Singapore Expats

Does Singapore have a program similar to the one in the US where they will give citizenship in exchange for military service? I would have no problem making the standard Singaporean commitment of two years of National Service if I get Singaporean citizenship and a Singaporean passport when I'm done.

If that works out it's a 2-for-1 the way I'm looking at it, since I would then be able to relinquish my American citizenship for serving in a foreign military (getting rid of my American citizenship is something I'm looking to do anyway in response to FATCA, Obamacare and several other pieces of red tape making starting some businesses I have ready to go too onerous), won't have any future visa issues with that reason if I ever want to return to America as a tourist and might even get out of the 4 figure fees they are charging to renounce American citizenship since I am legally relinquishing and not renouncing.

Can it really be this simple? Because if that all works out, I'm not seeing a downside.

XPatInTraining wrote:Does Singapore have a program similar to the one in the US where they will give citizenship in exchange for military service? I would have no problem making the standard Singaporean commitment of two years of National Service if I get Singaporean citizenship and a Singaporean passport when I'm done.

If that works out it's a 2-for-1 the way I'm looking at it, since I would then be able to relinquish my American citizenship for serving in a foreign military (getting rid of my American citizenship is something I'm looking to do anyway in response to FATCA, Obamacare and several other pieces of red tape making starting some businesses I have ready to go too onerous), won't have any future visa issues with that reason if I ever want to return to America as a tourist and might even get out of the 4 figure fees they are charging to renounce American citizenship since I am legally relinquishing and not renouncing.

Can it really be this simple? Because if that all works out, I'm not seeing a downside.

There is no guarantee that you will get citizenship if you do NS. In fact, it makes sense if you think about it. What is said individual was a total screwup in NS? Do you think the government would want to offer a screwup citizenship? Not likely. So, no, it's not a given. It is, however, an obligation if your parents made you a PR. Of course, there is the flip side, if they don't make you a PR and you remain on a student visa while they are on a PR for all of your schooling, you can rest assured that the government will know it was to dodge the NS obligation for PR and you will find the your girlfriend will have to immigrate if she wants to continue to be with you as when you turn 21, you will no longer be allowed to stay in Singapore nor will you get an LTVP, PR, EP or any other kind of residency. The gahment has a long, long memory. So think wisely, my friend. This ball of dirt, floating through space, is too small to burn any bridges, especially with so much of your life left to live. Do you know exactly what you will be doing in 20 years? Most of us don't.