a certified true copy of the original, with an official translation where it is not in English.

Table 5. ICA’s document checklist, summarised

Group	Documents
Personal	Recent colour digital photograph, 400 by 514 pixels, full face, white background, no headgear unless worn habitually for religious or racial reasons. Passport or travel document. Birth certificate or household register, where the birth was not registered in Singapore. Adoption papers where relevant.
Family	Marriage certificate where the marriage was not registered in Singapore. Separation deed. Deed poll or religious certificate for a change of name. Divorce certificates including the certificate of making interim judgment final. Death certificate of a spouse or child from a previous marriage. Letter of consent from an ex-spouse for a minor under joint custody. Custody papers for children from a previous marriage.
Education	Educational certificates and transcripts. Skill certificates or professional licences. Membership certificates.
Employment	Letter of employment from your current employer, dated no more than three months before the online application, stating occupation, date of employment, and basic and gross monthly salary. Payslips for the last six months. The last three years of income tax assessments or receipts if working overseas. If self-employed, the latest ACRA business registration certificate and the last three years of balance sheets and profit and loss statements.
Aged parent applications	For non-applying children: birth certificate or household register where the birth was not registered in Singapore, the latest income tax assessment or receipt if working overseas, and the latest month’s payslip.

ICA notes that it may contact the main applicant or sponsor for other supporting documents that are not on the checklist.

Applying as a family, and National Service

Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can be included in your application. A non-applying spouse still has to provide documents, because ICA assesses the family profile.

National Service, stated as ICA states it

This is the part families most often get wrong, and it is worth reading the official position rather than a summary of it.

Under the Enlistment Act 1970, all male Singapore citizens and permanent residents, unless exempted, are required to serve National Service. ICA states that all male applicants who are granted citizenship or permanent residence as a foreign student or under their parents’ sponsorship are liable for National Service. They register on reaching sixteen and a half, and are enlisted at the earliest opportunity on reaching eighteen. MINDEF allows students to complete qualifications up to A levels, a polytechnic diploma or an equivalent pre-tertiary qualification first. MINDEF does not grant deferment for university studies, whether or not those studies have already begun, and a young man granted status partway through a degree will have to disrupt it to enlist if he cannot finish before his enlistment date.

ICA’s PR application page does not publish a general exemption for first-generation permanent residents. MINDEF has stated in Parliament that first-generation permanent residents are administratively exempted, but that is MINDEF’s statement, not an ICA rule on the application page, and it does not extend to sons who obtain PR under their parents’ sponsorship. ICA directs all male applicants to CMPB for information on National Service before proceeding with an application, and that is the right place to check your family’s specific position.

On renunciation, ICA is blunt. Renouncing or losing permanent residence without serving or completing full-time National Service will have a serious adverse impact on any future application to work or study in Singapore or for any long-term immigration facility. It will also adversely affect family members’ applications, their ability to sponsor, their Re-Entry Permit renewals and their citizenship applications. Defaulting on National Service obligations is an offence carrying a fine of up to S$10,000, imprisonment of up to three years, or both.

If you have a son approaching sixteen and a half, the National Service position should be part of the decision about when to apply, not something you discover afterwards. Where the question is genuinely legal rather than procedural, we refer it to an independent Singapore law firm under a separate engagement.

If your application was refused

You may appeal through ICA’s appeal e-Service, and only if you have a rejected application. ICA does not accept appeals in person, by email or by post. The sponsor of the rejected application submits the appeal using Singpass. If there was no sponsor, the main applicant submits it. If the original application was filed without Singpass, the appeal must come from the same email address.

ICA states that each appeal is assessed on its own merits and considers the same factors as the original application: family ties to Singapore citizens, economic contributions, qualifications, age, family profile and length of residency. ICA does not publish a processing time for appeals and says processing times may vary.

The practical question is whether anything has changed. An appeal that restates the original application with better prose is unlikely to achieve much. An appeal supported by genuinely new material, a completed year of assessment, a confirmed and better-paid role, a document that was missing or wrongly translated the first time, is a different proposition. Where nothing has changed, our advice is usually to wait, build the position and file properly later. We will look at a previously refused case and tell you which of those two situations you are in.

Keeping PR status: the Re-Entry Permit

Permanent residence is not unconditional and it is not permanent in the ordinary sense of the word. A Re-Entry Permit is issued when permanent residence is granted, and a valid one is required whenever a permanent resident travels out of Singapore. Leave or remain overseas without one and the status is lost.

Under the Immigration Act 1959, and with effect from 1 December 2025, a permanent resident loses PR status if they left Singapore without a valid Re-Entry Permit and did not apply for one within 180 days of departure, or if the permit expired while they were overseas and they did not apply within 180 days of that expiry. Applying within the 180 days is not enough on its own: a rejected application means the status is lost even if the person has since returned to Singapore.

Renewal is done online using Singpass within the three months before expiry, and the fee is S$10 for every year, or part of a year, of the approved permit, with a separate fee for each permit issued. The new permit is not an extension of the old one, and its validity runs from the date of issue after payment. ICA’s general processing time is within one week. If you get a new passport of the same nationality, the permit details have to be transferred to it.

Conditions attach to the permit itself. Since 1 December 2025 ICA has imposed or varied conditions allowing a permit to be cancelled where the holder breaches a condition, is found by a court or other competent authority to have contravened any law, or in the Controller of Immigration’s opinion has behaved in an undesirable manner. Cancellation of the Entry Permit and Re-Entry Permit means revocation of permanent residence.

Renouncing permanent residence

A permanent resident who is leaving Singapore permanently may renounce. If the main applicant renounces, every dependant who obtained status under that sponsorship, meaning a spouse and children under 21, must renounce at the same time. A child aged 21 or over who obtained status under a parent’s sponsorship makes a separate application. Someone who has already lost PR status by remaining outside Singapore without a valid Re-Entry Permit does not need to apply to renounce. ICA’s general processing time is up to four weeks, and an applicant who is in Singapore is issued a thirty-day Visit Pass once the renunciation completes. National Service liable male permanent residents, and the sponsor where applicable, must complete the MINDEF acknowledgement form, and the Government reserves the right to reject or withhold a renunciation where there are outstanding National Service obligations or unresolved matters with government agencies.

After PR: Singapore citizenship

Permanent residence is usually the step before citizenship rather than an end in itself. ICA’s published position is that an adult may apply for citizenship after being a permanent resident for at least two years, aged 21 and above, together with a PR spouse and unmarried children under 21. A person who has been a PR for at least two years and married to a Singapore citizen for at least two years may apply on that basis, sponsored by the citizen spouse. Citizenship applications are processed within twelve months. The submission fee is S$100 for each application, with S$70 for the citizenship certificate and S$10 for the identity card on completion of formalities. Applicants aged 16 to 60 must complete the Singapore Citizenship Journey programme. We cover the detail on our Singapore citizenship application page.

Timing and fees at a glance

Table 6. Summary

Item	Position
Our fee	S$2,000 for a single applicant and S$2,500 for a family application, fixed in writing before work starts
ICA fee at submission	S$100 for each application, non-refundable
ICA fees on approval	S$20 Entry Permit, S$50 five-year Re-Entry Permit, S$50 Identity Card
Not included in our fee	Translation, notarisation, embassy attestation, paid direct to the provider
Our preparation time	Typically 3 to 8 weeks, driven mostly by document collection
ICA processing time	Within 6 months, some applications longer
Citizenship processing time	Within 12 months
Appeal	Through ICA’s appeal e-Service only, no published processing time
Success fee or commission	None. We do not charge a percentage of the outcome
Guarantee	None. ICA decides every application

Why work with us

Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd is an employment agency licensed by the Ministry of Manpower, EA Licence 19C9790. We work on Singapore work passes, family passes and immigration applications from our office at 151 Chin Swee Road, Manhattan House.

What the licence does and does not mean

An employment agency licence is issued by MOM and governs employment agency work. It is not an ICA requirement and it does not give anyone standing with ICA. What it does mean is that we are a regulated, inspected and accountable business with a number you can check, rather than an unlicensed operator. ICA states plainly that it has no affiliation with any external migration agency or commercial entity, does not support or endorse immigration consultancy services, and is not responsible for any loss arising from engaging one. We agree with all of that, and we would be suspicious of any agency that implied otherwise.

What we will not do

We publish no approval rate, no success rate and no guarantee, because we cannot substantiate one and neither can anybody else. ICA does not publish approval rates by agency, by nationality or by profile, so any figure you are shown has been produced by the agency showing it to you. We will not produce an unofficial score for your profile and call it an assessment. We will not take a case we think should not be filed this year.

What you should ask any agency, including us

Is the fee fixed, and is it in writing before work starts? What exactly does it include? What do I pay ICA, and when? Do you charge any percentage of the outcome? Is anything refundable if ICA refuses? Who will actually handle my file? And, most usefully: under what circumstances would you tell me not to apply? An agency that cannot answer that last one has not been assessing anyone.

Our wider immigration work is described on our immigration services page.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a PR application agency charge in Singapore?

Fees in this market are not standardised and several agencies do not publish them at all. Ours is S$2,000 for a single applicant and S$2,500 for a family application, fixed in writing before any work starts, with ICA’s fees paid separately and directly to ICA. Ask any agency for the figure in writing before you engage them, and ask whether it moves.

What does ICA charge, and is it refundable?

S$100 for each application at submission. On approval, S$20 for the Entry Permit, S$50 for a five-year Re-Entry Permit and S$50 for the Singapore Identity Card. All ICA fees are non-refundable, including where the application is refused. ICA states that successful applicants will be notified of other applicable fees subsequently.

How long does ICA take to decide a PR application?

ICA states that applications are processed within six months where all required documents have been submitted and are in order, and that some applications may take longer. That clock starts at submission, not at the point you engage an adviser.

Can any agency guarantee PR approval?

No. ICA decides every application on its own assessment and no agency has any influence over that decision. ICA states that it has no affiliation with any external migration agency or commercial entity and does not endorse immigration consultancy services. Treat a guarantee, a quoted approval rate or a percentage score as a reason for caution.

Do I need an agency at all, or can I apply myself?

You can apply yourself. ICA’s e-Service is open to you directly and you do not need anyone’s permission or introduction. What an adviser can add is a view on whether this is the right year, a document strategy, and a file that is complete and internally consistent. If your case is straightforward and your documents are in order, filing it yourself is a perfectly sensible choice, and we will tell you so if that is our view.

How long should I be in Singapore before I apply?

ICA does not publish a minimum period of residence, a minimum salary or a minimum age. Length of residency is one of the factors ICA says it weighs, alongside family ties, economic contributions, qualifications, age and family profile. Anyone who quotes you a specific number of years as an ICA rule is quoting something ICA has not published.

Can I apply if I hold a Work Permit, Dependant’s Pass or LTVP?

Not on the strength of that pass. ICA’s eligibility list covers spouses and children of citizens and permanent residents, aged parents of citizens, Employment Pass and S Pass holders, qualifying students and foreign investors. A Dependant’s Pass or Long-Term Visit Pass holder married to a Singapore citizen or permanent resident applies under the spouse category, sponsored by that spouse.

Will my son have to serve National Service?

If he is granted permanent residence under your sponsorship, ICA states that he is liable for National Service. He registers at sixteen and a half and is enlisted at the earliest opportunity from eighteen, after pre-tertiary education. MINDEF does not grant deferment for university studies. ICA directs all male applicants to CMPB before applying, and that is where to confirm your family’s position.

How many times can I reapply after a refusal?

ICA does not publish a limit on the number of applications, a minimum waiting period between them, or a reason for any individual refusal. What matters is whether the facts have changed. Filing again with the same profile, the same income and the same documents gives ICA nothing new to assess.

Do you have any connection to ICA?

No. We are an employment agency licensed by the Ministry of Manpower, EA Licence 19C9790. ICA has no affiliation with any external migration agency or commercial entity, does not endorse immigration consultancy services, and is not responsible for any loss arising from engaging one. You may apply directly to ICA yourself.

What happens to my PR status if I move overseas?

You need a valid Re-Entry Permit to leave and return as a permanent resident. From 1 December 2025, a permanent resident who leaves without a valid permit, or whose permit expires while they are abroad, loses PR status if they do not apply within 180 days, and also loses it if that application is refused. Renewal is online within the three months before expiry, at S$10 for every year or part of a year of the permit granted.

Can my spouse and children apply with me?

Yes. A spouse and unmarried children under 21 can be included. A non-applying spouse still has to provide documents, because ICA assesses the family profile. Where a marriage or a birth was not registered in Singapore, the certificate is required, with a proper translation if it is not in English.

Talk to us about your PR application

Send us your pass history, how long you have been in Singapore, your current role and salary, and whether family will apply with you. We will come back with a verdict: file now, strengthen the profile first, or this route is not open to you. There is no charge for that and no obligation.

Contact our team about a Singapore PR application.

Official sources

• ICA: Becoming a Permanent Resident
• ICA: Document checklist for permanent residence (PDF)
• ICA: Apply for or renew a Re-Entry Permit
• ICA: Entry Permit and Re-Entry Permit conditions
• ICA: Renunciation of permanent residence
• ICA: Appeal for citizenship, permanent residence or long-term visit pass
• ICA: Becoming a Singapore Citizen
• ICA: Applying through commercial entities or consultants
• EDB: Global Investor Programme
• National Arts Council: Foreign Artistic Talent Scheme (ForArts)
• CMPB: National Service liability and enlistment

ICA figures checked on 15 September 2026. ICA decides every permanent residence application on its own assessment, and neither this page nor our service affects that decision. We make no approval-rate claim and no guarantee. This page is general information and not legal advice. See our legal and referral information.