SINGAPORE – An average of 1,200 Singaporeans have renounced their Singapore Citizenship (SC) each year from 2005 to 2015.
The annual SC renunciation rate remains low at under 0.1 per cent, said Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, Mr Teo Chee Hean, in a written reply to questions asked by Non-Constituency Member of Parliament, Mr Leon Perera to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Mr Teo had answered on behalf of PM Lee.
Mr Teo also said the most frequent reasons given for Singaporeans renouncing their citizenship include family-related reasons – such as marriage to a foreigner or to join their family members overseas, preference for a different lifestyle or environment, or career or business-related reasons.
“Our focus is to ensure that Singapore continues to be the best home for all Singaporeans. We will continue to develop an attractive living environment and a thriving economy which creates good jobs and opportunities for Singaporeans. We also want to strengthen Singaporeans’ bonds with each other, and build a strong sense of identity and belonging to the nation.
“We actively engage our Singaporeans who are studying or working overseas. Through efforts such as the Overseas Singaporean Unit’s programmes and initiatives, Singapore Day in selected cities overseas being one example, we seek to ensure that our overseas Singaporeans maintain a strong identity and remain connected and committed to Singapore’s future even while they are overseas,” added Mr Teo.
spanaech@sph.com.sg
