In a development – which seems to be an echo of a similar development registered in the United Kingdom, and which is unlikely to go down well with the majority of workers from India – it is learnt that the City State of Singapore is set to further curtail the emigration of workers from abroad into its manufacturing and service domains.

In this connection, and in a budget speech delivered at the nation’s Parliament, a concerned minister was quoted as saying that the government will control the entry of the skilled migrants from abroad. He added that the restrictions placed on the migration of foreign workers would be reduced in the service and manufacturing sectors, via a regulated slash brought into effect in the Dependency Ratio Ceilings (DRCs), which covers the largest share of workers from overseas a Singapore based company can recruit.

From July 2012 onwards, the DRC, for manufacturing firms, would be reduced by 5% — from 65% to 60%. For service industry also, there would be a similar reduction of 5% – from 50% from 45%. The minister continued that special pass would also be brought down by 5% – from 25% from 20% across all domains. He further said that the not-too-fast economic development would enable the involved firms of the country to come up with such changes.

It is no secret that the IT and banking-finance domains of the city-state have always rolled-out red carpet welcome for the professionals from India. In such a backdrop, this development comes as a big surprise.

Thus, for qualified professionals in the manufacturing and service sectors, it makes sense to apply for permanent residency for countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Denmark and Hong Kong. It is better to go for immigration options that are open and migrate to countries that are welcoming and have employment opportunities rather than regret the one like Singapore – where immigration and permanent residency options are getting restricted.