Employment Pass Rejected

Hi,
I am BE degree engineer, i completed on 2011. I have two years of experience. now i got job in singapore through agent. now i am going to apply for EP, could anyone tel me am i eligible to apply for it. somebody telling me that less than 3 years experience will be rejected by MOM,could any one tel me what are the basic qualification and thing i need to satisfy to get ep. and if my ep rejected,  what is the another way to go to singapore. it is my life time like to go to singapore......

To get an EP, you need
- a recognised university degree (note: very few Indian schools are recognised)
- applicable work experience (three years is a rule of thumb, but exceptions are possible in areas where Singapore has high demand)
- sufficient salary (S$3000/month is the absolute minimum, or S$4000 if you want to bring family - these numbers will be raised soon)
- a job offer in a company that is allowed to hire foreigners (and doesn't have too many already)
- work in a field where there are not enough locals who can do the same job (and must be hired first)

Note: The employing company applies for the EP. Agents cannot help there at all. If they do charge you a fee (which is not allowed by Singapore law), they are dubious and you should stop working with them!

Hi Guys..

Good morning..

I would just like to ask if you could give me some advices.
Basically my EP was rejected when my current company tried to renew it last Aug 5.
Aug 14, company filed an appeal to MOM. Some changes such as my salary has been adjusted.
I would like to ask if 3,500 is enough for my EP to be approved? My Boss also wrote in letter to MOM to explain and give justification. It was submitted along with the appeal.

May I ask also that if there is an ongoing appeal, can another potential employer apply Pass for me?

Thank you for your thoughts..

The minimum salary for which an EP is given depends on your qualifications and work experience. For a fresh graduate it is S$3000/month (this will be raised soon). Your employer should ask MoM if low salary was the reason you were rejected - there are other possible reasons.
You can only have one application running at a time. Thus your current employer would have to cancel the appeal before another can apply. Please note that your current employer will be able to see that another EP application is running.

Hi Beppi..

I see. Thats what I thought also that only 1 application could only be submitted.

The reason for rejection is due to the salary..
Basically, at the renewal stage my company changed my salary to 3000. It was rejected on the same day of application.
Now they have made further changes, which would be 3500 and some justications from our boss.

My question now is that how strong would this be for MOM to reconsider my pass?

I have heard to some that, new application from new employer even 4200 is rejected

I dont know whether new application from a new employer has a difference to renewal/reappeal...

As I said, the required salary depends on your education and work experience. There is no one threshold applying to everybody, and the details are not published. Ask MoM what applies in your case!

Ok thank you for your inputs.. Hopefully everything turns out fine.

I want to know if I apply Singapore TEP pass so this pass can convert into SPass or EP Pass. Please also tell me this pass can extendable or not. kindly suggest me... soon...

http://www.mom.gov.sg/foreign-manpower/ … fault.aspx
The TEP is not renewable or convertable to other passes.

Hi Kyleyllazar,

i would just like to ask you what were the changes made/done on the appeal? also are you on Q1 or P2 pass?

Hi Beppi
How r u...
as a last solution our Accountants suggested us that if I am made the Director of the company then there are better chances that the Employment pass will be approved.. the company has taken steps to make me the Director of the company...do you think this is correct? ours is a PTE LTD company..
thanks for your help again.

Sorry, I am not familiar with that method.
You may want to contact a company incorporation service provider (like Janus, but there are others as well) to help you with that approach.

Hi,

I just applied for EP on 16 Aug in SG and it got rejected on 23 Aug saying there were missing docs such as job description and employment contract. We made an appeal on the very same day speaking to the MOM officers and uploaded the required details via isubmit and made an appeal as well. Is there chances for me to get the EP and should i make any extra effort ?? Can somebody help me out with suggestions.

An incomplete application (as yours with missing documents) is rejected without processing.
Only a complete application is considered and checked, so then you have a chance to be accepted (or rejected for real reasons).

hi,
thanks for your answer.... the agent dont charge me and company is applying for me.... but i have one doubt that when i atten interview they told me my salary is 2500, as per your answer am i not elegible for ep. and tel me can i have sp or work permit to do that job. later on increase of my salary can i apply for ep. they told me after one year they will increase my salary.

The minimum salary for S-Pass is currently S$2200/month (due to be raised soon!). But applicants with higher than minimum education, work experience or job scope are expected to earn more to qualify.
You can use the self assessment tool at http://sat.mom.gov.sg/satservlet to check whether you are eligible. Of course this doesn't give you any guarantee and in the end you need to apply to know whether you'll get the S-Pass or not.
For your information: S$2500/month is a typical salary for a (local) fresh degree holder with no work experience (but usually work experience is required to get an S-Pass).

Hi beppi,

How are you, I already read this forum since march 2013 and I get many information from you, thank you. I have question, my first ep is reject because I don't have degree. My experience is 9 years in the it network company. Last time (february 2013) my company assign me to Singapore for 6 month to finish some project here, but my ep rejected because my degree and salary, even my company only request for 6 month, after rejection my company try to appeal and no news for 3 month, mom said there is pending vetting at my home country. Now my company hire me to be permanent with salary 8200sgd. It's already 1 month since update my application and still don't have any news. Is it possible for me to get ep? Is it better to create new application or just wait my previous application get the status. It's difficult for me because there is pending at my country, and I know my government do the work (Indonesia). Please advice.

The P1 EP, which does not require a degree (but might still require sufficient other qualifications depending on the job scope), has a minimum salary of S$8000/month. However, this does not mean everybody above that salary gets it - it's a case-by-case decision based on job scope, employer and candidate.
Your S$8200/month is also suspiciously near the threshold, given that you have applied before with lower salary this will raise eyebrows!
You are at the vetting stage, which means they are checking your credentials with the issuing authority. This takes as long as the issuer needs to respond (or other sources convince MoM that these credentials are real and accurate).
There is nothing you can now do other than wait and hope (or pray, if you are so inclined).

Hi Beppi,

Thank you so much for your fast response. Last time I was base in Indonesia that's why my salary is low when compare with Singapore salary. Now my company is moving me to be home base at Singapore and I have new offer. Is there any information about maximum time mom will inform the status? Just prepare for the worse case and get back to my country with old salary.

Apart from checking your qualifications (in which you can probably not help), your company also needs to justify why they need to hire a foreigner. You could check whether the reasons given are convincing in MoM's eyes (e.g. they tried to hire a local for this job before and couldn't find anybody suitable, or hiring you is of strategic interest for the development of the company in Singapore, etc.) and ask them to write a better one. They could also ask for a personal discussion with a MoM officer to present their case (and they could bring you along).

Hi. My name is Hermanto from Indonesia. Yesterday, the company applied S Pass for me. Today I received an email from the company that the pass was rejected. the reason is "Your candidate is not eligible for a work pass" COuld you please tell me why this kind of thing could happen. Can I still have the chance to work in singapore? I have a master degree from taiwan. I have no criminals record before. Thank you.

There are many possible causes for a S-Pass application to be rejected and MoM does not usually tell their reasons.
If the answer was really what you wrote above, it is likely that your degree is not recognized, or there is no fit between job scope, your degree and your work experience (if you have no work experience, that might be the reason, too). Or your salary is too low (degree holders should be on EP instead of S-Pass).
Your company can request a personal discussion with the MoM officer to find out more.

hi,
valuable answer.... thanks.... if a person has degree and experience but the salary is very low, is he elegible to get ep.... or can the company negosiate with them

MoM expects salary to be aligned with education, experience and job scope. So yes, you can be rejected for too low salary.
The company cannot "negotiate" with MoM, but it can appeal and strengthen its argumentation why it has to hire you, as foreigner. MoM looks here only into the long-term benefits for Singapore, so it would for example help if you are due to set up a new department or market segment that will create local jobs or contribute to the Singapore economy. Of course they'll be asked why the pay is low for this ...

thanks beppi, i would like to know onething.... somebody from india is telling that, recruiting indians is stoped for next few months because they are hiring only sri lankans.... is it true? is there anything like particular country should be stoped for few months and particular country should be recruited.....  so eventhough we have offer in singapore, we cant get pass during this period...

I don't think that's true, but nobody knows for sure what's going on behind the closed doors of MoM.

Hi,

I got EP in singapore in 2007,but have not work single day in singapore,in company internal medical test , as got High BP/sugar (No HIV,TB,CANCER)at that time , that was the reason employer asked me to canncel the EP, cancelled back to india immediately, with in 2 weeks everything fine .Since then Joined 2 MNCs, gone through medicals and working  in last 6 years in india .Now it got job opportunity in singapore, if i apply ,can i get EP or will it be reject.Please advice.


Regards
Prasad04

If your medical condition has improved, you can get another EP now.

I don't like telling you but in Singapore unless you have a degree from a univercity and a job offer, then it's going to be very difficult.
I'm married to a Singaporean, have been operating my own business for 8 years and had to appeal three times before they would give me a pass and it wasn't even a work pass, it was a visit pass.
I really don't know what's going on with this Government. They are just getting harder and harder and more expensive.
I just about had it with Singapore and am thinking about just shutting down my business and moving out of here. Good luck!
Steve (A discuraged American)

Thanks Beepi,

Actually i have renewed my passport and lost the old one.No idea what is the EP NO or FIN no as it had taken 6 years ago.Unable to provide that information now.Will it be problem ? Or there is any option we can provide that as we lost in EP form .
Please advice how to proceede.

Regards
Prasad04

You need the FIN number in any case.
Check the paperwork you got with your EP, or your blue Singapore ID card, or your employer, or your library card,  or your bank, or ...
Nothing works in Singapore without your FIN, so you'd better find it again!

Hi Beppi & other friends,

Firstly, let me congratualte you all for the infomative posts and suggestions made in this forum.

1) I need a quick advise here. Will the appeal for EP renewal(1st time) still remain in force even if the EP has expired/withdrawn by the employer when due date has come? In other words MOM will still reply within 3 weeks or so even if the EP has been canceled?

2) Also, can MOM approve EP renewal for experienced person (6 yrs, 3 yrs in Singapore)at minimum eligible salary in sectors where salaries are typically not so high like early year education etc esp ehen there is no S pass quota.


Thanks,
Aj

aj_kr wrote:

1) I need a quick advise here. Will the appeal for EP renewal(1st time) still remain in force even if the EP has expired/withdrawn by the employer when due date has come? In other words MOM will still reply within 3 weeks or so even if the EP has been canceled?.

If an EP is cancelled or withdrawn by the employer, any previous appeal is also void. The same is probably true if it expires (you should ask for a temporary extension before expiry!), but ask MoM to be sure.

aj_kr wrote:

2) Also, can MOM approve EP renewal for experienced person (6 yrs, 3 yrs in Singapore)at minimum eligible salary in sectors where salaries are typically not so high like early year education etc esp ehen there is no S pass quota.

The minimum salary depends on job scope and experience - the details are not published. But somebody with 6 years applicable work experience will not get a Q1 EP at or near S$3000/month (this number is due to be raised soon anyway!).
If your work experience is not in the same field as the job applied for, it may not be counted (but without experience it's even harder to get an EP).

Thanks Beepi,

I have old passport no if i provide that one to MOM,will they findout the FIN no ? or Is my FIN NO not mapped with my old passport no or with my name ? This is the only option left.To findout the FIN no ?.
If i cann't provide FIN NO ,will there be chance of cancel EP again ?

Please advice on this

Regards
prasad04

Then they will find it, based on your name and birthdate.

Hi Steve (A discouraged American),

What is pass visit and why does it even needs appeal for that permit?

Hi Beppi,

I have been reading this forum since a couple months and your information has been very helpful.
One of the member posted that his LOC on dependent pass got rejected when he applied with one of the recruitment company and the reason for that was that he has previous experience in other stream. You mention to find a job that fits your background and experience.

My case, I am a graduate with an Master degree in Economics from a reputable university in Europe (unfortunately not ivy-league). After my graduation I came to Singapore and have worked 1 year as a junior in banking on an EP (Q1 pass), with a salary of 3k.
I have found a new job, still banking but in a different department and because I don't have the experience I will start as an intern (if I perform well they will convert to a permanent role and increase the salary) with a lower salary of 2.4k. Currently I am a dependent pass holder and my company will apply an LOC now. I meet the eligibility criteria but I wonder what chance I have getting the LOC. I guess it's anyone's guess, but perhaps you can shed some light?

Thank you.

Nobody outside knows the exact workings and reasonings of MoM.
Salary seems not to be a factor in granting LoC, but there have been too few knows cases of rejection to guess what other factors there might be.
Once you get your result, please post it here, so we can learn from it!

Another aspect that applies in your case: You have to cancel your EP (thus stop working) and get a DP before you can apply for the LoC. If it is rejected, you have no way back to where you were, so there is a real risk involved!

Thank you Beppi for your reply. Currently I am unemployed and have my dependant pass.I am a bit worried because we have applied earlier for an S-pass but that was rejected. There was no reason provided by the MOM, but most likely reason is the low salary. Therefore we didn't appeal because there was no new information that we could provide (most likely that the appeal will be rejected as well) and I didn't want to have a history record of couple rejections in the system. I heard that can influence new applications but I am not sure tho. I think to apply an LOC would increase my chance.

I just heard that my previous employer recently got an LOC approval for their intern (degree holder, couple of years working experience with normal salary) with an salary of approx. 1k, which is good news but you never know with MOM!