Your personal data when applying Spore PR/ Citizenship – are they secure?

Clients need to trust the companies holding their data, be it in Singapore or other countries.

On 2 November 2020, Singapore Parliament passed changes to the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), including an amendment that allows organizations to use data without consent in more cases and stiffer penalties for data breaches.

Under the PDPA’s “exceptions to the consent requirement”, organizations can now use, collect or disclose data for legitimate interests, business improvement, and broader research and development, Communications and Information Minister S Iswaran told Parliament before the Bill was passed.

The amended PDPA also comes with stiffer fines for data breaches and makes it compulsory for organizations to report violations of a specific scale and severity to the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC).

We highly emphasize data protection. We value the importance of it. Why is that so?

Sensitive and Vital information

The main thing that we handle the most in our daily work activities. We take clients’ personal information. All Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) / Citizenship Application required personal data of applicants.

For example, when submitting a different type of application, the Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) / Citizenship Application, the Sponsorship Singapore PR Application for husband and wife application etc to ICA. Clients’ information such as a copy of passport, birth certification, academic qualification certificates, Identity card etc is the few to list essential documents required by the ICA. In the event, the Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) / Singapore Citizenship Application background is not a straight-forward case. There is a marriage divorced paper; the children’s information (name of the Singapore school etc) is required. It means more documents are required.

Suppose you are using our other services, such as the Singapore Business Relocation Service for Foreign Owners of Global Investor Program. You would be required to provide more information such as details of the operation plan in Singapore, management team profile, supporting documents, company’s latest business profile or instant information from ACRA Bizfile etc.

These documents contain sensitive information. Business competitors and media reporters (let’s say if the applicant is a celebrity) might be interested because there is a particular value. They can make use of the information for other activities that might in favor of them.

Before the digital implementation became ordinary and necessary, such as scanning documents, online forms, an email with attached documents, etc, all information submitted was via hard copies or printing of manuscripts at the office. Clients will bring their original copies of documents and print them at the immigration agency office most of the time.

How are data being handled in The Immigration People office?

In the past, unused hard copies are disposed of using a shredder machine.

But for the present, all information is saved on our internal server. The internal server security level is high as compared to the bank sector.

We truly understand the importance of clients’ privacy. We felt that it is crucial to equip ourselves with proper and secure hardware and software. We want our clients to feel at ease that we safely manage their private data. Our server system, hosted in a secured facility, has multiple security levels; all consultants have their passwords and accesses to only their clients’ information. All documents are stored in a secured server within our premises, and nothing gets stored in the cloud (like other agencies that typically use unsecured Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or even DropBox). Access from outside the office is not permitted, allowed only to those VPN-enabled laptops for our employees when working from home due to COVID measures.

Having said the above. We want to ensure all our clients feel safe when entrusting us with their most personal information to prepare their Singapore Permanent Resident Application submission or others. We pay extra attention and careful handling of their data. As we repeatedly emphasize that personal data collected for Singapore Permanent Resident/Citizen Application is highly sensitive and crucial. Immigration Agency has to ensure data are well managed and avoid mis-using it.

Contact us if you have the intention to apply for a Singapore Permanent Resident/ Singapore Citizenship. You can attend our complimentary private consultation session. Also, you might want to check out what you will be expecting during your session.

You can also conduct an assessment to check your eligibility for becoming a Singapore Permanent Resident/ Citizenship.