How long will my work pass (EP, S-Pass, WP) application take

Vinvini: No medical exam and IPA are involved in a work pass renewal. Please check your post and explain the actual situation - otherwise nobody can give the correct advice!
(And, as Shekhz stated above, please do not SPAM the forum again!(

beppi wrote:

Vinvini: No medical exam and IPA are involved in a work pass renewal. Please check your post and explain the actual situation - otherwise nobody can give the correct advice!
(And, as Shekhz stated above, please do not SPAM the forum again!(

Hi Beppi, for S-Pass, prior to a renewal, the employer is to buy medical insurance, in some cases, specific applicants are to go through medical examination too. This is updated on the MoM portal, I too did a quick look up because I wasn't aware myself.

Shekhz: Thanks for pointing this out to me. So, in that case it's a medical exam required by the insurer, not MoM. Good to know!

Here is the guideline- https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permi … -insurance

Just outlines that Employer under their obligation need to buy medical insurance for the S Pass holder for and during the term of the pass validity.

In some applications, ‘Medical Examination' required comes up, countries typically where you have had some infectious outbreaks in the past. In that case, MoM flags it as a mandate, in some cases the insurer as a part of their due diligence ask for it.

For FDWs, just as an example and not to offend anyone, before a work permit is issued, they are mandated to go through a health check up. Then there is a repetitive 6 month check, prompted by MoM but not the insurance company.

We ended up not being able to address the problem. Sharing our experience in case it can help someone.

My wife got a job in SG in March. Soon after her EP and entry approval was done.
My DP was rejected at that time, her company shared there is no feedback from MOM and that they will apply again if she comes and starts working in Singapore. Which she did.

We applied again and got the rejection in July this year. Her company again shared that there is not feedback from MOM as to why.
We contacted MOM separately and talked to a case officer, which shared that our paperwork seemed ok and that is probably something with the company and we should check with them.

So far the communication with her HR was very bad and we needed to push for any kind of steps. At the moment of writing this, two weeks after rejection, we received no feedback and we are not sure how to proceed.

Seems like the HR you're working with is either lazy or slow or both. It should not be a problem to reappeal if the case officer says your paperwork is ok.

Kurt Morrison: I am sorry to hear about your situation!
I have never heard of a case where a DP was rejected due to a cause to be found at the spouse's employer - but the spouse's work pass was o.k. (?!?)
It is difficult to help you from the distance (and without knowing all the details), but I do assume that it is some kind of stupid formality or mistake - hopefully easy to correct, once you know what it is. If the employer is not responsive enough, I encourage you to communicate with the MoM officer again. The situation of your wife working in Singapore while you are not allowed in is certainly not something you should endure for long.
Good luck! (And please come back to report the results here. Thanks!)

Hi Everyone!

David here, from Spain. Tons of helpful info here for the newbies like me, thanks for it!

I am planning to relocate to Singapore. The company wants to hire me, and we are about to initiate the EP request process.

Based on what I'm reading on the forum, I assume that MoM is still issuing EPs for foreigners during the pandemic, right? And do you think the situation in your country of origin in terms of new cases might affect the acceptance of an EP?

Those are the only two aspects I am mostly concerned about. In terms of the company being interested and my education certificates and so on, everything should be okay.

Thanks!

David: There is a slowdown in application processing and less get approved, due to the (COVID-related) economic situation and unemployment among the locals (who must be hired first).
Also, the authorities have de-coupled the work pass approval (given by MoM) and the entry approval  (given by ICA). People from high-risk countries can get a work pass, but have to wait with entering the country until the pandemic situation recedes.
Good luck - these are not the best times for trying to work in Singapore!

Thank you! I hope something positive happens.
We are still waiting on the company feedback, but don't expect any clear information.

Thanks, beppi!

Regarding the first point, if the paperwork is okay and the company is interested there shouldn't be a problem, right? Or are they especially picky now? Just mentioning because I'm seeing others in the forum saying that their applications were approved so I guess things are still moving, although a little slower, which is totally understandable!!

Regarding the second one, if I understood well you might get your EP approved but not allowed to enter the country? Not even going through all the quarantine SHN, PCRs, vaccination, etc.?

David3888 wrote:

if I understood well you might get your EP approved but not allowed to enter the country? Not even going through all the quarantine SHN, PCRs, vaccination, etc.?

Yes, that is what it means.
I don't think entry approval would be withheld indefinitely, but who knows when the situation might improve?

beppi wrote:

David3888 wrote:

if I understood well you might get your EP approved but not allowed to enter the country? Not even going through all the quarantine SHN, PCRs, vaccination, etc.?

Yes, that is what it means.
I don't think entry approval would be withheld indefinitely, but who knows when the situation might improve?

Wow, that would be hard...Many cases of people in this situation?

I found this page: https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/wphl/overview

It says: "For new entry applications, applications are only allowed for pass holders who remained in the following lower-risk countries/regions for 21 consecutive days before departing for Singapore:
Australia
Brunei Darussalam
Hong Kong
Macao
Mainland China
New Zealand"

Does this mean that only people living in those countries can enter Singapore at this moment?

Sorry for the (perhaps) silly questions. Totally new to this process!

David3888 wrote:

Does this mean that only people living in those countries can enter Singapore at this moment?

Yes, that's what it means.
Nobody (other than MoM/ICA) knows how many are affected.
The list (or the whole rule) can change without notice - for the better or worse.
This is not a good time for trying to work in Singapore!

Hi, this forum helps me a lot when I feel anxious waiting for my EP result. So, just a sharing to lift hope  for those that are still waiting for EP result:

6 July: submitted
14 July: waiting for agency input
24 July: Approved and yes it's updated on Saturday.

Nationality: Indonesian
Position: Internal Audit
Company: banking
This is my first time changing job after 2years on my current company.

Initially I don't know if I can check my EP status from eponline, so for those who may wonder - yes you can!

A smooth but nerve-wracking experience but happy with the result. Hope all having a good result with their application!

Hi,

May I know how the result of checking eponline should look like?

Currently I am already on EP, and getting offered a new job at other company. The new company is currently applying for the new EP. I can only see my approved current EP in eponline. Should it shows two results instead? Like, the current approved one and new pending one?

Will only show the latest EP application.
Can refer to the application date to check is it ur existing/new one

I see, so during your new EP application on different company, eponline only shows the new pending application but it does not show your current EP?

endeavour90 wrote:

I see, so during your new EP application on different company, eponline only shows the new pending application but it does not show your current EP?

Yes

Hi Everyone,

Good evening !

Can i check if anybody's EP got approved recently ? Can anybody help to share latest turnaround time, especially from finance background ?

Sharing the thread :

Nationality : Indian
Number of EPs : 3 Eps so far without any glitch
Ep Apply : 15 July
Ep Rejection : 26 July
Reason :
Recruiter didnt attach the degree certificates properly , MOM has asked for
all year's marksheet alongwith final certi


on 26th July, they tried to resolve the query and answered them.

Current Profile : Business Consultant
New Profile : Sr. SAP Business Consultant

Feeling very anxious and restless, the status is still same as Rejected
Hr has told me to wait for 2-3 weeks. Hoping for best !!

Hello, just want to share my experience here as my ePass just got approved today.

Nationality: Malaysian (first time apply ePass)
Company : Tech MNC
Position: Marketing
Relevant experience: 8 years
Education: No degree or diploma, high school only
Salary: ~16k SGD
Applied date: 27 Jul 21
Approval date: 3 Aug 21

I'm currently waiting patiently as well for my EP

Nationality : Indonesian
Passtype : EP
Applied : around 1-3 Sep 2021 (Not sure HR only said applied within the week)
Industry : IT

Hopefully will hear good news in 2-3 weeks time (HR says)

Thank you all for sharing your EP application experiences. I have some questions in regards to timeline. 

Does it matter if my role is an internal transfer? I'm on a APAC Regional role based in Malaysia and my company have approved my transfer to Singapore (so the role will move with me). Technically I'm not competing with any local talent for the position instead I'll be bringing in (a little) tax revenue for the Singaporean government. Will the EP process be relatively straightforward in this case?

My husband on the other hand also received an offer in Singapore (Project Manager with a Construction company). Both of our offers sit comfortably at the 8-12K SGD range which in consistent with the current market rate. We are both in our early 30's, Malaysian citizens with tertiary degrees from an accredited Australian university.

Both respective HRs will be submitting the EP application this week - but we were advised that there is a bottleneck currently with Entry passes approvals. It'll be great if anyone can share recent experience with approval time frame for us to plan ahead more effectively.

Thanks a million!

Winnie: You both seem to be from the target group Singapore wants to attract - at least if you are also racially Chinese. So I expect no problem with EP approval, if the respective companies did their homework and know the processes.
How long it takes, however, is anyones's guess. Expect anything between two weeks and two months!
And after that, whether you get the (COVID-imposed) entry approval is also uncertain - nobody knows what situation the virus presents us in a few weeks or months!

Thank you for your reply, appreciate it.

Should the both companies apply at the same time, both independently or one of us should go under the other as a dependent first and only submit the second EP application once we are physically in Singapore?
I guess I can do that as my role doesn't change. I'm only afraid our approvals lead time might be different and we can't enter Singapore together as a family. We have an infant with us so we'd like to move together.

This decision is up to you - and either way there is no guarantee you will be able to move at the same time.

Hi All,
Hope to seek your advise.
Nationality: Indian / Position: Sales Professional / Industry: Petrochemical
Working Experience in Singapore: 10 years

I recently got an offer from a new company.
EP applied 19th Aug' 2021
Status: Pending till date (23 days over)
Applying company followed up with the authorities for advise on status on 22nd day *yesterday. They were requested for submission of my Resume, which HR immediately submitted. And as well requested to expedite the process as my present EP is expiring by 1st Oct.
(A bit anxious and not sure how to proceed as if additional documents are requested, processing time will be again 7 days to 3 weeks as per website guidelines as per my follow-up with authorities yesterday as 3 weeks will be exactly on my expiry date).

Query:-

- Any opinions on why resume is been requested? Is it part of a regular requirement for EP application or should there be something to be concerned about as it's beyond 3 weeks of processing time and yet document required after been followed up?

- May I know your opinion on my chances for EP been approved?

Many thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Winto: the CV is part of all EP applications. That your employer (probably due to a lack of experience) did not include it originally just wasted some processing time.
Your approval chances cannot be told from only the very limited information you gave. Please read related threads about which factors influence approval chances!

Hi, I know it's been a long time and I'm in a similar situation as you. May I know was your appeal successful and how long did it took for the results?

Dear all,

I have been a silent reader of this forum. I would like to share that I got my result today to give hope for those still waiting.

New EP
Application date: July 2021
Approval date: October 2021

Process took 10 weeks. MoM just asked for additional documents and diploma verification.

At first I check status everyday but stopped checking along the way to avoid anxiety and just waited for email. Patience is a virtue. 

Good luck everyone!

Congrats! Would you mind to outline your role and industry, also experience for helping the forum members?

xtina0713 wrote:

Dear all,

I have been a silent reader of this forum. I would like to share that I got my result today to give hope for those still waiting.

New EP
Application date: July 2021
Approval date: October 2021

Process took 10 weeks. MoM just asked for additional documents and diploma verification.

At first I check status everyday but stopped checking along the way to avoid anxiety and just waited for email. Patience is a virtue. 

Good luck everyone!

Hello, congratulations !!

I was wonderingg why have they asked for the diploma verification ?

You didn't find the university in the list provided by MOM ?

My university is in the list. And I have been here for 9 years but this is the first time they asked for diploma verification.

xtina0713 wrote:

Dear all,

I have been a silent reader of this forum. I would like to share that I got my result today to give hope for those still waiting.

New EP
Application date: July 2021
Approval date: October 2021

Process took 10 weeks. MoM just asked for additional documents and diploma verification.

At first I check status everyday but stopped checking along the way to avoid anxiety and just waited for email. Patience is a virtue. 

Good luck everyone!

I am a software engineer. Been here in SG for 9 years and this is the first time I encountered this long process

Increased scrutiny is the new normal. It's happened to several applicants, you aren't alone.

xtina0713 wrote:

Dear all,

I have been a silent reader of this forum. I would like to share that I got my result today to give hope for those still waiting.

New EP
Application date: July 2021
Approval date: October 2021

Process took 10 weeks. MoM just asked for additional documents and diploma verification.

At first I check status everyday but stopped checking along the way to avoid anxiety and just waited for email. Patience is a virtue. 

Good luck everyone!

Hi there..
Had You furnished the Certificate and marksheets in the initial application itself ?
Also, when you said, you gave them additional documents, what were they ?

Dear All,

EP applied - 2nd Sept 2021
Additional Documents requested by MoM - 9th Sept 2021
Documents submitted - 28th Sept 2021
Current Result Status - Pending

I'm going to be the first employee of the Singapore office. It is a new setup for the company and our company wants to expand in Asia Pacific region. The company has submitted a letter stating the same. What is the probability of getting an approval in this case? If anyone has the same case.

Thanks

Small update from my side, guys..

EP approved today.
Applied on 29th Sep., 2021
Approved today.
Field : Cyber Security
Salary Hike :27%
Current location : Singapore..

All the best to the ones who are waiting for their approvals !

sanjeevyadav2019 wrote:

Dear All,

EP applied - 2nd Sept 2021
Additional Documents requested by MoM - 9th Sept 2021
Documents submitted - 28th Sept 2021
Current Result Status - Pending

I'm going to be the first employee of the Singapore office. It is a new setup for the company and our company wants to expand in Asia Pacific region. The company has submitted a letter stating the same. What is the probability of getting an approval in this case? If anyone has the same case.

Thanks

Update

EP Rejected  - 7th Oct