FAQ on Integration

Successful integration is a two-way process that takes time and involves the building of personal relationships between Singaporeans, new immigrants and foreigners. While it is important for new immigrants and foreigners to learn about, respect and adapt to our values and norms, you can also play a part in facilitating this process by maintaining an open mind and reaching out to your neighbours, colleagues, school mates or friends around you.

 Being new to the country, some of them may have limited local social networks and knowledge about Singapore. You can help by sharing with them our values, cultures as well as way of life to help them understand our society better and quicken their pace of integration.

One of the major initiatives of the NIC is the Community Integration Fund (CIF) which supports ground-up integration initiatives that provide opportunities and platforms for locals, new immigrants and foreigners to interact, form friendships and better understand each other. Since its establishment, the NIC has supported over 380 projects organised by about 170 organisations. Some examples CIF-supported projects can be found here. 

Another major initiative by the NIC is the Singapore Citizenship Journey (SCJ). The SCJ aims to enrich new citizens’ understanding of Singaporean norms and values, and provides opportunities for meaningful interaction with their local community.

Singapore has always welcomed foreigners who can make positive contributions to our country. We recognise the importance of integrating these newcomers into our society, so that we can safeguard our social harmony and cohesion. The NIC was therefore set up in 2009 to coordinate and encourage integration efforts in a ground-up and sustainable manner across all levels of our society, through the partnership of the public, people and private sectors.

The NIC has wide-ranging representation from the public, private and people sectors. Its members are key influencers and leaders in their respective domains and provide strategic direction to programmes devised by four working groups in the areas of education, workplace, community and the media.  The current NIC members can be found here.

Despite our diverse backgrounds and cultures, Singaporeans have been able to live together in harmony and bond as one people. The social harmony and cohesion that we enjoy is unique and cannot be taken for granted. As newcomers to the country, new immigrants and foreigners should learn about, respect and adapt to our values, cultures and norms. On the other hand, even as we enjoy the benefits of the greater diversity brought along by new immigrants and foreigners, it is important that we help them integrate, so that our society remains a harmonious and cohesive home for all Singaporeans.

In promoting integration, the NIC hopes to achieve the below:

• Functional integration: Immediate functional needs of new immigrants and foreigners in adjusting to a new environment are met so that they can go about their daily lives independently (e.g. navigate public transport system and their immediate neighbourhoods)
• Social integration: As new immigrants and foreigners become more familiar with their new environments, interaction with Singaporeans and the wider community would facilitate the formation of positive relations between them. These would enable the development of mutual trust, acceptance and understanding where they recognise each other’s different backgrounds while sharing common interests and values
• Emotional attachment: For those who eventually sink roots here permanently with their family members, the development of an emotional attachment and sense of belonging to Singapore with whom they share with the other Singaporeans.