Applying for Singapore PR is a long and tedious process as the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will have to take a few factors such as your economic contributions and educational qualifications into consideration, while the preparation of documents can be intensive at the same time.
After submitting the application, you are left to worry about whether it gets approved. While this woe is completely valid, you can always do something to boost your chances of securing a Singapore PR by including a cover letter in your application.
Writing a cover letter for your PR application in Singapore has benefits such as showcasing your enthusiasm about contributing to our little red dot, highlighting your capabilities and helping you to stand out amongst thousands of applicants.
If you are unsure about how to write a convincing and strong cover letter, these tips may be helpful. Read on to find out more.
Singapore PR Application Tips for your Cover Letter
Header at the top of your Cover Letter
Conceptualising and writing a cover letter for your PR application is actually quite similar to the one you use to apply for a job. Hence, always start off with a header that includes your full name, date and ICA’s address.
State your reasons for applying for Singapore PR
Next, you want to ensure that the introduction of your cover letter is compelling. Just like how you would state your reasons for applying for a job, the same should be done when applying for Singapore PR.
Remember then that, as with a job application, the focus is not on how badly you want to be a Singapore permanent resident and how much you love Singapore, but instead on how making you a Singapore permanent resident will benefit Singapore and your local Singaporean community. Obviously, some mention can be made of what a Singapore PR status would mean to you, but it should never be the focus of your personalised cover letter.
ICA evaluates each application based on the individual’s family ties in Singapore, family profile, age, qualifications, economic contributions, and length of residency to assess their suitability.
Thus, highlighting any reasons tied to these considerations may help to make your cover letter stronger. For instance, you may want to state that you are applying for Singapore PR so as to be with your spouse or to invest or start a business that will contribute to Singapore’s economy, or even better so that you and your spouse can start a family in Singapore.
Include your background, qualifications and accomplishments in your Cover Letter
Listing down all your career experience and qualifications is a great way to show that you are ready to do your part for Singapore. Instead of including vague descriptions, make sure you provide explanations of your nature of work and the skills (communication, leadership, teamwork) that you have gained. It can also be beneficial to include recommendation letters from your past employers or even your current employer. You can briefly mention any promotions that you have gotten at work to help the ICA officer ascertain that you will be an asset to Singapore.
It will also be good to include mentions of any certificates or training that has helped to upgrade your skills or licenses in fields that are in high demand when writing your cover letter.
Include mentions of any applicable charitable works in your Cover Letter
Showing that you are capable of and interested in giving back to society will also help to enhance your Singapore PR application. This includes mentioning any volunteer works and donations but do take note that one-time contributions may come off as frivolous and can instead make a bad impression. Remember to only include them if you have been and are planning to continue doing charitable works even after securing a Singapore PR.
Conclusion to your Cover Letter
Do not end off your cover letter for your PR application abruptly! It is advisable to always include a conclusion in which you bring up the fact that you have attached all relevant documents with your application.
It is also important to thank the ICA officer for taking the time to read your cover letter and review your application.
Some other things to keep in mind when writing your cover letter include keeping the content to one page, making use of bullet points for clear and succinct writing, and proofreading it before submitting it to ensure it is error-free.
Consult a PR application agency in Singapore
With all that said, you can still consider consulting a PR application agency in Singapore to assist you throughout the entire process, from submitting your application to writing a professional cover letter.
Here at Singapore Professional Immigration Consultancy, our consultants are committed to helping you enhance your PR application to the best of their ability. Reach out to us to get a free consultation today!
Purpose of a Cover Letter
Previously, first impressions to ICA officers were made through face-to-face interviews for the purpose of Singapore PR application, but since the face-to-face interviews no longer take place, the only opportunity that an ICA officer has for a first impression is through reading cover letters. This means that in order to provide ICA officers with an accurate bird’s eye view of who you are as a person requires a personalised cover letter.
The cover letter serves to draw attention to relevant factors within your permanent residence application. It is usually a one-page document in PDF format that includes our contact details and other relevant factors that might be of interest to the Checkpoints Authority (ICA). You can mention supporting documents that were attached to your permanent residence application, but you must also make reference to how you add to Singapore society in general and your local community specifically, your financial stability, family members that are in Singapore or who want to join you, that you have a stable job, relevant skills, even soft skills that are in demand in Singapore that is applicable to your profile and any additional training you have undergone since completing your primary educational qualification.
Your cover letter should convey confidence, indicate positive social integration, be written in your own words, and be an orderly presentation of relevant thoughts that are extremely helpful and easy to follow by immigration services. It is basically a sales pitch to the reviewing officer who will be reviewing your permanent residence application.
It is best that such letters be spell-checked and checked for grammar. Most software programs will have functions to this effect included, but it might be pertinent to hire a professional service, such as SPIC, where such services are included. This kind of attention to detail makes it more likely that the person reviewing your Singapore permanent residence application will respond positively.
The selection process that a reviewing officer follows is extremely strict, so having all of your supporting documents in order and having a strong application is essential, but so is having a properly drafted cover letter. Remember that Singapore permanent residence is one step closer to Singapore citizenship, and even when Singapore citizenship is not your ultimate goal, having PR can be largely beneficial in the long run.
PR Application Process
In recent years it has become more and more difficult to be granted PR status as the demand for those coveted PR vacancy slots has increased, and Singapore authorities have become more strict about entrance requirements for such applications. Furthermore, PR applications are now exclusively submitted online.
The online PR application form removes some risk of written errors, but it becomes difficult to follow if you are unfamiliar with its contents, and there is an increased risk of making incomplete submissions due to the cut-off time. Once the Singapore PR application is started online, you only have seven days in which to complete it before it automatically submits. Therefore we always strongly advise that you prepare all your additional documents in advance and already have responses to questions ready so as to avoid the risk of submitting anything incomplete or with errors.
The Singapore PR application process entails various different steps, and there is a need for an exceptional application in order for PR approval to be granted. Most individuals apply through the PTS scheme, which is heavily reliant on professional experience and educational qualifications. It is not enough to just meet the minimum requirements as you will face tough competition. Applicants must far exceed the requirements before they can expect the Singapore Immigration Checkpoint Authority to grant them Singapore PR status.
A professional consultancy such as SPIC can assist with greatly improving your chances of PR approval through the PTS scheme or any other application scheme. We have assisted with hundreds of successful applications submitted to the new e-PR system, and hundreds of applicants have been granted permanent residency with our help.
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