Deprivation — exercise of foreign rights / foreign passport / 10-yr residence abroad

Example scenarios

• Exposed to deprivation under Art 135(1)(a) as deemed by Art 135(2). Voting in a foreign political election is expressly deemed to be the voluntary claim and exercise of a right available under the law of that place. The Government may by order deprive him of Singapore citizenship via the Art 133 procedure. Discretionary and administrative.

  Art 135(1)(a) (SG-E2-023): deprivation where a citizen, while over 18 and after 6 April 1960, voluntarily claimed and exercised rights (other than passport rights) available under foreign law and accorded exclusively to that country's citizens. Art 135(2): 'the exercise of a vote in any political election in a place outside Singapore shall be deemed to be the voluntary claim and exercise of a right available under the law of that place.' Procedure Art 133 (SG-E2-025); ouster Third Schedule para 2 (SG-E2-026). 'May' = discretionary.

• Exposed to deprivation under Art 135(1)(b). Applying for, renewing, or using a foreign passport as a travel document is an independent deprivation ground. The Government may by order deprive her of Singapore citizenship via the Art 133 committee-of-inquiry procedure. Discretionary, administrative, non-justiciable.

  Art 135(1)(b) (SG-E2-023): deprivation where a citizen, while over 18 and after 6 April 1960, 'applied to the authorities of a place outside Singapore for the issue or renewal of a passport or used a passport issued by such authorities as a travel document.' Note Art 135(1)(a) excludes passport-connected rights from the general 'exercise of foreign rights' limb precisely because passports are dealt with separately in 135(1)(b). Procedure Art 133; ouster Third Schedule para 2. 'May' = discretionary.

• Exposed to deprivation under Art 135(1)(c) — the residence-abroad ground. Because he has been ordinarily resident outside Singapore for a CONTINUOUS period of 10 years without entering on a Singapore certificate of status / travel document and without qualifying Government/international-organisation service, the Government may by order deprive him of citizenship. The period is 10 years (NOT 5).

  Art 135(1)(c) (SG-E2-024; CORRECTION A339): 'he is of or over the age of 18 years and has... been ordinarily resident outside Singapore for a continuous period of 10 years (including any period of residence outside Singapore before 2 January 1986) and has not at any time — (i) during that period or thereafter entered Singapore by virtue of a certificate of status or travel document... or (ii) during that period been in the service of the Government or of an international organisation of which Singapore is a member.' Primary-confirmed 10 years per the kickoff correction and Primary_Text_Retrieval (A3-02). Secondary sources reporting '5 years' conflate this with Art 129(5) (naturalised-only). Procedure Art 133; ouster Third Schedule para 2. Discretionary.

• Exposed to deprivation under Art 129(5) — the naturalised-citizen 5-year residence-abroad limb. This is DISTINCT from the Art 135(1)(c) 10-year ground: Art 129(5) applies only to naturalised citizens and triggers at 5 years' continuous foreign residence absent service or annual consular registration. The Government may by order deprive her via Art 133. The Art 129(7) statelessness bar protects her if deprivation would render her stateless.

  Art 129(5) (SG-E2-020): the Government may deprive a citizen by naturalisation 'ordinarily resident in foreign countries for a continuous period of 5 years' who has neither been in Singapore/international-organisation service nor registered annually at a consulate his intention to retain citizenship. CORRECTION noted in SG-E2-020: the 5-year residence-abroad ground (Art 129(5), naturalised-only) is distinct from the 10-year ground (Art 135(1)(c), all citizens). Art 129(7) statelessness bar applies to clause (5) — she cannot be deprived if it would render her stateless. Procedure Art 133.

• The Art 135(1)(c) residence-abroad deprivation ground is NOT triggered for her. The ground requires CONTINUOUS ordinary residence abroad for 10 years AND that the person has not during that period entered Singapore on a Singapore certificate of status / travel document. She has been abroad only 9 years (below the 10-year threshold) AND has entered Singapore on her Singapore passport each year, which breaks the qualifying condition. Her citizenship is not at risk on this ground.

  Art 135(1)(c) (SG-E2-024): deprivation requires ordinary residence outside Singapore for a 'continuous period of 10 years' with the person NOT having 'during that period or thereafter entered Singapore by virtue of a certificate of status or travel document issued by the competent authorities of Singapore.' Margaret fails BOTH triggers: (1) only 9 years (under the 10-year threshold — primary-confirmed 10 years, NOT 5, per A339); (2) she entered Singapore annually on a Singapore travel document, satisfying the carve-out in 135(1)(c)(i). Disconfirms the assumption that any long stint abroad strips birthright citizenship. Discretionary in any event ('may').