[URGENT] STVP Expiring, EP pending(might be out this week)

Hi everyone,

I am a young Malaysian, 24,  recently resigned from my job as i got a really nice offer. My employer submitted the EP application on 23rd of April, and it is closing in on the 3 weeks period to get an EP approved. However my STVP is expiring on 14th of May, this Friday.

My ex-company is not willing to extend my STVP, and urges my new employer to push MOM for expediting the process. My employer has contacted MOM, but they mentioned that MOM will only expedite the process after the 3 weeks timeframe.

I have phoned both MOM and ICA, to no avail as I was told that an extension is not possible. If I leave this friday, I will need to be quarantined in Malaysia, as well as Singapore when I got my EP approved. I am tight on funds and does not really like the idea of it, provided that I am close to getting my EP approved. My previous EP got approved in a weeks time.

What can I do right now? Any advice?

Hi- sorry to hear about your situation as explained above. You will come across several threads here which outline that you should never resign before your new application is approved aka IPA.

The only thing you can do is request your ex-employer, else it ain't doable. Past approval has little or no significance to the new application in my honest opinion, you are changing a company, a new professional challenge, increased scrutiny by MoM on fair practices of hiring, tightening of measures to give locals a chance to pick jobs that don't need expats, you should have waited for the approval before resigning. I'm talking out of my personal experience, switch to a new employer wasn't easy (a lot of additional information had to be extended to MoM- which was fair questioning) despite a few years here in SG, prior renewals etc.

I would like to add: EP approval takes 8 - 12 weeks, according to MoM's website, not 3 (that was changed months ago!).
Only your ex-employer can help you to bridge the gap until then. Sorry!

I don't seem to find the information on MOM where it is mentioned that it takes 8-12 weeks for an outcome. What I can see is upto 3 weeks or 8 weeks.

Satdal: You are right - now the MoM website says 3 - 8 weeks.
However, I made a small survey of all EP/S-Pass approvals/rejections posted on the forum this year:

Duration      Occurence
1 week         2 x
2 weeks       8 x
3 weeks       5 x
4 weeks       3 x
5 weeks       -
6 weeks       -
7 weeks       -
8 weeks       2 x
9 weeks       3 x
10 weeks     1 x
11 weeks     2 x
12 weeks     1 x
13 weeks     1 x

This shows that
- The average processing time is 5.2 weeks.
- More than half of all applications are processed within the 3 weeks timeframe.
- Those that pass the 4 weeks point take much longer.
- The longer ones are predominantly in the last two months, whereas the shorter ones were mostly in Jan./Feb.

However, this is probably not statistically significant, as only few applicants post here (and mostly those who face problems).

Great analysis! Do you have separate numbers for S-Pass vs. EP? Would be interesting to see pass specific trends.

beppi wrote:

Satdal: You are right - now the MoM website says 3 - 8 weeks.
However, I made a small survey of all EP/S-Pass approvals/rejections posted on the forum this year:

Duration      Occurence
1 week         2 x
2 weeks       8 x
3 weeks       5 x
4 weeks       3 x
5 weeks       -
6 weeks       -
7 weeks       -
8 weeks       2 x
9 weeks       3 x
10 weeks     1 x
11 weeks     2 x
12 weeks     1 x
13 weeks     1 x

This shows that
- The average processing time is 5.2 weeks.
- More than half of all applications are processed within the 3 weeks timeframe.
- Those that pass the 4 weeks point take much longer.
- The longer ones are predominantly in the last two months, whereas the shorter ones were mostly in Jan./Feb.

However, this is probably not statistically significant, as only few applicants post here (and mostly those who face problems).

I did not separate work pass types, as the process is the same.

Yong Jin Yi wrote:

Hi everyone,

I am a young Malaysian, 24,  recently resigned from my job as i got a really nice offer. My employer submitted the EP application on 23rd of April, and it is closing in on the 3 weeks period to get an EP approved. However my STVP is expiring on 14th of May, this Friday.

My ex-company is not willing to extend my STVP, and urges my new employer to push MOM for expediting the process. My employer has contacted MOM, but they mentioned that MOM will only expedite the process after the 3 weeks timeframe.

I have phoned both MOM and ICA, to no avail as I was told that an extension is not possible. If I leave this friday, I will need to be quarantined in Malaysia, as well as Singapore when I got my EP approved. I am tight on funds and does not really like the idea of it, provided that I am close to getting my EP approved. My previous EP got approved in a weeks time.

What can I do right now? Any advice?


Hey how is your status now? Did you manage to get the EP approval or?