GuideMeSingapore

Singapore retained its distinction as the most desirable immigration hot spot for the second successive year in a global survey conducted by Gallup. Gallup researchers interviewed nearly 350,000 adults in 148 countries between 2007 and this year to calculate each country’s Potential Net Migration Index (PNMI).

The PNMI is the estimated number of adults who wish to permanently leave a country subtracted from the estimated number who wish to immigrate there, as a proportion of the total adult population.

If everyone who wants to migrate to Singapore was allowed, the city-state could see its population triple. New Zealand and Saudi Arabia are in the second and third place respectively.

Singapore s clean, green and safe environment has always earned the city state some brownie points among immigrants. The city state though extremely challenged in terms of natural resources, has emerged into an economic success and a developed nation in Asia because of the open economic and Free Trade policy duly backed by an open immigration policy. This has been instrumental in attracting investors, enterprises and talents from all over the world to become an economic powerhouse.

The economic growth in the first two quarters of this year for the country, which remained resilient during the economic turbulence that crippled the growth of many countries, was phenomenal. Also the forecast for the rest of the year remains robust at 13-15%. In line with this growth momentum the government has predicted that it would require an influx of nearly 100,000 immigrant talents to remain competitive to investors and to sustain the growth rate. The country attracts immigrants not only from the neighboring countries in the region or from the familiar western and European destination but indeed even from Scandinavian countries.

Recently a report in ScandAsia magazine had discussed how the Norwegian community has been growing in the city state in the recent years. In Singapore presently there are some 170 Norwegian companies focusing in finance and marine sector and the top executives of such companies have willingly relocated to the cosmopolitan city state. The Norwegian companies, which try to strike a balance between local and foreign employees, are also equally amazed by the pool of talent that is available locally to run their operations successfully in Singapore. The chairman for the Norwegian Business Association had remarked that younger Norwegians arriving here view Singapore as an increasingly popular place to live and work in.

Commenting on the survey results Ms. Jacqueline Low – director of Janus Corporate Solutions said Migrant talents are not only looking for economic prosperity in a foreign country but a wholesome life of quality and prosperity where they can live and raise a family peacefully. They look for a home away from home and it is surprising how the city state incorporates all of the desirable elements in spite of being deprived of natural resources, more specifically land. In spite of the diverse cultures, languages and religion congregating in the city state, people lead a harmonious life and enjoy the comforts of the first world. Everybody finds an interest group to identify with, a community organizations to network with, liberty to follow their cultural rituals and festivals all in all, it has developed into a respectable kaleidoscopic community. Deserving talents and competent entrepreneurs have various immigration options in the form of Employment Pass and Entrepass etc to call Singapore their second home .