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Notes -
The Kafala system of the UAE is somewhat analogous to the Singapore migrant worker system, but if anything the UAE has increased worker rights to match Singapores (not really high) migrant worker protection standards, so the negative valence of a loaded term like Kafala is employed more for affect than accuracy.
The most obvious benefit of a restricted work permit system is the explicit avoidance of bringing in dependants. The work permit system applies primarily to labourers, domestic helpers and prostitutes. These categories of workers can have their work visas revoked effectively at will, their home countries are bound by formal diplomatic agreements to take back visa breakers, and they are not entitled to any family benefits at all. If a prostitute or domestic worker gets pregnant their visas are revoked and the children are not automatically entitled to Singaporean citizenship even if the father is Singaporean. There is no civil partnership type of legal category here, so citizenship is not granted to fathers for children out of wedlock. Finally, work pass holders need permission from the Ministry Of Manpower to marry locally, citizen or not. There are a few domestic helpers that married local men, but the stereotype of these women being domestic helpers has made them relatively unattractive prospects for much of society. Quite unfortunate, given how fucking hot some of these girls can be. The most common foreign marriages here are local men marrying vietbu/siambu, who often are here on student visas or short term visit passes and not prostitute or domestic worker passes. (I know one edge case where because of covid a short term visit pass girls was able to appeal for permission to create a cleaning business to sustain herself while stuck here, and she got a bunch of whores to sign up as cleaners. Many awkward moments for some men in condos where their favorite whore rotated to do COVID cleaning theater in their condos). Because they did not come in under a migrant worker visa, they faced less restrictions on marriage (formally they are not allowed to be employer, but my previous post on Singapore prostitution makes clear how these girls can pay their way)
Another fact to consider is the lack of overall social benefits which limits the attractiveness in gaming the system to force permanent entry into Singapore. No one is entitled to medical benefits in Singapore to begin with, as entitlements are a taboo word in the local polity, but standard workplace practices like workmans compensation and sector specific insurance's do cover enough of a workers expected health outcomes to optimize output. With minimally adequate protections and little additional protections or entitlements by gaming the (difficult) system, players are disincentivized to try too hard.
Despite the ostensibly strict regulations on work pass holders being channeled into their specializations, I can attest that PLENTY of migrant workers are greymarket hustlers, and every bangla I meet gives me his QR code namecard so I can call him or whatever buddy he has for any manual work I need done - the big problem of this is that these shameless fucks them spin a sob story and ask to borrow money all the goddamn time, like all the prostitutes and hostesses who manage to snag your wechat.
The racialized differentiation also cleaves more starkly in the USA than in Singapore. The bangladeshis and indians are the migrant construction workers, yes, but their bosses and sponsors are local Singaporean Indians. White pit bosses commanding latino day laborers probably looks more uncomfortable to race sensitive americans as opposed to multiracial Singapore where everyone is openly lowkey racist to each other.
Americans who would be uncomfortable with this dynamic are largely unaware of it. People who are aware of the ‘white bosses, centraco laborers’ phenomenon don’t care.
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