Social Visit Pass rejected - How soon can you re-apply

Last activity 28 February 2023 by flyingclassic

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flyingclassicMember28 February 2023 08:32:49

Hi All,

Background: I have lived and worked in Singapore for over a decade (EP). Unfortunately, end of 2022 my role was impacted as part of company wide headcount reduction. Given i have lived/worked in SG for so long, I wish to continue . So, I had been looking for jobs since but there weren't many interviews in december, Jan (~CNY). After cancellation of my EP from previous company, I exited Singapore in december within 30 days of last STVP issued and Yes, I had settled my taxes before exit. I took this opportunity to spend some quality time with family back home and intended to be back in SG on Social visit say mid-late March. So, now i applied STVP through a local contact who is PR in Singapore, I was shocked to hear my STVP application was rejected. also, authorities didnt mention any reason for rejection. it just states "Visa Application is Rejected".

Can this community help to provide some insights on my questions

Has anyone here experienced this? or even without similar background if their STVP was rejected?
How soon can you apply STVP again once rejected?
Is there a time period that a person must wait from previous STVP to request a new STVP?
Do anyone in general aware of current situation with STVP being rejected, please share your experience.

Best case for me would be able to secure a job from overseas or after going to SG whether it happens or not I wish to visit SG for full closure as i am still holding my residential unit and all my things are still there. I am also aware of current job market sentiment and rules, regulations government has established to protect locals i.e. some jobs only locals can apply, locals are always preferred, companies are incentivised to hire more locals, locals:foreigners ratio etc. This is all perfectly good, governments do for their people this is fair. but disregard the outcome I still wanted to give a try given i have decade+ experience in SG.

Oh yes, those wondering why I didnt consider applying PR for all these years of my stay in SG, I certainly did multiple times, rejected.

Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

beppiGermany - Singapore Expert28 February 2023 09:27:17

15316

Answer to 2. & 3.:

You can APPLY for another STVP right after the previous one was rejected, but this will not help you: Unless the circumstances change enough to remove the rejection reason, the result will just be the same (a.k.a. waste of time!).

There is no clear rule for how long you should stay outside of the country after an STVP-visit. Generally, returns within a short time (i.e. days) should be avoided (visa runs do not work with Singapore!) and, as a rule of thumb, after a visit you should stay away for longer than you were in the country.

But they can (and will) deny you entry if they suspect anything they don't like. In your case, there are two obvious reasons for an entry denial:

You are not visiting, but in fact want to (ab-)use the STVP to live here. Thus I recommend you cancel your rental unit and remove all your belongings before you visit again!
You want to look for employment while here, which is not disallowed but frowned upon by iCA. I recommend you conduct your job search from abroad.

Altogether, after (as you wrote) multiple PR rejections, a job loss and now an STVP rejection, I think it is time to accept that Singapore does not need you and consider a future in another country. Good luck with your job search there!

flyingclassicMember28 February 2023 09:41:51

Thank you @beppi, I appreciate your response. Yes I agree, I must accept the fact that SG doesn't need me anymore. I couldnt help given i lived in SG for so long and I just wanted to give one last try to find better paid job which perhaps would improve chances of getting PR. But again now i am seeing this forum people who are well established, lived longer than me with families and have great household income. I feel, I certainly do not stand a chance.

Thank you again. I shall plan next course of action.

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