Effective Pass Appeal

It does no harm to tell MoM about the intention to apply for PR, the interview date (you can check regularly if earlier slots become available due to cancellations, and then change your appointment!) and that you'd need to bridge the gap until becoming PR.
The PEP is not renewable.
On the face of it your PR application would seem to have good chances for approval - but if you apply without your sons (who are still minors under Singapore law, so this will be seen as an attempt to avoid NS obligations), it will weigh heavily against you. If you're approved without them, their current Singapore passes will not be renewed any more, and the whole issue might well lead to PR rejection for the whole family - NS is a VERY sensitive issue in Singapore and avoiding it is not a good idea if you still need any official goodwill.

HI, thanks for reply. Update Aug 19: After my employer submitted the company books to MOM, they asked also for information about the client in Sweden. This was provided (annual report and their financing situation which is good). MOM said that it was to take another two weeks for an answer.

1. In the case I am to be expelled from Singapore, I assume that at least my oldest son who is here on a student pass will be allowed to continue his college studies? 2. Do you think my daughter, who is 14, will be granted a student pass for high school grade 9 at an internatinal school? 3. And do you have any experience about housing, can my employer keep the house they are renting for me for my son and daughter to stay in, or can the landlord kick us out and still ask for rent for the next 12 months from the company (standard diplomatic clause in the contract)?
Thanks!

Whether or not your kids will get a student pass depends on factors I cannot evaluate here.
In any case, as minors under Singapore law they cannot not be here without guardian.
Your company can of course continue to rent any apartment, incl. yours.

I think you should finally live up to your choice of Singapore as long-term home, and make it officially as permanent as you personally want it to be. That mean PR for the whole family, with all pros and cons it may have. In my opinion, the pros far exceed. NS may even do your boys some good - at least it gives them a chance to settle, work and maybe start a family in Singapore, which would be doubtful after the obvious (and very much disliked by the government - you have been warned!) NS-avoiding tactics you show now.

Hi Beppi!

Finally I am happy to announce I got my EP approved. It was quite a disturbing experience. It seemed in the end they actually only wanted to have a verification that the company could afford to have me hired. The director of my company said that MOM are careful to make sure of this, as sometimes people on EP or WP do not get paid and it creates problems. But  also it seems as MOM is working slowly with their answers, extending the answering time. Maybe this is a way to try to reduce the number of foreigners. Not sure. Now I am looking forward to the PR interview, and I hope it will work out. Now also the DP and LTVP for my family is applied for, but I hope that is more of a routine and will not cause problems, but not really sure yet, with the changes that seem to be going on.
Anywya, thanks for all good advice, keep it up!

Hi Beppi,

I was also denied the spass, and my employer said that the result letter stated that I am not eligible for an Spass and that they should look for another candidate. The company said they can try and appeal, but I'm not feeling positive about this. Anyway, I saw you mentioned above that the MOM does background checks with the country's authorities. What does that mean? Hope you can shed some light on that.

Many thanks!

The company is right: If MoM has decided you are not eligible for a work pass, it is very difficult to change that - unless you add information they didn't have before (e.g. A new degree).
MoM checks with the applicant's home country authorities, schools and ex-employers all credentials they doubt or wants to verify.

Hi Beppi,

I would like to seek an advice. I only have 2 weeks left on my e-pass. My company applied and was rejected and currently on appeal. However, they appealed last May 27 and I was just recently informed that it may took 3 weeks or more depending on MOM. The company management agreed to now increase my salary to meet MOM standard for EP however the appeal is on-going. Is there any chance my company can cancel this appeal so they can apply for a new application? Can MOM allow that cancellation especially if there is a change of details? I think appeal will just be wasted if they didn't changed anything. They just said on the appeal that there is an annual increase. I just have to wait for that timing few months later. Any advice of the best plan? Because my e-pass will expire by June 26. Next week Wednesday is the 3rd week. I just want an approve EP before my expiry comes or else I will have an idle time. I think the fastest is to cancel the ongoing appeal and process a new one but our hr personnel said they called MOM and said cannot make a new application if there's an ongoing appeal. But I doubt if this question is asked if there's option to cancel it.Thanks so much in advance for your help.

Of course it is possible to cancel an application and then submit a new one, but: Why would you want to do that?!? A new application will certainly take longer than the already half-processed one you have ongoing right now!
If your current EP runs out before the extension is granted, your company can try to get a temporary EP so you can continue working. If that isn't possible, you must stop work and maybe even leave Singapore until the new EP is ready.
Next time your company should apply earlier and know the criteria.

Thanks so much Beppi, I just called MOM. They said, Can cancel/withdraw but the withdrawal itself might take longer time about 3-4 weeks again because the company must send letter for withdrawal, etc... So they suggested that e-pass extension if the the ongoing appeal is rejected and new application or appeal is needed. Employer can just do the extension while waiting for my pass result. I hope extension will be granted though. If not, I still have 30 days to stay as visitor. Though will not able to work. I hope all will turn well. I'm just happy that my boss is very kind that my salary increase is granted if the appeal will be rejected. Is there any cases that the appeal is approved without changing anything and just reason out there's annual increase? I hope someone can share their experience with mine.

It is possible to get an appeal approved if the reason for rejection was low salary and the salary was increased on appeal.
BUT: Such arrangements look fishy in the eyes of MoM, because they too often come with (illegal) "kick-back" schemes, where the higher salary is returned to the employer in some way (thus the "real" salary remains too low).
Your company should thus appeal with a convincing explanation why you are now more valuable to them than before, or why keeping you is in the strategic interest of the company.
Appealing without explanation, just with higher salary, has a lower chance of success.

Hi Beppi,

Thanks so much for your reply.  Oh well, next week Wednesday should reflect the result. Will keep you posted. But since they didn't changed anything so I'm expecting for negative. But if this will be approved then it's a miracle!   This is suspense. Next time, I will follow-up 3 months earlier and will take Assessment tool first. Lessons learned.

Good luck!

Hi Beppi,

I would like to thank you for all the help. Yes, my pass got rejected and I got the result exactly on the 3rd week, but good thing my boss is very kind and pushed for salary increase. My pass got approved after 4 days of new application with the updated salary. All the best!

Btw, I got another 2 years.

My boss told me to take the assessment tool on online MOM first 3 months earlier before pushing hr to renew my pass so we can earlier see the possible problems. Appeal really takes alot and a month is really tight for renewal allowance.

Hi Ibjunasa & Beppi,

I am having the same problem that Ibjunasa encountered last month.  My EP will expire on Aug 15 but my company has submitted an appeal and applied for S Pass for me and HR told me that it will take 4weeks processing to get the result.  I will be going for a vacation to Manila on Aug2 and will be back on Aug12.  Will there be any entry issue when I return to Singapore on Aug12?  May I please ask if your company applied for an EP extension?

Hoping for your reply to my concern.

Since you have an EP valid until Aug. 15, you can enter without problems on Aug. 12. But please make sure to get another pass or leave the country on or before Aug. 15!

Hi beppi,

Thank you for your prompt reply to my inquiry.  I have checked this with an ICA officer this morning and she told me that there will be no issue when I return to Singapore on Aug.12.  May I please ask for some more questions please?  Our company HR informed me that they submitted an appeal but it will be for an S Pass.  I was on EP and my renewal was rejected.  However, HR didn't appeal for EP but submitted an appeal for S Pass.  Would it be possible for MOM to grant approval for an S Pass though I was holding EP previously?  When I return to Singapore on Aug. 12, I was advised that I should have a Pending Status document so that I can still continue to work for the same company while waiting for the appeal result.  May I please ask if MOM can give this kind of document?  Or it is more advisable for my HR to cancel my pass on Aug13 or 14 so MOM can issue a short term visit pass for me?

I will highly appreciate your advice.  Thank you.

The EP requirements have been tightened a while ago, and you are probably in the bracket that was eligible for EP before but isn't any more now.
Are you on a very low salary for your job description and seniority?
In such cases, an S-Pass can sometimes be issued instead.

On expiry of your EP, you will get a 30-days SVP, after which you have to leave Singapore if you still have no other pass.
If you want to continue work instead while waiting for the S-Pass application result, your company can apply for a temporary work pass for you.

HI beppi,

Thank you so much for your advice.  Your response is highly appreciated.  S Pass is ok for me as long as I can continue to work here in SG.  I will check with our HR and agency for the status.

Hi Beppi,

I have been reading all the comments and your advice on the EP. I'm hoping you can also give me some advice or suggestion. I have been in Singapore for the past 5 years on EP. Recently my EP was rejected through my new employer and the reason for rejection was issues related to taxes. As it turns out the amount that was communicated to my previous employer to be withhold and deduct from my final salary was not the right amount and in fact I owed IRAS another $1k. I wasn't aware of this as I had left for overseas for a month and during my absence I had received a letter from IRAS requesting the amount to be paid. I immediately paid the amount owing to IRAS and my employer submitted an appeal last week Tuesday. My question is considering it was an issue that was immediately rectified and IRAS has updated their system and also sent me an email informing the payment received which has also been submitted to MOM to further support my application, what are my chances of getting my application approved? Also, they had clearly stated that the rejection was purely on the tax issue and nothing to do with my qualifications, would it still take about 3 weeks to process? And finally, the appeal was done through an agent but am I able to call MOM directly and enquire about the status of my application?

Would really appreciate your advice on the matter.

Thanking you in advance!

The appeal has to be filed by your employer (or its agent).
You should give them all paperwork and proof that the outstanding tax has been paid and the matter closed swiftly. Also, add a letter explaining how this happened and that it was inadventend.

Thanks Beppi for your prompt reply. The appeal was submitted last week Tuesday and all relevant documentation was submitted. Would be ok for me to call MOM directly to speak with someone or is it best to leave it and wait for the outcome?

You can call MoM, but most likely you won't find the person in charge and the call will definitely not change anything or speed up the outcome.

Hi Beppi,

I am working here in Singapore for almost 5 years now, i have the same issue regarding may S-Pass application, it has been rejected few days ago but my HR already send an appeal after the rejection. My pass will be expiring in 2 weeks time.My question now is do my HR need to ask for temporary extension pass to MOM so I can still work after pass expired, or cancel my pass after expiry ( but cannot work ) so MOM will give me 30 days visit pass until the re-appeal result come out. Please advise thank you.

Your post gives no indication as to what might be the reason for rejection.
If the appeal does not address this reason, it will not be successful. (Did your company ask MoM before appealing, or what reasons did they give for the appeal?)
If your company does not get a temporary extension, you have to stop working after your current S-Pass expires (and may have to leave Singapore when the subsequent SVP runs out).

Hi Beppi,

Your candidate no longer qualifies for an S Pass. You may have been allowed to retain this foreigner in the past. However, our criteria for S Pass have been tightened to protect local wages, ensure fair employment opportunities for Singaporeans and to manage our overall workforce numbers. You may wish to consider leaner manpower options or to recruit Singaporeans on merit. If you still choose to keep this candidate, consider if he/ she is able to command a higher salary for the value he/ she offers. ( this is the reason why MOM rejected my s-pass application, Company increases my salary in the appeal application.) . status still pending hopefully will be good news for me.Thank you for your fast response highly appreciated.

Did you check with MoM's SAT tool whether you are eligible for S-Pass again at the new, higher salary?

Hi Beppi hope you can give me ur opinion on my situation as well.
So, there is a company want to hire me and apply me EP. But I just found out that my current company is appealing my EP (after the renew application has been rejected due to inappropriate paper work- as per today i've been waiting for the outcome for more than 2 weeks). And because of this potential employer can not process the new EP application for me.
I really want that new job and I don't know what to do, do I need to wait or ask my HR to cancel the appeal?

Thanks

You must either wait for the outcome of your current company's appeal to be unsuccessful or terminate your contract with them - the company then cancels your EP (incl. renewal application). Only after this can the new company apply for a new EP for you.

Thanks for the very fast response!
But in you opinion which one is the better way? I wait for the outcome or i ask my HR to terminate?

Thanks

If you wait for the outcome, and it is approved, you at least have a job with the first company if the second EP application is rejected. If you terminate the first you'd have nothing in this case.

But even the appeal is approved, my current employer need to cancel it right? So that the potential employer can apply me new EP?

or do you mean, if it is approved, I can ask the potential employer to apply me EP after that?

From what I understand is even it is approved, my HR need to cancel the IPA so that my new employer can apply new EP. --> correct me if i'm wrong.

Thanks

If a renewal of EP is applied for and approved, the new EP is issued immediately - no IPA needed.
Once the new EP is issued, your next employer can apply for another EP for you (for which, if approved, you'll get an IPA - the actual EP will only be issued after the previous EP is cancelled by the old employer).
You can have an EP and an application/appeal running t the same time, also an EP and an IPA, but only one application/appeal at any one time!

Ohh..ok now i get it. Hopefully next week i know the result of the appeal then. Because even the new employer willing to wait, the fact that i don't know how long the appeal will take time makes feel bad towards the new employer. this is also the reason why i'm a bit dilemma about either i need to wait or terminate.

Anyway, i try to check the status online, but it still shows rejected shouldn't it "appeal" instead?

Thanks

In case of appeals, the MoM system isn't always updated.

Hi Beppi, it has been almost 5 weeks of my appeal but my HR said it is still pending
Is there anyway for me to check the appeal status online? I log in to the EPOL but it is still show me the old application that has been rejected.

Thanks

You (or better your employer) can call MoM and ask for the status of your appeal.

Hi Beppi,

Finally today the appeal is approved!
Now, if new employer want to apply me EP, is it possible? Or I need to fulfil the medical check up and collect my pass first, then they can apply me new EP?

Thanks

I don't think a new medical check and issuance of pass is required for EP renewals - they are usually valid right away. What does the approval letter say?

Hi Beppi,

Got written there,
Medical Required: HIV Test and Chest X-Ray test.

If this is the case, meaning I need to do Medical checkup first so the EP can be issued right? Then, New Employer can apply me new EP?

Thanks

Yes, that is correct.