Marrying foreigners

‘A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.’ (Proverbs 31:10)

There has been an increasing number of Singaporeans married foreigners in recent years, especially among the Singapore men. Recently two guys that I know of got hitched with foreign girls. Both knew the other parties only for a few months. One is a graduate marrying a Korean girl, and the other is a poly graduate marrying a Thai woman. That came as a big surprise to me because both are good -looking, well educated, so to me, finding Singaporean wives shouldn’t be a problem for them.

I wonder whether this phenomenon has to do with the more liberal immigration (since last April) rule for the foreign spouses.  In the past, the immigration rule here was very stringent for them and we read many tearful stories of mothers forced to leave their families and children behind. Even Singaporeans married graduates had to get permission from the relevant authority before they could go for R.O.M. I guess now as we grapple with a shrinking population, we have to be more ‘pragmatic’.

Now these foreign spouses not only can get long-term visit pass, but also allow to work under a special scheme (no foreign workers’ levy for their employers). They are also eligible for subsidized medical benefits.

While finding a life partner may have become easier for some people, but I hope people do take marriage seriously, considering the unavoidable relationship conflicts, huge responsibilities etc.