Over 11,700 foreign spouses of S’poreans on LTVP last year: Iswaran

SINGAPORE: Last year, there were 11,736 foreign spouses of Singapore citizens who were on Long—Term Visit Pass (LTVP), including Long—Term Visit Pass Plus.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade and Industry, S Iswaran, shared the information in Parliament on Tuesday.

He said 37 per cent of them had stayed in Singapore for more than three years, while 30 per cent stayed for less than a year.

Mr Iswaran was replying to questions by MP for Pasir Ris—Punggol GRC Zainal Sapari and Nominated MP R Dhinakaran.

The Long—Term Visit Pass Plus was introduced for foreign spouses who do not yet qualify for permanent residence.

Mr Iswaran said applications for Long—Term Visit Pass—Plus are considered holistically.

He added: "There may be a number of reasons such as the employment status of the Singaporean spouse as to why the application may be unsuccessful. In such cases, the foreign spouse will be on a LTVP in the interim period until he or she is eligible for an LTVP plus."

— CNA/al