Market Data 
While speaking at a citizenship ceremony on 9 March 2025 Singapore’s Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong said, “New arrivals bring fresh experiences, diverse perspectives and global connections. You help us to plug into the world, and thrive as a regional hub and a global node.”
He also remarked: “If Singapore closes ourselves up, opportunities will pass us by. We will fall behind, and become just like any other city in the region, and our descendants will be the worse off for it.”
Lee Hsien Loong, who served as Singapore’s PM from 2004-2024 made some other important points. Firstly, he said cities like London, Shanghai and New York have become vibrant economic and cultural centres by welcoming talent from different parts of the world. Second, the South-East Asian city-state’s slow aging population and population growth is a major challenge, and new citizens will “top up its numbers”. Third, immigrants will create pressure for local Singaporeans, but will also be beneficial for its economy. Fourth, he made an important point, that there must be harmony between locals and new immigrants and between groups residing in Singapore.
Finally, the former PM pointed to the growing anti-immigrant sentiment in several Western countries. The South-East Asian city-state has benefited from a globalised world as well as immigrants. Senior Singapore leaders including Lee Hsien Loong have been critical of inward-looking trade policies of the US and reiterated their support for globalization on more than one occasion.
It would be pertinent to point out, that opposition parties in Singapore have been expressing growing concern over the increasing number of foreign workers and their impact on the local socio-economic landscape for over a decade. Immigration has become an important electoral issue since the election of 2011. The ruling PAP (People’s Action Party) government has on more than one occasion highlighted the contribution of immigrants to the country’s economy as well as diverse society.
Lawrence Wong who took over as Singapore’s PM, in May 2024, made the point that while foreign workers were welcome, some “controls” on immigration were essential. He also said that it was essential that Singapore’s economy benefited from foreign workers and that they adjusted to the Southeast Asian nation’s social norms.
The strong support for a progressive immigration policy at a time when the Anglosphere is becoming increasingly insular is significant. While Donald Trump’s insular immigration policies are highlighted even other countries like Australia, Canada and UK are becoming more inward-looking.
Significantly, it is not only Singapore but another non-Western country — UAE –which for long did not provide long-term visas to workers and entrepreneurs settled there — has also been trying to attract investors and global talent. UAE like Singapore has been a preferred destination for expats for its economic dynamism and high standards of living, but was not the first choice for many professionals, students and even entrepreneurs because it did not offer permanent residency.
In recent years, the UAE has introduced two long-term residency visas; the Golden Visa – a residency by investment visa – and Green Visas. The Golden Visa has received a very strong response from High Networth Individuals (HNIs), especially from countries like India. It would be pertinent to point out that not just entrepreneurs but also researchers, skilled professionals, artists and content creators are now eligible for the Golden Visa. This is in stark contrast to Golden Visas offered by other countries which are based on investment. The UAE Golden Visa would be more attractive for several reasons. First, the location of UAE. Second, the fact that it is not restricted merely to entrepreneurs. Third, it is not as expensive as the Gold Card offered by Donald Trump – for being eligible for the Gold Card an individual will have to pay $5 million to the US government. While the Gold Card has been dubbed as a pathway to citizenship, it will replace the existing EB-5 investor visa which requires investments in US businesses. Finally, many of the European nations that initially offered the Golden Visa programs have removed the same.
In conclusion, the recent comments of Lee Hsien Loong come at a very crucial time and send out a clear unequivocal message, that while the West may be closing its doors, opportunities in other countries beckon professionals and students. It is not just Singapore and UAE, but several other countries that are trying to revise work and student visas with the objective of drawing talent. Individuals from developing countries seeking greener pastures overseas need to think out of the box and look at opportunities being provided by countries other than the traditionally favored destinations.
[Photo by Olga Ozik from Pixabay]
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
Tridivesh Singh Maini is a New Delhi based analyst interested in Punjab-Punjab linkages as well as Partition Studies. Maini co-authored ‘Humanity Amidst Insanity: Hope During and After the Indo-Pak Partition’ (New Delhi: UBSPD, 2008) with Tahir Malik and Ali Farooq Malik. He can be reached at [email protected].
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