Hi All,
Apologies for dragging up a very old thread but I thought it may be interesting, possibly even useful, to share my experience after the conclusion of the discussion above.
A couple of forum members reached out to me directly with some more advice (i.e. don't try and keep citizenship in any way, regardless of the interpretation of the ICA website - which is obviously the right decision).
I applied for my SC in January 2015, a fairly painless process. It wasn't until March 2016 that the letter dropped through the postbox saying I was successful. I was surprised!
One of the many stressful moments was calling MINDEF to confirm they didn't require my to complete NS... apparently, I was "too old"... then the lady on phone realised that as I qualified for my PR as first-generation so I wasn't eligible anyway.
Upon completing the necessary "journey" steps (which were quite entertaining/educational) I was asked for the letter showing I had renounced my UK citizenship. I sent away my British passport and the required form rather nervously. By this time the UK immigration office had no direct telephone number and only promised to process applications within 6 months. I didn't much fancy the idea of being without a passport for 6 months so I crossed my fingers and hoped. After all my job involved a lot of travelling so whilst they had offered me a temporary office-based job, it came at the expense of around 40% of my salary... a painful but necessary evil.
After nearly 4 months with no response from the UK, an email from the ICA threatening to remove the citizenship offer if I didn't hurry up and with my employer now less than impressed, I was starting to lose hope. I sent a rather desperate email to the MP for the constituency where my mother lived in the UK. Amazingly, they replied, were sympathetic and within 14 days I had my letter.
The rest was a whirlwind of paperwork. Within 2 weeks I had my pink IC and red passport.
Many people still ask why I did it and if I am happy with my decision, especially given that it wasn't an easy process. The answer is that it's a very personal decision and I'd do it again tomorrow. It has been pointed out to me by a few people that becoming a Singaporean through this process and being born SG (and doing NS) is not the same. I appreciate that and the sacrifice. I'm not impersonating anyone, I'm a British born Singaporean (and the accent is a bit of a giveaway!). I do my best to contribute to society where I can, but I also benefit from it in many ways too. I count myself as pretty lucky.
I now live with my partner in a very small landed house. In the current climate where the future feels very uncertain, I'm grateful to know that at least my place in Singapore is relatively secure. Sure, not everything is perfect - but the reality of life is that nothing is.
Thanks again for all the sage advice and guidance that I received from this forum and its members.
