Is English proficiency a suitable litmus test for Singaporean citizenship? 

Debates over this question have swirled this week, following Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh’s proposal in Monday’s Parliament sitting to include English language testing in assessment criteria for Singapore citizenship or permanent residency.

Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo responded with surprise and expressed concerns over the potential punitive outcomes. In particular, individuals less proficient in English but with legitimate family ties, such as foreign spouses or dependents, could be hindered from obtaining citizenship or residency.


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Mathew Mathews is head of the Social Lab and principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, National University of Singapore. Melvin Tay is research associate at the same institute. They are the co-editors of Immigrant Integration In Contemporary Singapore: Solutioning Amidst Challenges (World Scientific, January 2023).

Top photo from Freepik.