Dear All Singapore Stuff,
I am a local Singaporean. I live here since the day I was born and I have always been defensive when non-Singaporeans criticize Singapore’s system and way of life. Unfortunately recently I experience the “efficient” and “high productivity” of Singapore’s civil servant that I decided to speak out openly.
My company had applied a Business Visa for a foreign investor to come to Singapore for a contract signing worth millions of dollar. This investment will enable my company to employ more local staff and increase the company’s income which in turn contributes to Singapore’s tax and economy. The investor will in no way contribute to Singapore population or increase the high number of foreign talents. The investors visit to Singapore will also help the tourism industry. As a Singaporean we should welcome and open up to more investors to Singapore especially in a volatile economy.
The visa application was made at Singapore Embassy abroad on 9th February 2016. Base on Immigration and Checkpoint Authority of Singapore website, it takes 3 working days for approval. I believe the process of visa approval is based on Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). I also understand that some cases require more time to approve than others. However to date, 12 working days later, the visa is still pending. In my personal opinion I don’t think the “efficient” and “high productivity” of Singapore’s civil servant requires additional 9 working days (and still counting) than the normal 3 days SOP. I understand due diligence and thorough background is needed but does it need that long for an “efficient” country? Are we over paying the civil servants? Or is Singapore too obnoxious to open up foreign investors?
In the meantime I dare not mention to the investors that Singapore is an “efficient” and “high productivity” country.
N
A.S.S. Contributor
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