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

The employer can contact MoM and ask for a faster process, but they won't tell the reason for a delay.
Of course yoiu can continue your job search while waiting for their decision.
-@beppi

If I find a new employer, would it be fine if they file a new EP application while the previous one is still pending?

@PR7202 No. Please read related forum posts before posting - this has been answered numerous times!

Hello, Just found this forum and hoping for some help/advice as the situation has become pretty dire.

Nationality: EU

Job: APAC director

monthly salary: ~30k

Requested move from HK to Sing which was granted by the company (mid-size).

HR Sing completed the employment pass forms (EP granted June 22).

EP: granted

Subsequently discovered HR Sing incorrectly applied for the 'Intracompany employment pass' which was granted, but only discovered this whilst awaiting a DP pass for partner and 2 children, but this means no DP passes can be issued.

Following legal advice requested termination of ICEP and re-apply for EP: REJECTED no specific reason given)

Applied for a School pass so our children could attend Int school that we are paying for: REJECTED (no reason given). RE-APPLIED (pending)

An error from HR Sing has now left us in a bad situation wherby we are renting a house in Sing, paying for an Int school but have no clarity on whether we will be able to stay or not. Obviously, with Primary school children involved, we need to find a resolution quickly.

MOM seems disinterested. We can't seem to actually talk with anybody!

Advisors seem to think it can be rectified, unofficially told to keep pursuing but no time frames and no guarantees.

Any advice would be of help.

@Dennis2003 Your post is difficult to understand.

• Do you start a new job at a new company, or is it an internal transfer?
• If the latter, why is the IC-EP not appropriate?
• In any case, your application for a normal (non-IC) EP was rejected, so you are apparently not eligible and the planned move cannot take place. (This is independent of the company's previous error in applying for the wrong pass.)
• I do not understand how (and why) you rented an apartment and enrolled your kids in school before you even knew if you can moveor not. This is not legally possible, as far as I know. In any case, it was your private decision to take that risk, so you probably have to bear the costs.
• There might still be a chance if the company appeals against the rejection - IF by doing so they can remove the cause of rejection (they would have to find it out from MoM first!). Otherwise, just continue to stay in HK!
  

Thank you beppi for your reply... Everyone keeps telling us this case is unusual.

to try and answer you:

Do you start a new job at a new company, or is it an internal transfer?

-Same company. Role relocated from HK to Singapore

If the latter, why is the IC-EP not appropriate?

-Cannot bring in dependants on IC

In any case, you are apparently not eligible for a normal (non-IC) EP, so the move cannot take place.

-Already moved to Singapore (we are here now, family on 90 day tourist visas). Have since been advised it is likely normal EP would have been issued if applied for.

-My local Sing HR team applied for the wrong visa (YES it is our fault, not disputing that fact)

I do not understand how (and why) you rented an apartment and enrolled your kids in school before you even knew if you can move. This is not legally possible, as far as I know. In any case, it was your private decision and risk, so you probably have to bear the costs.

-Not the case. EP was issued in June.

-Upon receipt of the employment pass, it does not state anywhere that the EP is related to Intracompany transfer, so at this time wasn't aware that the wrong pass had been applied for. The EP had been approved so started searching for housing and schools whilst dependant visas were to be processed.

-Partners Dependant visa applied for immediately in June upon IPA letter which was not rejected until recently nearly 8 weeks later (despite knowing now they were never being eligible to apply)

-Submitted vaccination records for 2 children below 12 years old for Verification (They were still being verified when arrived in August)

-There might still be a chance if the company appeals against the rejection - IF by doing so they can remove the cause of rejection (your post does not mention what caused it). Otherwise, just continue to stay in HK!

-Appeal was made by our Singaporean-based lawyer to cancel the IC visa and re-apply for the normal EP visa. This was rejected, and no further information was given for the rejection.

-And we have not been able to speak with anyone!

To summarise:

-We didn't know that the incorrect visa had been applied for

-Only discovered this fairly recently as we requested the services of our company advisors as the dependant visa and Vaccine verification process was taking a very long time.

-Assumed it was the children's vaccination verification that was holding up the process!

@Dennis2003 So, you had a valid EP and that was cancelled when you found out that it had restrictions you didn't know and agree to. Subsequently, your application for a non-restricted EP was rejected and it is unclear whether you can eventually get one. Correct?

This puts you in a BIG dilemma:

• You and your family are classified as short-term visitors / tourists now.
• As such, you are not allowed to work for your employer, not even remotely from home. (Illegal work without EP is one of the worst offenses in the eyes of MoM, so DON'T!)
• Strictly speaking, you are no longer allowed to occupy the apartment you rent (as renting residential property to short-term visitors is illegal!).
• The kids are probably also not allowed to attend school without DP or student visa.
• If the STVP expires before you got EP and DPs, you must leave Singapore (if only temporarily). DO NOT OVERSTAY!

This is REALLY not a good situation and you must take great care not to break any rules (which, if found, would reduce your chances further).

My advice: Prepare a Plan B - it is by no means sure you and/or your family will be able to settle in Singapore.

I wish you good luck. (You will need it!)

Thanks again beppi for your advice.

• Mostly correct but DID NOT cancel the current ICT Employment pass, which is still valid (for the reasons you pointed out above). Obviously, the remaining family members are on 'tourist visas' and will have to leave before they expire.
• A written request was made to cancel ICT EP so as to be able to apply for the 'normal' EP. The request to 'cancel and reapply' was rejected (no accompanying reason given) assuming that is because the T&Cs of ICT are that you must leave Sing and can't apply for another pass upon its termination.
• Advised to appeal this rejection again, although no guarantees.
• KIDS: Once we realized what had happed we subsequently applied for a 'student pass' so they could attend school in the short term whilst we tried to resolve the situation. Again rejected with no further information. We were told we can appeal and have, but without knowing the reason for rejection can't see any reason the outcome would be different.

Although we must assume 100% responsibility for applying for the incorrect visa, I'm struggling to see why the application for defendant visas wasn't automatically rejected given we had no right to apply according to the terms set out in the ICT EP. We contacted them continuously for nearly 2 months and were told it is pending!

The fact the dependent visa applications were made immediately after EP was granted shows a clear misunderstanding of the conditions of the visa/pass that was granted.

Communication from the relevant government department has been non-existent.

• We or our advisors have never been able to speak to any representative about the visa status or student pass application, only told to refer to the website (computer says no - UK TV joke there)
• No reason has ever accompanied the rejections. 'Told to trust they are making the right decison'

We will pusue this for a while longer, even advised by a local contact in the MOM there is still a chance we can cancel ICT and apply for normal EP as it has happened in the past but zero guarantees. As they say it the hope that kills you!

A genuine error was made by a company employee and we as a family are paying for it  dearly.

If this only serves as a cautionary tale for anyone reading this in the future then Im happy to share!

@Dennis2003 So you have a valid EP, and a non-IC EP wasn't rejected - but so far not applied for?

Then at least you can continue working and living in Singapore, even if your family can't.

The IC-EP is clearly the intended visa for your case, so from MoM's viewpoint your request tochange it is probably unreasonable. That you didn't know its restrictions is not their fault - and it might well be that MoM (and not your company) correctly decided your situation is an Inter-Company transfer. (I have never heard of a company having a choice, so I doubt that there was an error on their part - other than in communicating the rules.)

Hi folks, in a bit of dilemma now whether to accept a job offer. Started a new role last month, but just heard back from a co that ghosted me, and the offer is almost a 30% increment from my current comp.

If I were to accept, how likely would MOM approve the EP? And is there any tangible consequence if the application was rejected, both for my current and future employers? Would appreciate the advice, and plus points if you have gone through a similar exp or are familiar with the EP application procedure.

Additional background info for clarity

Age: early 20s

Education: NTU/NUS/SMU (MOE Scholar)

YoE: 1+

Current comp: $75-90k (2nd job out of uni)

New role is in a different industry.

Quick update that my EP was approved yesterday (24 Oct), and EP was applied for on 7 Oct. My agent said MOM puts more emphasis on your next role + industry + package increment as opposed to job hopping duration, which is great to hear for us ambitious folks

Hey pafit0702,

Quick update that my EP was approved yesterday (24 Oct)

That's very good news!

Congratulations and thank you for sharing it with us.

Cheers,

Cheryl

Expat.com team

Hi everyone! - I just want to share my good news with everyone.

My employment pass got approved today (around 5 weeks since the date of application). It's been a while but worth it.

This is my first employment pass and I am in the IT industry.

To anyone who is still waiting for their work pass to be approved, good luck!

Hey fighter0029,

Congratulations.

Thank you for sharing this with us.

We wish you all the best.

Cheers,

Cheryl

Expat.com team

Hi, just want to check if someone can give me advise as my s pass renewal is still on 'pending status' ' application is on the process' for almost 3 weeks+. When HR shows: it states processing time is within 3 weeks for most cases. it may longer should the application require the inputs of external agencies. Can someone help me what does this mean. i feel so anxious.

Thank you.

Hii Everybody!!

As Someone who hold a Senegalese Passport, What do i need to reside and Work in Singapore.

Please can you tell the Process from the beginning. like from hometown to arrival city and establishment.

How much money do i need for the first days, where to stay for the beginning? is it easy to find a job for expat or maybe you find it before coming?

@AmoDiallo To live and work in Singapore, you need a work visa - just like everyone else (the visa exemptions are only for visit visa).

Please spend some time reading about the requirements and available options on this forum or elsewhere and then come back with more detailed questions that were not yet addressed. We dislike telling everyone the whole story again and again!

As for the money: Singapore is consistently ranked as one of the most expensive places on earth. If you come for a visit, budget S$ 200 - 300 per day (on top of flight costs). If you come to work, you need a similar daily amount for the first month or so (until you receive your first salary and find rental accommodation).

Hi, my work pass has been extended. But my pending renewal for S pass is still pending for almost a month now. I don't know the reason behind it. But it just stated on the pending remarks: application will take 3 weeks and will take longer if required input of external vendor. Can anybody advise me. Thanks.

@coneyitsme From my experience, other than requesting your employer to contact MOM, there's nothing that can be done but to wait. There are cases where applications are approved within a week, but there are also cases where it took 2-3 months, like mine did. If MOM state that there's pending vetting of other agencies, expect to wait longer than stipulated time.

Sharing my spass timeline. It might help some of you.

Its the first time that my Company is applying for Spass.

Spass Applied - 13 Dec

Pending  - 13 Dec

Approved - 19 Dec

Hello, sorry for the long post.

I am a current holder of EP, my EP will expire on May 2023, my HR is in the process of renewal my pass.

My HR informed me that based on the SAT tool, I am now only eligible for S-Pass so they will proceed my renewal as S-Pass. This is strange since my salary is always above the threshold and I have been EP holder for 4 year (one in old company and one with current). I had a talk with HR and push for my renewal as EP, they concern is if my EP renewal fail, they has no stand for appeal and must apply for S-Pass for me under new application. This process will be longer than the renewal as this is new application, they will need to post the job for minimum 1 month again before applying. During this time I will not be able to work for them as I will not have any work pass.

After some discussion, HR suggested they will choose both EP and S-Pass on MOM system when being asked which pass they want to renew, and which pass I can get will purely depend on MOM. I think it's reasonable and agreed.

After I went home and check my status on MOM website, the pass pending renewal only shown S-Pass. I am not sure if this is the case of system not updated yet (I talked to HR at 3.30pm, checked system at 7pm) or HR lied to me to stop me from pushing.

I would like to ask if the 2 options for renewal is real? Anyone experience this before or if someone from HR can confirm it would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

@beppi MoM recommends S pass on my application despite I being full time Engineering graduate and meeting min salary criteria. This is unusual to my organisation as well and have encountered this for first time

I understand MOM have their own rules but needed to understand disadvantages from expat point view to enter Singapore on S pass instead of E pass

@Abha Khaddar The difference, for the employee, between S-Pass and EPis small. Read about it on the MoM webpage!

But if the SAT, after entering all your correct details, clearly says you are eligible for EP (and not just S-Pass), then the employer should contact the processing officer at MoM for a detailed explanation.

I'd like to share my case here.

Sector: IT, Internet

Nationality: China

Timeline:

20 December 2022: application filed

29 December 2022: update received from MOM "... We need more time to review..."

12 January 2023: approved

@shawn li23

Hi Shawn

Have you been requested to submit any supporting documents amidst the application?

thanks

@bryantlc93

Hello Bryant,

Could you share about the vetting procedure you've experienced:

whether it's from the MoM side to engage with their authorized agencies for the background check without involvement of your employer and you? Or,

the MoM requests the employer to provide / be assigned to furnish verification report from third party agency within a defined timeframe?

thanks

@dorisisdoris Nope

Dears,

May I check what is the current processing timeline for EP ?

My application was submitted by my employer in mid Dec 2022, and its already 5 weeks but the status is still showing pending.

Thanks for your advice in advance.

Nationality : Malaysian

@JAJC91 as per MOM website it will take up to 10 days to 8 weeks business day

@roserosland Thank you. What could be the reason that differs the application between 10days and up to 8 weeks ? Can we assume the chances of (status: pending) after 5 weeks considers it has higher chances for approval and better than being rejected ? Do we have cases here where it is pending for up to 2months then it got rejected ?

Sorry for asking too much. Its the first EP application.

@JAJC91 Please read my (long) first post in this thread - it is all explained there!

@JAJC91 hi, how's the update of your EP application? Did Mom request any additional documents in between?

@kembang1989 Hi. Unfortunately, still no update. Status is still pending. Pretty worried about this.

Hi, I am currently apllying for an EP via company agency and submitted last week, the status now is pending to MoM.

I am going to join one of the company that recently announced a mass layoff worldwide, do you think it may impact the visa approval?

Thanks for the insight.

Thanks to everyone in the forum, my EP has been approved in 10 Feb '23

My process:

11 Jan '23 - submission

2 Feb '23 - pending from vetting agencies

10 Feb '23 - approved

hope everyone get the best outcome as well

Thanks beppi for the very informative post.

@cda0001 When vetting was taking place, did the status say 'need vetting' or just 'pending' ?

@JAJC91 did you got ur pass.aproved ?

Any Idea on current timeline ?Mine was showing on the website on 1st/2nd MarchAccording to https://service2.mom.gov.sg/workpass/enquiry/search, status will change within 10 business days (I understand that previously on old system in reality it might take 3-4 weeks), but until now my application is still in pending stateAny suggestion/idea why they make it 10 days ? after 10 days does it approve immediately or turn into checking for vetting agency ?

@mcb345 As far as circumstantial evidence (on this forum and elsewhere) shows, the average processing time is still constant at 6 - 8 weeks, with a great variability case-by-case (so it could be anywhere between a few days and many months). It has never been below 4 weeks - and I believe it will never reach 10 days (it's probably meant to be the longest time from submission until it is shown as "pending").

Please read related threads to understand what happens during the process and how long each stage can take.

My EP got approved within 3-4 days.

I was in offshore when applying. But I have worked in Singapore for 2+ years previously.

BTW does anyone aware about entry requirements to Singapore with an IPA?

I mean health declaration, vaccination certificate, etc.