WHY THERE ARE SO MANY FOREIGN CARDBOARD COLLECTORS IN SINGAPORE

According to the Straits Times news report “Higher salary bar for foreigners seeking family visas” (Jul 22) – “From Sept 1, they will have to earn at least $5,000 a month if they want to apply for Dependant’s Passes (DPs) for their spouses and children to join them in Singapore. This is up from the current $4,000.

Those who want to bring their parents to Singapore on Long Term Visit Passes (LTVPs) face an even higher minimum salary bar of $10,000 a month, up from $8,000.

349,000 E & S-Pass holders

The move will affect foreigners on S Passes and Employment Passes (EPs). According to the MOM’s website, there were 178,900 people on EPs and 170,100 on S Passes as of December last year.

Minimum salary was only $2,800 for foreigner family visas

The minimum salaries for foreigners bringing in their families were last adjusted in 2012. Before that, S Pass holders who earned more than $2,800 and EP holders could bring in their spouses and children.”

Don’t you find the earlier criteria of just $2,800 income kind of low? It may be tough for a family with children to make ends meet. As foreigners would typically have to rent – it may not leave much for living expenses.

Some become cardboard collectors?

So, perhaps this may be a contributory reason for reports of foreigners increasingly competing with elderly Singaporean cardboard collectors and tissue sellers.

Compete unfairly for jobs?

Also, foreign dependents can apply for a Letter of Consent from MOM and compete with Singaporeans for jobs. Moreover, they are not counted in the foreign workers’ quota.

Foreigners grew 59%?

According to the Department of Statistics’ Monthly Digest of Statistics – the foreign population grew by about a whopping 59 per cent from 2008 to 1,598,985 in 2014.

PRs grew 18%?

PRs grew by about 18 per cent to 527,709.

Singaporeans grew 7%

Against this, Singaporeans only grew by about a paltry 7 per cent to 3,343,030.

In other words, non-citizens now comprise about 39 per cent (2,216,694) of the total population of 5,469,724.

348,654 new PRs, 153,923 new citizens

A total of 348,654 new PRs and 153,923 new citizens were granted from 2007 to 2014.

Win battles lose war