Recent Policy & Legal Developments

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Singapore’s investment migration framework, centered around the Global Investor Programme (GIP), continues to evolve to meet shifting economic objectives, demographic priorities, and geopolitical risk concerns. As of 2025, several material legal and policy developments have reshaped the program’s landscape for prospective applicants and their advisors.

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2023–2025 GIP Policy Reforms

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Minimum Investment Increase (Effective March 15, 2023):
The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), which administers the GIP, announced a significant revision to investment thresholds in a bid to enhance program integrity and ensure stronger economic value-add. Under the revised structure:

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• Option A (Business): Increased from SGD 2.5 million to SGD 10 million, invested in a new or existing Singapore-based business entity.
  
• Option B (Fund): Increased from SGD 2.5 million to SGD 25 million, into an approved GIP fund.
  
• Option C (Family Office): Investment requirement increased to SGD 50 million, with stricter conditions on assets under management (AUM) and local job creation.
  
  

These changes apply prospectively for applications submitted on or after the effective date, with no retroactive enforcement. A six-month transition period allowed applicants who initiated pre-approval steps prior to March 2023 to file under the previous regime.

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Family Inclusion Adjustments

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While the GIP continues to permit family reunification under Dependant's Pass and Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) schemes, new guidelines introduced in 2024 imposed stricter documentary thresholds for financially dependent parents and adult children. The rationale was to harmonize immigration benefits with Singapore's controlled migration policy and long-term planning under the National Population and Talent Strategy.

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AML and Regulatory Harmonization

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Responding to MAS and OECD recommendations, Singapore has deepened its AML-KYC compliance framework for GIP applicants, particularly under the Family Office (Option C) route. In late 2024, the EDB mandated pre-submission reviews by licensed fund administrators and formal declarations of source of wealth and source of funds, especially for applicants from higher-risk jurisdictions.

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Singapore’s reforms reflect a broader move to attract “fit-for-purpose” capital—investors who bring not just liquidity but also entrepreneurial, technological, or philanthropic value to Singapore’s economic ecosystem.

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