Getting married is a pretty big commitment.
I mean, you’re only going to spend the rest of your life with the person that you choose to marry.
And if you intend to marry a foreigner, you might need a few extra steps such as being encouraged to submit a Pre-Marriage Long-Term Visit Pass Assessment (PMLA).
It was introduced in January 2015 due to more transnational marriages in Singapore.
The PMLA provides greater clarity on whether the intended non-resident spouse may qualify for a long-term stay in Singapore.
It also allows couples to exchange info such as spouses and children from previous marriages, income and criminal records.
3,920 S’poreans Per Year Who Married Foreigners Did Pre-Marriage Assessment Before Tying the Knot
And between 2015 till now, there’ve been quite a number of transnational couples who’ve done this.
As reported by The Straits Times, this comes up to around 3,920 transnational couples a year.
In 2019, 4,426 Singaporean men wed non-resident brides and making up one in five marriages involving at least one citizen.
Some social workers and lawyers who work with foreign wives said some of these couples marry only after very short periods of time.
At times, both parties may not be too knowledgeable about each other’s background.
The PMLA serves as sort of a reality check to the situation to see if these couples are prepared.
Helping Marriages And Families In Singapore
With such an assessment, it’s inevitable that some couples choose not to be wed after more consideration.
After all, spending your life with someone is a huge deal.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), acknowledges this too, though they don’t have data as to why some couples choose not to.
However, a spokesman still encourages more people to take the PMLA as it could help better plan for their future.
Our Government is also hosting an online conversation series that’ll last till September 2021.
It aims for Singaporeans to better understand marriage, parenthood and how COVID-19 may influence it.
Another spokesman from the Ministry of Social and Family Development said these conversations will also include families where the spouse is of a different nationality.
The ministry even introduced the Marriage Preparation Programme (MPP) and Marriage Support Programme (MSP) in December 2014.
Some Singaporeans marrying a non-resident spouse whose long-term visit pass is approved are required to attend the MPP and MSP before the pass is given to them.
Both programmes aim to aid couples on a strong marriage foundation.
However, the MSP focuses more on communication and conflict management, managing finances and information on living in Singapore to help foreign spouses adapt here.
From 2015 to 2019, roughly 660 couples a year attended both programmes.
Do you think the assessments such as the PMLA are needed? Let us know!
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