My Singapore Citizenship Application Journey (July 2017 to December 2019)

I have been residing in Singapore for more than 13 years before I decided to apply for Singapore Citizenship. I first received my Singapore PR in my early 30s and at that time, I did not have the desire to become a Singaporean. Perhaps, I was afraid to be named as 'kiasu' or 'kiasi' people by some of my fellow Malaysian friends. 

After living in Singapore for a while, I have immersed myself in the Singapore's culture unconsciously, especially in the workplaces.  I am so used to the pace of work, the way we communicate and the convenience of transportation, the stability of government, the government subsidies for training and education, the clean and green living environment, and high quality of living here. I have also earned a prestigious Master's degree from one of the top-ranked universities in the world and the government -subsidized 70% of the course fees. I believed it is a crucial turning point of my life after I have earned this degree because not only I have met a group of fantastic like-minded classmates, this credential has opened up my career opportunities. 

In the recent few years, I felt so not used to the weather in KL and so sick of the terrible traffic jams. I do not enjoy the Malaysian food as much now because I think it's expensive and not authentic anymore (the hawkers uses a lot of MSG in the food which makes me sick).  Certainly, I am unable to adopt the work culture back home anymore. Every time I return to Singapore, I felt 'arrrrhhhhh' (relief), this is home!

So, in July 2017, I have finally made my decision to apply for Singapore Citizenship. I would like to share with you the journey that I have gone through over the 2.5 years.  I wish you good luck in your application!

STEP	DATE	KEY EVENTS
1	July 2017	APPLYING SINGAPORE CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION (ONLINE) a)   Apply through ICA e-Service portal. Before you apply online, you are encouraged to read the information on these government websites:  https://www.gov.sg/news/content/ecitizen---singapore-citizenship  https://www.ica.gov.sg/application/singapore-citizenship/becoming-a-singapore-citizen. https://www.ica.gov.sg/docs/default-source/ica/files/esc_roadmap.pdf https://www.ica.gov.sg/docs/default-source/ica/files/user_guide.pdf b)   You are required to use your SingPass to login into the e-Service (MyICA). c)  Before you start your application, you are encouraged to read the explanatory note upfront, get all the required information ready before you start the online application. Explanatory notes can be found from ICA website: https://www.ica.gov.sg/docs/default-source/ica/forms/forms_new_explanatory_notes_(adult).pdf d)    You have to pay the processing fee online to complete the application. For an adult PR like myself, I have paid $100. e)   After the payment, you will be directed to an e-Appointment page. You have to make an appointment with ICA for submission of documents. Usually, the latest appointment dates available will be about 6 months after you have submitted the online application. f)     On ICA website, it says that it will take about 6 – 12 months to process. In my case, I had waited for about 7 months before I received the In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter.
2	February 2018 (after 6 months)	ICA APPOINTMENT – SUBMISSION OF SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS a)    Prepare the original documents as listed in the list https://www.ica.gov.sg/docs/default-source/ica/forms/forms_new_explanatory_notes_(adult).pdf b)     Please take note that if your document not in English must be translated. I have translated my birth certificate with a notary public. c)    Please keep a photocopy of all your required documents, just in case. For translated documents, you have to make a copy of both original and translated document. I have forgotten to make a copy of the original of my birth certificate, the ICA office refused to make a copy of it and told me to get a photocopy outside the ICA building. d)   At the appointment, an Interview Officer (No actual interview was carried out, the officer just asked a few questions about the application) will verify your submitted documents against the application form and ensure all information is correct.  e)     The process took about 20 minutes and that’s it. Go home and wait for the outcome.
3	April 2019 (after 7 months)	RECEIVED THE IPA LETTER AND completed THE SINGAPORE CITIZENSHIP JOURNEY After a loooonnnng long wait for 7 months, finally, I received the In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter from ICA. I must complete my Singapore Citizenship (SC) Journey within 2 months from the date of IPA letter. The SC Journey comprised of: a.       e-Journey It is quite easy to complete the SC Journey. I logged-in into this website: https://www.sgjourney.gov.sg/login and completed the guided ‘e-Journey’ within 2 hours. I have to watch a few videos and answered some of the quizzes. It's quite easy and fun. b.       Singapore Experiential Tour (SET) I have booked the 'Singapore Discovery Centre' for the Singapore Experiential Tour. There are several choices, but you must be mindful of the dates. You should aim to complete the SC Journey within the 1 month, just in case you need to reschedule the dates. The SET took about 3 hours. c.       Community Sharing Session (CSS) I have also booked the CSS session as well. The CSS session will take place in one of the CC near you. It took about 2.5 hours. After I have completed the SET and CSS, I received an email to confirm the completion of SC Journey within 3 working days. Done! Continue to wait for the next notification…
4	May 2019 (after 3 working days from completion of SC Journey)	FINAL STAGE TO COMPLETE THE REGISTRATION FOR SINGAPORE CITIZENSHIP– 2 MORE STEPS I received a letter to notify me that I was at the final stage of my Singapore Citizenship application process. I need to complete the following steps to have my citizenship granted. a)       RENUNCIATION OF MALAYSIAN CITIZENSHIP I thought it could be a tedious process when it comes to dealing with Malaysian High Commission. To my surprise, it was quite fast. Fortunately, I have found a person who went through the same process as me and he/she shared exquisite details with a step-by-step guide. You may refer to his/her WordPress: https://pinkolifant.wordpress.com/2019/10/10/oct-2019-renunciation-of-malaysian-citizenship/ *Please take note that the officer will collect the original Birth Certificate from you. Do not worry. The Birth Cert will be returned to you once the renunciation is approved. b)      REGISTRATION OF SINGAPORE CITIZENSHIP AT ICA https://pinkolifant.wordpress.com/2019/11/28/oct-2019-registration-of-singapore-citizenship-at-ica/ I did the exact steps as explained in the WordPress above and I left ICA after the oath-taking. *Please take note that the passport-size photo must be matt or semi-matt finish. So, the photos taken from the DIY photo booth (usually can be found near MRT stations) cannot be used.  If you wear contact lenses, you have to remove it before you take the photo. I applied for the Singapore passport online the next day. The following week (after 3 working days), I received a notification from ICA for collection of Singapore passport.  I can start travelling as soon as I received the Singapore passport.
5	June 2019	RECEIVED SKILLSFUTURE CREDIT One of the perks of becoming a Singaporean is that I am entitled to $500 SkillsFuture Credit (SFC). I received my SFC after 4 months from issuance of passport.
6	November 2019	RECEIVED LETTER TO ATTEND CITIZENSHIP CEREMONY I received an invitation letter to attend the Citizenship Ceremony which will be held on 7 December 2019. I will get my Singapore Identity Card and Citizenship Certificate at the ceremony. I have attended the Citizenship Ceremony on the 7 December 2019 at Mee Toh School, Punggol. There were about 300+ new citizens attended the event. The ceremony took about 2 hours followed by buffet lunch. It was very well organised even though some of the information provided by a SSG representative about the SkillsFuture Credit was not entirely accurate. I received the citizenship certificate and new SG NRIC from the Senior Minister, Teo Chee Hean, with a photo-taking session. So, please make sure you dress formally as indicated in the invitation letter. After everyone has received their certificate and NRIC, we said the Singapore pledge followed by singing the Singapore National Anthem. That's it... makan time!
7	December 2019	RECEIVED EMAIL – RENUNCIATION OF MALAYSIAN CITIZENSHIP – COLLECTION OF FORM K I received an email from Malaysian High Commission on the 5 December 2019 that my application for renunciation of Malaysian Citizenship has been approved. I have to collect the FORM K and Birth Certificate from the Consular Section (between 2:30pm to 4pm) within 1 month form the date of the email. That's it! Done!