Your Permanent Resident Correspondent

My PR application is approved. Looking back, it wasn't as bad as the application form suggested it might be. There were lots of questions, dates, education, addresses, photocopies and so on leading up to the application, then sit back and wait. They promise a response within 3 months, in my case less than 6 weeks, with is an award letter requiring:

• medical including chest X-ray (tuberculosis) & blood test (HIV)
  
• HR endorsement letter
  
• 4 photos
  
• and, all in, $200 of fees plus a 4-hour wait at ICA, Lavender.
  

I did the medical with SATA who were excellent and at SG$42 (£14) including the X-ray, a bargain too. They are a non-profit setup after the war to tackle tuberculosis primarily but are now a general, private medical service. I recommend them highly.

ICA is well organised and if you get stuck in the queue outside the building you can examine the vehicles on show with secret compartments for illegal immigrants. Forget cup holders, these things have serious storage. The PR section isn't the busiest but I attended on a Thursday AM during school holidays. Big mistake, apparently. +1 hour for the first desk, +1 hour for the IC section, +1 hour to get my passport back (with Re-entry stamp).

The IC requires thumb prints, both electronic on a scanner and ink block onto the front and rear(?) of the IC form. It's the first finger prints I've ever done and it still feels criminal even though I know I better get used to it.

So I have the Passport stamp, a receipt slip for the IC, a strange yellow A4 card which I mustn't lose under any circumstances and another trip down to ICA next week to collect the actual IC. I don't have to do National Service (NS) but in 2 years, I'm eligible to apply for citizenship.

Driving

I just finished the process for converting my English licence to a local one. Its worth briefly outlining the process as it's a good example of local bureaucracy. I can get a Singaporean license but first need to pass the Basic Theory Test (BTT), which is a 50-question, computer-based, multiple-choice exam, pass mark is 45 (90%).

At an approved centre (there's 3 of them), apply for BTT with Passport and EP (employment pass), pay $6, select a PIN, receive ID card (for website and service kiosks) and a test date 2 months hence. The test dates are always 2 months hence, even though subsequent checks show empty places as close as next week, these are reserved for students of the (commercial) school which operates the BTT. With a bit of hassle, you can change the test date to be closer, but this is best done in person.

The school operates a vast system of learner cars (white Honda Civics) being run around a closed course and the local roads. In my case, I can just wait for the BTT and swot up on the Highway Code ($4). Judging by the pages being studied at the last minute, it's the Arm Signals given by Traffic Officer that are most confusing although I thought the right-of-way at junctions a tad odd as well. The rest seem pretty close to UK signs and rules.

Come test day, I need my Passport and EP again (to ensure the identity of the student) and I'm allocated a computer terminal in a room with 40 others. It's multiple-choice (A, B, C) with occasional video clip animations. The touch-screens respond best to nails (not finger tips).

Q: If you hear the sirens of an ambulance approaching but cannot determine their location, do you:
a) Move into left lane and slow down
b) Pull over and stop
c) Continue driving in current lane

The test is not that hard, but many questions are tricky - it is worth having a bit of a think as there's plenty of time. When you're done (or bored), press finish and either Pass or Fail on the spot.

When you have passed the test, get a printout of the result at a special machine and apply for the license. It's more ID checks, EP checks, photocopies plus originals of license, photograph and $50. It seems to take ages to process the form but then I get a confirmation slip which says I can now drive and the license will arrive in 2 weeks. Eight days later, a neat photo-card license arrives by recorded mail.

It's all terribly civilised, efficient and predictable, like all Singaporean bureaucracy. I am on driving probation for a year - I mustn't clock up more than 12 demerit points. It doesn't explain how I would get a demerit point but I imagine I will find out.