IPA and STVP

I assume you mean you entered Singapore with an IPA, not IPA holder (as it does not matter whom you travel with).
When your IPA is converted to STVP, you must have the work pass issued within 30 days (and that is the expiry date of the STVP). That is not normally an issue, as a work pass can be issued within a few days.

Yes IPA letter.

Normally it shouldn't be an issue. However I can't guarantee if I can able to convert to pass  within 30 days as I'm waiting for my company to provide the new job offer as I am extending my commencement date and I haven't done with my medical check up too.

Earlier on I have tried to apply for extension. Hope to have good outcome 🙏

The IPA is based on a job offer and employment contract agreed on. You employer cannot easily change that. If they want to give you a new (and hopefully better - otherwise why would you agree to it?) offer letter, they still have to fulfill the old contract in the meantime. Thus there is no reason to delay the issuance of your work pass - and MoM will also not extend the IPA for such reason.

My Spass expired 20 oct 22 as my renewal always rejected because of the quota. My employer asked me to stay until we get an outcome.

i demanded for documents to stay in Sg while waiting for approval however, my employer just realized and requested for SVP to MOM 7 days after it was expired ( oct 27 my SVP dated).

My SVP started 27 oct then expired on nov 27.

I received a confirmation that my renewal approved (9 Nov) and now I am statrting working with valid ID.

Question: is there any issue with the days bet oct 21 to 26 oct that i dont have valid documents? Or it does not matter now as I have already my work pass?

Im planning to travel by december but im worried i'll be questioned in airport immigration side.

many thanks

@54321yan If you received a work pass after the STVP issue (and gap) was resolved, I would assume there are no negative consequences.

@beppi thanks for the info.. this forum is really big help to us..u answered all my previous queries correctly since the day of my renewal-rejection-appeal-reappeal till approved. Appreciate ur help..

I hope i won't encounter any issue on my travel this coming december.

Hello 54321yan,

thanks for the info.. this forum is really big help to us..u answered all my previous queries correctly since the day of my renewal-rejection-appeal-reappeal till approved. Appreciate ur help..

Thank you for these nice words

We're glad that you are finding the forum helpful. Our main aim is to help all members as much as we can and we are grateful to have members like you.

Also, a big thank you to beppi who has always been there to answer any queries that members may have

Cheers,

Yoginee

Expat.com team

Hi!

My STVP is expiring today and I have applied for extension and will know tomorrow hopefully. I also have an IPA valid until end of April, should I need the STVP to stay in SG?

Thanks in advance!

@elladan99 Once you have an IPA, you don't need an STVP.But make sure the underlying pass is issued before the IPA expires - and you cannot leave the country and re-enter with an IPA!

@beppi thank you! Must've been some HR issue since I get the same feedback from people I know. Will check with HR later. Much appreciated for the assist.👍

Erm... hi all. I wrote quite a lengthy guide on STVP and IPA but couldn't post on this thread or as a reply. Is there like a word limit on this site? Only reason I'm asking is because I'd like to finally contribute back to this community as I gained a lot of help and information from this place in the past. I called up Singapore ICA and received a lot of clarification on the matter.

@Elywoo This is a great idea - thanks a lot!

I have no idea why you couldn't post it (and if there is a post length limit), but if you tell me the exact length I will clarify with the site team howit can be posted (and made sticky!).

You can send me a PM!

Hi everyone.

I've been a lurker on this website for quite a while and it has been an invaluable place for information. I'd like to contribute back as I have recently gained my IPA and I also had similar questions about the STVP. I called up ICA to clarify and these were the answers I received.

I will write this post through a number of Q&As. Hopefully they mirror some questions of your own. And since I am unable to copy and paste my entire post in a single entry, I will break it up to a few posts.

Q1. What is the relationship between STVP and IPA?

A1. This tends to be the main cause of confusion for many. An STVP is a social visit pass issued by the immigration officer on your arrival to SG. It gives the foreigner the right to stay in Singapore for a maximum of 30 days with the option of renewal.

An IPA has only a bare minimum relationship to immigration. It is a letter issued by MOM that gives you 3 important information: 1) a single-entry visa if you are a National of a country that requires visa entry into Singapore. This entry visa is NOT applicable to Malaysians or Thais or any nationals that don't require visa entry to SG; 2) Conditions and requirements to finalise your EP, i.e. medical (if required); 3) Your employment contractual details, i.e. salary.

From my discussion with the ICA officer, the IPA holder who is not dependent on visa for entry may enter and exit as many times as they want to Singapore WHILE holding onto an IPA. But more on this later.

Q2. What is the difference between Visa single-entry and STVP for nationals who don't need a visa?

A2. Some countries (as listed on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website) require a Visa to enter into Singapore. Those not on the list such as most ASEAN nationals are exempt from visa. This is where a big headache happens for a lot of IPA holders as the information I'm about to explain isn't freely available.

The IPA provides foreign nationals who need a visa a single-entry permit. This means that you don't need to apply for visa to enter Singapore. It's already automatically given to you in the IPA. But the caveat to those given visa is in the single-entry condition.  You can enter ONCE to Singapore and will be given a special visit pass for 30 days. But you CANNOT leave sg under any condition unless you apply for a multi-entry visa in Singapore.

In my case, I am a Malaysian. I was already holding an STVP when I received my IPA. When speaking with the ICA officer, she made it plaintively clear that my IPA DOES NOT affect my STVP and neither does my IPA grant me any stay or rights to stay in Singapore. If my STVP expires, I must still reapply for extension of stay in Singapore, like every other foreigner. Of course, the IPA will help make your case for why you need to stay in SG for a little longer.

But, unlike those who need a visa, visa-exempt foreign nationals have multi-entry benefits. This means that I am free to enter and leave Singapore while holding on to my IPA as long as I still have days left on my STVP. 

But should you do this? Please refer to Q3.

Q3. Should I leave Singapore for holidays or family visits when I am finalising my EP in Singapore? I am a foreign national with visa-exempt privileges, i.e. citizen of an ASEAN nation.

A3. You can but you shouldn't unless it is an emergency. Neither visa nor STVP approval grants the foreign national the right to enter Singapore. It's like a ticket to the zoo. Just because you have a ticket doesn't guarantee you the immediate right to enter the premises. If you are found suspicious on any security grounds, the gatekeeper has the right to refuse your entry.

Now, in a situation of immigration and border security, unlike the zoo which is bound by commercial laws and regulations, the immigration officer is beholden to no one other than border security interests. So if you leave SG while finalising your EP, you have to take the risk that the immigration officer may refuse you entry EVEN IF there are still days left on your social visit pass.

Q4. With an IPA, can I stay up to 6 months in Singapore to finalise my EP?

A4. No. The IPA makes no such statement. The IPA states very clearly that you have UP TO 6 months to ENTER Singapore to finalise your EP. The IPA is NOT a visit pass nor an EP. It is only an in-principal approval for an EP as long as you can fulfil the conditions and requirements stipulated on the IPA.

Again, I reiterate. The IPA does not grant the holder any stay rights in Singapore. Only the immigration officer can grant you that.

Q5. Is my IPA automatically activated when I still have a valid STVP?

A5. I've seen this question quite a bit and the problem is with the idea that the IPA “activates”.

The IPA simply is. It does not require activation, deactivation nor is dependent on any condition to be valid. An IPA simply gives you the ability to finalise your EP. It has a single-entry visa if you need it. But that's it. The IPA does not affect your stay rights; it does not grant you stay rights.

I hope some of my questions here mirror the anxieties or questions you may have about the STVP and IPA. I apologise if my post has already been addressed on other threads. I don't read them all so may have missed the contribution of others.

Good luck to all who are still waiting on their IPA. 

It's 2023 i'm stuck in the same situation. I got my IPA but my visitors pass expires in 3 days. I'm still waiting for the result of my medical exam before my employer can make an appointment to MOM. Do ICA still grant an extension of one week if I go there and explain the situation? I already applied for the second extension of my STVP and was declined. Do i exit in JB for day tour and then come back to SG again and enter using my IPA?

@altaalcoparadag The employer should URGENTLY contact MoM to solve the situation.

You should NOT exit and return to Singapore after a short while! Contacting MoM (or ICA) is the only option!

If all else  fails, you must exit Singapore before your STVP expires - but I am not sure how to get your work pass issued then.

How could the issuance of your work pass have taken longer than the 30 days STVP???

@altaalcoparadag Hi  I have same situation with you how did you solve your condition. I enter sg with IPA.My medical result will get on 10th Aug to make appointment to MOM for insurance spass.But My stvp will expired on 11th Aug before I get appointment to issue spass card.I didn't get stvp extension from ICA.HR sent request form to MOM for pass holder stay extension.Is it ok?

@htet thiri win if your STVP expires before you can get the work pass, you must exit Singapore to avoid staying on illegally (which would invalidate your IPA, thus you lose your work pass - and probably the chance to ever get another one).

if you used your IPA to enter the country and exit without having the work pass issued, you also lose the work pass - but at least you have a chance to apply again, because you did nothing illegal.

i wonder why you or your employer did not get the work pass issued in time, or at least extend the STVP.