Minister Indranee Rajah on how Singapore is fostering public understanding towards immigration

The minister shared three ways the Government tackling concerns and queries around enhancing understanding and support for immigration as a supplement to Singapore's population.

With Singapore’s low fertility rate and ageing population, the nation continues to maintain its population size through immigration, which helps prevent long-term decline in its citizen numbers.

Speaking on behalf of Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and National Development, Indranee Rajah, tackled a Parliamentary query on whether the Government plans to introduce further initiatives to strengthen public understanding and support for immigration.

Minister Indranee shared three ways in which the Government is addressing these concerns: 

First, she shared, Singapore is keeping the pace of immigration measured and stable, and is careful to grant Permanent Residency and Singapore Citizenship to those who can contribute to Singapore, integrate well, and are committed to sinking their roots here.

"The majority of the immigrants we take in are of working age and contribute meaningfully to our economy. Many of them share family ties with Singaporeans or have studied, worked, or lived in Singapore for some time. We continually review our immigration framework to ensure it remains relevant to our social context," she added. 

Next, programmes have been made to help immigrants to adapt to local norms and way of life. citing programmes such as the mandatory Singapore Citizenship Journey exercise, in which new citizens will have to undergo in order to improve their understanding of Singapore’s history, norms and values.

Other initiatives that the Minister shared were: 

1.  The People’s Association and its nationwide network of over 1,500 Integration and Naturalisation Champions drives integration efforts at the local level, and fosters good relations between new citizens and their Singaporean neighbours.
2. The National Integration Council (NIC), established in 2009, coordinates and encourages integration efforts across the public, people, and private sectors by offering resources such as the Unity in Diversity resource kit and the Community Integration Fund to support ground-up integration initiatives.

Last, Minister Indranee affirmed how Singapore fosters an understanding of immigration through public education and communication efforts. 

"For example, our students learn about the value of integration and harmony through National Education in schools, and through events such as International Friendship Day." 

Additionally, through Social Studies lessons, students will explore what it means to live in a diverse society, and how they can strengthen social cohesion and contribute to harmony. In History lessons, they will learn to appreciate the contributions of Singapore’s forefathers — from its development as a British port city to its transformation into a nation-state in 1965.

"Integration is ultimately a two-way process that takes time and effort. While immigrants need to make an effort to integrate and adapt to local ways of life, it is equally important for Singaporeans to be understanding and welcoming, and support our new neighbours, friends and colleagues in becoming part of Singapore society."

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