Shanmugam Explains Why Boyfriend/Girlfriend Sponsors System Was Allowed Then Disallowed

COVID-19 has not just claimed the lives and livelihoods of people all over the world, it has also separated lovers.

Before COVID-19, long-distance relationships were a lot easier to navigate. You’d meet every couple of months, cry at the airport before going back home, then meet up again months later.

Surprise visits were also possible, because you could fly whenever you wanted to.

But the only one travelling around the globe these days is COVID-19, and partners in relationships have no choice but to wait the pandemic out.

Towards the end of last year, a new category was created for those intending to travel to Singapore for compassionate reasons: the boyfriend/girlfriend category.

With this, residents here could apply for their baes abroad to come to Singapore.

Unfortunately, the category was removed a few months later, and we now know why.

Shanmugam Explains Why Boyfriend/Girlfriend Sponsors System Was Allowed Then Disallowed

It appears that the boyfriend/girlfriend category was removed by the Immigrations and Checkpoints Authority in March after it was found to have been misused.

Speaking in Parliament, Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said some residents here used the system to apply for Vietnamese nationals to come into Singapore as their partners.

However, many of these applications were a little “dodgy”.

The category was first introduced in October last year, so Singaporeans could be reunited with their foreign partners after being separated for a long period of time.

But ICA began received dubious applications for Vietnamese nationals in February, the same month where authorities banned short-term travellers from Vietnam from entering Singapore, due to the escalating COVID-19 situation there.

The “dodgy” applications were from:

• Vietnamese woman with multiple sponsors claiming to be her boyfriend
• Singaporean sponsors who applied for multiple girlfriends
• sponsors who were already married to someone else
• sponsors who were unable to prove their relationship with the travellers

So, these sponsors were either really bad at relationships, or they weren’t being entirely truthful.

Either way, since the category was being “abused”, ICA simply scrapped the whole thing.

It also took action against those who made dubious applications, such as rescinding approvals, barring travellers from entering Singapore, and suspending the sponsors and travellers from future applications.

Unfortunately, this means that those who really are separated from their boyfriends and girlfriends in other countries cannot lodge an application now.

As Mr Shanmugam said: “We created this category (of) boyfriend/girlfriend during a pandemic, last year, October, because we wanted to be compassionate… people want their loved ones to come in, and we want to try and help.

“But if the system is abused, then we have to stop it (and) unfortunately what that has meant is that many legitimate applications are now being refused.”

1st Case in KTV Cluster Was Short-term Visitor From Vietnam

The first case in the KTV cluster – a short-term pass visit pass holder from Vietnam – had managed to enter Singapore in February using this category, sponsored by her Singaporean boyfriend.

The KTV cluster is now Singapore second largest active cluster, with 243 cases.

Worse, it’s linked to the outbreak at the Jurong Fishery Port, which has 858 cases and is our biggest active cluster.

Travel to Resume in September?

Separated lovers may not have to wait too long to see each other, though.

Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said in parliament that 80% of the population will be fully vaccinated by early September, meaning we might be able to reopen our borders and allow vaccinated residents to travel.

Of course, it’ll be restricted to travel corridors with countries or regions that have managed COVID-19 well.

And the best part about it is that they won’t need to serve a 14-day SHN when they come back.

Instead, travellers will undergo a “rigorous testing regime” or seven-day isolation period at home, depending on the country they’re coming back from.

It’s kind of like a vaccine passport: watch this video to the end to know what a vaccine passport is:

Read Also:

• Everything About COVID-19 Vaccine Passports Simplified for You
• 10 New Clusters Reported from New COVID-19 Cases, Including a Jurong West GP Clinic

Featured Image: Sing Studio / Shutterstock.com