Russian Woman Born In S’pore Unable To Get PR, Still On Employment Pass Despite Being Raised Here

Russian Woman Can’t Get PR Despite Being Born & Raised In Singapore

Imagine being born and raised in Singapore, but still considered a foreigner, especially on paper.

Unfortunately, this is the reality for Russian woman Elena Tsvetkova, who admitted that she has felt like a local all her life due to her upbringing on our sunny shores.

Speaking to YouTuber Max Chernov, she shared that people react with surprise after learning of her background.

Russian woman born & raised in Singapore has been trying to get PR

Posting an interview with her on YouTube, Max shared that despite being born and raised in Singapore, many still considered Elena Tsvetkova a foreigner.

Besides three years at sea, Elena has spent her whole life here with her father, who worked in the oil and gas industry pre-retirement.

Her mother had given birth to her on a ship with the nearest port in Singapore.

“When I was born, my parents didn’t have an address, so they just put my dad’s office address, which was the shipping company he worked with,” she said, specifying that it was 78 Shenton Way.

Coincidentally, it is also Elena’s current office address.

Elena added that Singaporeans would often react in shock when they learned of her background.

“In taxis, they’re always like, oh yeah, how long have you been in Singapore for?” she shared. “And it’s like, oh, I was born and raised here. And they’re like, oh, okay.”

It was the same situation for her clients, who usually expected a Russian accent due to her name.

“It’s an American accent, and then it’s not American,” Elena said. “And [I’m] actually born and raised in Singapore, and people get super confused.”

With her unsuccessful attempts at applying for Permanent Residency (PR), she is currently on an Employment Pass.

“I’m a full-on expat, even though I was born here,” she stated.

Admits that she feels like a local

Despite her admittedly confusing heritage, Elena said she feels like a local.

“Growing up, I would actually only eat chicken rice,” she laughed.

Singapore was more of a home than Russia ever was for her, mainly because she had never lived there.

She was also familiar with local hangout spots, sharing that VivoCity was one of them.

“I was growing with Singapore. I still got to experience everything that someone abroad didn’t,” she said.

Among the aspects she appreciated most about Singapore was the safety, adding that she could take a bus when she was a child with no concerns from her parents.

And like everyone else, she was not a fan of the intense heat either.

“It’s just not friendly to my hair,” she lamented. “Every time when it’s humid, my hair just frizzes up.”

As for those looking to visit Singapore, Elena had pretty unique recommendations: going on cycling trips in the East or kayaking trips in the wetlands, for instance.

“All these… little things that, I guess, if you’re active, there’s actually so much more to do than just… walk in Sentosa,” she said.

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Featured image adapted from YouTube.