UPDATE: The individual has since pulled down her post, citing concerns about possible actions taken against her for speaking about her experience. We’d hate to think that the powers that be would be cruel enough to hold this story against her in her path to become a rightful citizen of this country.
Online chatter on questionably incendiary Facebook pages have always leaned on the xenophobic side of the spectrum, often (unfairly) targeting Chinese nationals for alleged attempts to overcrowd the country and take err jerbs.
But as much as anyone would believe that gaining a Singapore citizenship is a walk in the park for any foreigners interested in applying, acquiring that pink IC and the most powerful passport in the world is by no means a breeze. Even for this newly inducted Singapore citizen from China, who was born, raised, and schooled here, the path to being officially recognized as a Singaporean involved 27 years of financial hardship, discrimination, and lots and lots of bureaucracy.
Endured she did, and the graphic artist and illustrator finally received the (very) long-awaited approval letter from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority yesterday.
The next two decades involved a lot of scrambling to and fro different government bodies for visa extensions and handling piles of paperwork after multiple rejections to become Permanent Residents. Jobs were hard to come by for her and her family due to manpower quotas on foreigners.
On top of having her fate in the country hanging delicately in the balance, continuing to live and study in Singapore as a foreigner was downright rough without any state help. Together with her mother and her sister, they had to live “pay check to pay check” and shift lodgings every time.
“At one point, my mom, sister and I stayed in one rented room which had nothing but two foldable mattresses and a pair of Mickey and Minnie Mouse posters on the wall. Plus some bedbugs. The landlord was this old grandpa who smoked and held late-night mahjong sessions all the time. It was not a nice environment to grow up in.”
When immigration policies were tightened, it got even harder. It involved a six-month wait just to submit documents, and it was another year of waiting just to get a reply. If that failed, the whole process had to start all over again.
“Me, with a BeAuTiFuL 100% AuThenTiC SinGaPoReAn aCceNt (yes I once got complimented for being a foreigner who speaks with a Singaporean accent), had to go through the same series of stringent background checks as the rest of the newcomers before I was given a chance to prove my worth.”
At the end of it all, after 27 years of waiting to be recognized as Singaporean, she advised one thing to her now-fellow countrymen: never take Singaporean citizenship for granted.
“The pink IC may just be another identification card for most of you, but it is a personal achievement for me, and I am so grateful for it. I hope I never forget this feeling, and even as I live the rest of my life as a Singaporean, I hope I never forget my Chinese roots too,” she concluded, stating that this might be close to being one of the happiest moments of her life.
“And from now on, I can proudly say, THIS IS HOME, TRULY.”
Editor’s Note: Article amended for privacy concerns
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