‘What are the odds?’ — Daughter worries 60-year-old mum may never get Singapore citizenship - Singapore News

02 May 2026, 07:30 · The Independent

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean woman has sparked conversation online after opening up about her worries that her 60-year-old mother may never be granted Singapore citizenship, despite spending much of her life in Singapore and raising a family here.

On Thursday (May 30), she shared her concerns on the r/askSingapore forum, hoping to hear from others who may have gone through similar situations or know of successful cases.

In her post, she explained that the rest of her immediate family are already Singapore citizens.

“My dad (her husband) is a 4th-gen Singaporean. My mum is Chinese, my siblings and I are all citizens since birth. I’m about to start work soon, with decent pay considering I’m a fresh grad,” she wrote.

She then asked other Singaporeans if her mother would realistically still stand a chance at citizenship at her age.

“What are the odds of a successful application when she’s in her early 60s, because I have to work for 1 year before applying? Do you know anyone who managed to get citizenship at this age?”

The woman also highlighted several factors she believes could strengthen her mother’s application. Her parents have been married for more than 30 years, all of her children are Singapore citizens, and one of her siblings, who has since passed away, was a government scholar. She also shared that her mother volunteers regularly at the community club.

According to the daughter, her mother had actually been offered Singapore citizenship many years ago but was unable to complete the process because of personal circumstances at the time.

“She was offered Singapore citizenship many decades ago, but she was in an abusive relationship back then, and the boyfriend locked her documents up so she couldn’t get SC.”

In a follow-up comment, the woman shared more details about her mother’s current financial situation, though she was unsure whether these factors would affect the application outcome.

“I just remembered that she has a rental that she gets monthly. It’s about ~S$6k, and she has a small admin role in my family’s company, so she does have CPF contributions.”

“But it’s nowhere near a real full-time job’s salary, so I never remember it. Not sure if rental is considered income? My dad has also contributed to her CPF so she can get the max monthly amount from CPF when she turns 70 or some age.”

“I think the rejection would be an issue.”

In the discussion thread, one Singaporean Redditor commented that the process is “unfortunately a black box,” adding that nobody can say for certain who will eventually be granted citizenship.

They added, “I’ve seen people living here for years and never get it. The quota for Chinese is higher, but people are more likely to get it if [they’re] younger, from what I heard.”

Another Redditor shared a similar case involving their own relative.

“My aunt had the exact same profile as your mom: married SC, both children also SC. The max she could get was PR, and this happened more than 10 years ago, when the immigration rule was not as strict as now, so I think your mom’s chance to get SC is very slim.”

Some commenters were even more pessimistic, with one bluntly saying her age could work against her application.

“No, she won’t get it. That is because she is already 60… a burden to Singapore’s tax and healthcare systems. That is one of the many unfortunate realities of living in Singapore. And even if she gets Singapore citizenship, she will suffer a lot here. High cost of healthcare will bankrupt her or, worse, the entire family.”

A fourth added, “I think [the rejection] would be an issue. To the Singapore government, I offered you SC so many times, but you didn’t want it. Why should I give you SC anymore?”

Despite the discouraging responses, several Redditors still advised the family to apply, saying there was no harm in trying.

To offer a little hope, one user shared, “It’s possible. My mother-in-law was Malaysian, married to a Singaporean, but never applied for citizenship until they retired. She got it within a year.”

Another commented, “My parents got their citizenship at 60+ (mum) and 70+ (dad). Dad is not working. Mum still works as a nurse. They’ve got 4 kids, all who are citizens.”

“I was the latest of my siblings to convert, at 40+, 20 years after serving my NS and reservice obligations. So it’s possible but really depends on the family unit and contributions to the country.”

In other news, a 37-year-old man shared on Reddit that he feels conflicted after his girlfriend suggested reducing the S$5,000 allowance he gives his elderly parents while still expecting at least S$10,000 a month from him.

In his post on the r/asksg forum, he said he has never been married and has been dating his 32-year-old girlfriend, who is divorced with two children, for five years.

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