SM Lee Hsien Loong at the Teck Ghee Citizenship Ceremony (Mar 2025)

Good morning everybody. Welcome to everyone, new citizens, grassroots leaders, residents, friends, ladies and gentlemen. A very good morning again.

I am very happy to be here at the Nanyang Polytechnic Auditorium for this year’s Teck Ghee Citizenship Ceremony. Congratulations to all the new citizens and your families. Today, we formally welcome you into the Singapore family.

Becoming a Singaporean – a deep commitment

Taking up citizenship is not just a formal administrative process – it is a deeply personal journey. Every year, we grant citizenship to about 22,000 individuals. Behind each one, there is a unique story – of someone who has taken the leap of faith, and chosen to call Singapore home. Some of you married Singaporeans and decided to make this your home and to build your families here. Some of you studied and grew up here; all your friends are here. Some of you came here to work, found yourselves fitting in and growing roots here; and now, you have decided to take that final step and become a Singaporean.

And indeed, many of you are already old friends of Singapore. You know our way of life, you are already contributing to our economy and society in your own ways. Like Ms Prithikka Divyashini, who moved to Singapore as a child and is now a second-year student at ITE College East, leading her peers as the President of the Student Ambassadors. She now joins her father and her older siblings, who have also taken up citizenship. Or Dr Pham The Hanh who came to Singapore 22 years ago. Today, he shapes young minds not only as a lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, but also as a volunteer in the grassroots, giving free tuition to children from low-income families. I am very glad that Dr Pham’s son will also receive his citizenship today.

Whatever your story, we are happy that you have decided to make Singapore your home, and we look forward to your contributions as citizens. So once again, congratulations to all of the new citizens!

Adding to Singapore’s blend

It makes sense for you to take up citizenship here. It also makes sense for Singapore to welcome new citizens like you. Immigration is essential – even existential – for Singapore’s survival. We are a small island with no natural resources. We can only rely on our people – our skills, our enterprise, and hard work – to make a living for ourselves. While larger nations may have the population, resources, and hinterland to fall back on, Singapore does not.

So we need new citizens to top up our numbers, and to keep our economy growing. Because we are not having enough kids of our own, and the resident workforce is already at full employment, and growing older.

But it is not just about numbers. It is also about new citizens bringing with you something extra that is vital – enriching our society and invigorating our economy in ways beyond what numbers can show. 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. And this is how cities like London, New York or Shanghai become great centres of culture and prosperity. They attract enterprising and adventurous people from all over the world to go there, to live and work. And the steady infusion of new arrivals sharpens them, sparks cross-fertilisation of ideas and cultures, and creates an environment of constant innovation and enterprise. There’s buzz, ferment, and energy. Things happen and people want to be there. And this dynamism spurs growth and reinforces their success, which in turn attracts even more talent – and the flywheel keeps spinning.

For example two years ago, I visited Google’s headquarters in Silicon Valley near San Francisco. Google showed me half a dozen of their latest projects on AI and robotics. Afterwards, I asked the young presenters one simple question: where did your grandparents come from? There were ten presenters, only two were from the US. The others were from all around the world – China, Germany, Ireland, Sierra Leone, Turkey, and Ukraine. That is America’s enormous advantage – it draws top talent from every continent, and therefore it can innovate and stay ahead.

Singapore, too, must always be open to ideas and talent from around the world. This is how we became a shining red dot. Because our ancestors came here from many lands, made this their home, and built up this country. And is what we must continue to do, to shine even brighter in future – not just for our own sakes, but for our children and grandchildren too.

Yes, it is true immigration will bring more competition, and will put pressure on us to work harder and meet higher standards. But it will also create a more vibrant economy, to spur us to become stronger and more capable, and to generate better opportunities and brighter prospects for our children and grandchildren.

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.

Making immigration work in Singapore

Immigration is a sensitive issue in every country. There is always some tension between the newcomers and those who are already here. Governments can play a big part in managing these tensions, in order to make immigration a net plus for societies. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. For example, in many European countries, the scale has been so overwhelming, and immigration efforts have not kept pace. And the inflows have triggered a strong nativist pushback. And every now and again, there is some unfortunate incident, some immigrant commits a violent crime, and that further turns the mood against them, and deepens the divisions in society.

In Singapore, the Government is keenly aware of the need to handle immigration and integration sensitively. Especially since our inflows are not small either. Every year, we have about 30,000 citizen babies born, and we take in about 22,000 new citizens. Even dragon year − last year − still not quite 30,000 citizen babies born. So we do need to bring in more people, more talent, more contributions.

Therefore it is crucial that we manage our immigration inflow carefully: keeping it measured and balanced; paying close attention to relations and harmony between different ethnic groups, between new arrivals and people who are here; and taking in people who can fit in and add to our society.

We also do many things to integrate new residents into Singaporean society. The Singapore Citizenship Journey is a short primer on what it means to be Singaporean. All of you would have gone through it before receiving your citizenship. Integration and Naturalisation Champions from the People’s Association run many programmes to welcome and integrate new citizens into their communities.

But each of us also has to play our part − new arrivals, as well as existing citizens.

I hope now that you have become citizens, you will participate wholeheartedly in society, and make the effort to integrate. Learn more about our values and cultural norms. Get involved and contribute actively in your communities.

You will not be exactly like those who have been citizens for many years, or all their lives, but that is also precisely what makes you distinct and valuable. But over time, just like past generations of immigrants, as you integrate into our communities, as your sons go through National Service, the differences will become less stark. And soon, you too will become Singaporean – not just formally, but in spirit and identity too. We will influence you to become more like us, and you too will influence Singapore to become a little bit like you. It works both ways.

Other Singaporeans must play their part too: To make friends with the new arrivals − be their neighbours, colleagues, or schoolmates. To be big-hearted, and welcome new citizens as valuable members of our Singapore team. To help new citizens to fit in − to feel at home here, to pick up on how our society works, and how we can live harmoniously together. And to firmly reject those who play up nativist and xenophobic sentiments for political gain, which will do great harm to our society.

Conclusion: a shared future as one people

Singapore’s success has always been built on our people: those who came earlier from distant lands; their children born here; and those who continue to join us every year from all over the world to make this their home, to become Singaporeans.

As long as we open our hearts and minds, we can together build a nation that remains vibrant, cohesive, and full of opportunity for all of us who call it home.

Thank you very much.

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