This post was originally published as a press release on 14 December 2016.

In view of International Migrants Day on 18 December, AWARE has released a policy brief highlighting key laws and policies that discriminate against the foreign spouses of Singapore citizens, with particular impact on the foreign wives of citizen men.

Titled “Home, truly: respect the rights of foreign wives”, the policy brief makes five key calls to ensure the inclusive and equitable treatment of foreign spouses of Singapore citizens:

1. Grant the LTVP+ to all spouses.
2. Grant the right to work to all spouses.
3. Grant healthcare subsidies to all spouses (currently available only to LTVP+ holders).
4. Grant PR to all spouses: (i) who have been on the LTVP+ for three years; (ii) who have citizen children, or (iii) whose spouse dies, whichever is soonest.  Citizenship should be available to those foreign spouses who have held PR for a clearly defined and transparently published period of time.
5. Ease housing access through clear, timed routes to PR (see above), and allow citizens married to LTVP+ holders to access public rental housing.

“Singapore declares itself pro-family and our leaders emphasise the need for citizen-migrant integration,” said Jolene Tan, Head of Advocacy & Research at AWARE.  “Yet our policies make it hard for poorer transnational families – often citizen husband-foreigner wife couples – to fulfil basic needs like stable residence, employment and housing.”

The policy brief is critical of the idea that the Pre-Marriage LTVP Assessment, introduced in late 2014, is an adequate response to the difficulties faced by families.

“What does the state expect couples who are told they won’t get the LTVP to do?” asked Jolene Tan.  “The right to family life includes the right to freely choose a spouse, regardless of nationality or wealth.  We can’t justify denying people stable family lives just by telling them about it in advance.  Migration policy should prioritise family ties over economic utility.”

Over the past two years, AWARE’s Support Services Helpline received 220 calls from foreign wives contemplating or going through divorce. More than a quarter (26%) were facing immigration issues while 21% were facing domestic violence. A large proportion (87%) were seeking legal advice when they called.

“Our Helpline experience suggests that immigration status is a pressing issue,” said Jolene Tan. “This is further complicated in situations of domestic violence. Most of the callers need legal advice, which is not easily accessible.”

Read the policy brief here.