Suchergebnisse

International migration has been part of Singapore since its foundation as a nation. Immigrants to Singapore include work pass holders, students, accompanying family members and permanent residents. Unlike immigrants, emigrants from Singapore are not obliged to apply for passes to exit the country, except for servicemen. The census collects data on foreigners in Singapore, while information on Singapore emigrants started to be collected in the 1990 census. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the Ministry of Manpower are the main sources of data on international migration, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore is the primary source of data on remittances. The main issue in Singapore is access to data produced by government agencies.

The changes in Singapore's recent policies toward emigration correspond with the growing importance given to Singaporean overseas business ventures. Moving from viewing emigration as brain drain and the decision to migrate as an act of disloyalty to the nation, recent statements by government officials have begun to identify the overseas community as a valuable link to the world economy. "Globalization" and more recently "regionalization" are the popular terms which indicate Singapore's current economic strategy of shifting from a focus on high technology, high value added industries to a program of building an external economy through overseas expansion and the promotion of offshore activities. The Singapore example suggests that, in an increasingly borderless world, the relationship between emigration, citizenship and national loyalty will require reconsideration.