So, my wife is pregnant, and therefore, my mother in law will be coming over.

I have nothing against it actually, infact, i pretty much welcome her. Sweet old lady, who can cook (now, thats important)...

Anyway, getting her into Singapore is quite a PITA.

1. She will have to get her visa.
now, this visa will only allow her enter Singapore.
note that this DOES NOT mean that she will be allowed to go pass the immigration.
the visa only allows her to come into Singapore, up to the point of immigration.
to Apply for the visa, we will need to send her the application form.
She will have to fill them up.
She will then send it back to Singapore.
We will then submit it to ICA for consideration
she needs photocopies of her passport, and a recent photo (white background, non-gloss), my wife's IC, and photocopy, a copy of her household booklet, and a security deposit of $1000, a processing fee of $20 (non-refundable), and a 3 day wait.

The processing of the deposit takes 4weeks.... and I need to fill in a giro form... right...

I will then send this visa to my mother in law, and she will have to bring it together when coming Singapore.

Good thing though, that this visa is multi-entry, so I bring her out of Singapore, and bring her back in again, without any trouble.

2. Now, upon arrival to Singapore's immigration, she will then be judged by the ICA officer to see if she is granted to go pass the gantry.
if no, back she goes.
if yes, it will then depend on the mood of the officer to grant her up to 2 weeks (IIRC) of stay. This is what they call, a social visit pass.
Now, she will have to furnish her return ticket.

3. Well, since my wife is pregnant, we would like my mother in law to stay for a longer period.
But she was only granted 2 week! fret not, we have to go to ICA to apply for her LONG TERM SOCIAL VISIT PASS.
this pass can last up to 5 years, and comes with a multi-entry visa.
processing time is 4-6 weeks, and her stay is automatically prolonged by 8 more weeks to wait for the application outcome.
for this, we will need my wife's birth cert, fill in some forms, recent photo,wife's IC, employment letter from my wife's employer stating her date of commencement, salary, and position, wife's income tax assessment for the last 3 years, wife's CPF statement for the last 12 months, AND another security deposit of $1000.

oh wait... I forgot to mention that ICA needs EVERYTHING to be in English. So if its in Mandarin, go get it translated. And it can only be done in the courts.

How convenient...