Rejected E Pass

Doing ANY work without EP is illegal and will land you (and your company) in deep trouble. Don't do it!
You can visit on an SVP (without intention to work), but your rejected EP (and possibly ongoing appeal) will show on the immigration officer's screen and you will very likely be questioned for why you visit. Be prepared to tell them a good reason (e.g. "look and feel" trip for your planned relocation) and show evidence. More than a week's stay, or frequent visits, would of course be suspicious and should thus be avoided.

hi beppi!

thanks for the reply. i was really hoping that u would. i've seen ur other posts and i found it pretty helpful.

anyway, that's what i really thought about that's why i decided to cancel my supposed flight on the 26th. im just wondering now if how could i expedite this whole thing. jeez.

do i have a big chance of being reconsidered for an E pass after filing the appeal?

thanks!

If your appeal is successful depends largely on the additional information included (which was not part of the original application). Just appealing for appeal's sake has no chance of success.
Your company can call MoM and try to find out more about the reason for rejection (although the officers do often not tell, it's still worth a try). Your company should also give a very good justification why they need you and nobody else (especially not a Singaporean) to do the job. Even better if the Singapore operation in endangered without you (your description sounds like that). Just for better communication with the design team (I.e. language skills) is not enough!
Your company should also get an appointment at MoM to explain the seriousness of the situation. You could travel to Singapore and attend this meeting together with them. If you're told an EP isn't possible for you, ask for an S-Pass and show detailed plans of hiring the required number of locals in the near future IF the current phase is successful. Exceptions like that can be made (with conditions attached).

jeez..sounded as if we have a less chance for the e pass to be approved even though we file an appeal. i just don't think that my company will do such thing. they didn't even thought about filing an appeal after the pass was rejected. maybe i have no choice really but to just wait, and just let them arrange things. it's just a little stressful on my part with a hanging employment status.

anyway, thanks for the response. i do appreciate it! 'til then!

Well, MoM rationale is that, if it is really important for the company to employ the foreigner, they will surely go through the required loops. It seems that for your company it isn't emportant enough. Sorry for you!

Hi Guys,
I have just completed my MBA from Oxford but am awaiting my official degree. My company applied for an EP to work in Singapore but it was rejected. The salary they were paying was SG$3600/month. They have appealed with a salary increase to SG$3900 per month and provided a letter from Oxford saying the course has been completed but final results are pending. Will this  suffice?
Super tense - would really appreciate some guidance!
Cheers!

It is never a good idea to raise the salary after an EP rejection, as MoM looks very suspiciously at those cases.
Whether the appeal is successful depends on the reason for rejection and a number of other factors:
- S$3600/month, and even S$3900/month, seems low for an MBA holder with work experience. (If you don't have work experience, you'll have a hard time getting an EP at all.)
- Do you have niche skills or knowledge that is difficult to find in Singapore? And did the company state that in their justification for wanting to hire you?
- Has the job been unsuccessfully posted on the (locals-only) Job Bank for two weeks, as required by the new Fair Consideration Framework?
- Is the employer allowed to hire foreigners at all?

I just re-read your post and noticed that you have completed the course but did not receive the final results (i.e. whether you passed and got the degree or not). As such, MoM will assess you as not having the degree (yet). This might also lead to rejection.

Thanks for the speedy response beppi. Much appreciate it.

Yes I know, the salary is low because it is a social enterprise - we raised the salary because MOM said to consider paying me more if the company wishes to appeal else to choose a singaporean or someone more qualified. Its been posted on the company website for well over two weeks and they have other foreign employees at the moment.

Is there anything else you think I can do to strengthen the appeal?

Also - what is the salary you think an MBA with 4 years work experience should command in Singapore?

Well, there you have the answer already, directly from MoM: Salary too low, you're not qualified and suitably skilled locals are available!
To fulfill the requirements of the new Fair Consideration Framework, a job needs to be unsuccessfully listed on a specific government-run Job Bank for two weeks, not on your employer's webpage.
An MBA holder with 4 years applicable experience should probably earn well over S$5000/month. You can consult salary surveys regularly published by various headhunters and consultancies to verify this.
As for what to do now: Your employer should submit the appeal with a good explanation regarding the three points raised by MoM and give convincing arguments why they need to hire you over a similarly skilled local. They should focus on the economic benefits Singapore would get if you were hired (e.g. more jobs generated for locals?).

Thank you very much for the advice, beppi. You really seem to know your stuff!

Sorry for bombarding you with so much but one final question - in how much time can I expect a response to my appeal? I have read everything from 3 weeks on the website to 4-6 weeks elsewhere online. Do you know on average by when people hear back?

It can be anything between a few days and two months, and there is absolutely nothing you can do to speed things up. Patience is a virtue!

Wow - two months! That's depressing

You're absolutely right thou - just gotta wait it out. Once again - thank you very much for your time, much appreciated!

Have a good weekend!

Hi friends .I applied e-pass on 17th Oct 2014 .it got rejected now. I think I am not able to fulfill the reason given by MOM I think so. So am I able to apply for s-pass??.?? Because MOM stricten the regulations for e-pass . I got offer for other job in s-pass . may I able to apply ? If I apply means they ll approve it ??? Plz help me

You cannot apply for any work pass yourself, only an employer who wants to hire you can do that.
Did the previous employer on the EP application tick the box "consider applicant for S-Pass if not eligible for EP"? If so and you were rejected, you aren't (or that employer isn't) eligible for S-Pass either.
Only MoM can tell whether a new application for S-Pass from another employer will be approved or not.

One agency only applied for me ( e-pass ). I don't knew about it .if they did it means .may I eligible to  for s-pass

An agency cannot apply for EP, only the employer (meaning the company who hires you) can, and that only after you sign an employment contract with them.
But in any case, this has nothing to do with your eligibility for a work pass.

I want to know this only .may I eligible to apply s-pass from different employer or not ?????

You will get an S-pass if both you AND the employer fulfil the requirements, and a few other criteria are also met. From the limited information you gave, I cannot tell you if you will be successful. Apply and you will see!

I did my bachelors degree .nw my experience was 3+ years . I didn't noticed anything from employer. Only the agency fill the form and gave me application number . I checked in Ep online from last week. Today I got rejected .hereafter I don't like to believe that agency . they collected $400 for applying e-pass. I did the mistake .i agreed . now other employer hired me for job with s-pass. If we apply with proper requirements and documents means, MOM will accept the application ???

Singapore employment agencies are not allowed (by law) to charge the applicant any fee for their service, or for work pass application. You have been cheated by unscrupulous criminals!

MoM will of course accept and process the application by your new employer, but nobody can tell whether the outcome will be rejection again. They will check the following:
Is your degree and university recognised by MoM?
Is your work experience relevant to the new job?
Is the offered salary in the right range (not too low and not too high)?
Is the company eligible to hire foreigners?
Is there still space for you in the company's foreigner quota?
Is the job in an industry where Singapore needs manpower?
Did your company post the job on the new, locals-only job bank for two weeks without finding any suitable local applicant?
There are a few more criteria (your race, age, family status, etc.).

Yesterday MOM's reason for my rejected e-pass :" the given salary does not commensurate with the candidate credits. ". Now another employer ready to hire me by e-pass . May i apply now ? Or later ?

Please reply soon beppi.thank u

So they offered you a too low salary? That's typical!
You can have employers apply for your work passes as many times as you want - but there is no guarantee that you will be successful.

Hi beppi

I have a history of rejected epass. Im planning to go to singapore to try to look for a job but i will make it appear that i'm only there as a tourist. Will the immigration automatically put me on hold because of my history of rejected epass? Hope to hear from u soon

If your EP applications have been rejected several times with different employers, the reason is most likely in your credentials. If that is so, trying again or travelling there will be a waste of time.
Are you sure you fulfill all the requirements? Have you (or your employer) tried to call MoM to find out the reason for rejection?

I have only been rejected once. I applied thru an agency here in manila. Sadly, they can't give me the reason behind the rejection. I am just thinking of looking for a job there and apply for spass instead. A friend of mine has the same credentials with me but she got approved for epass for the same job as mine, same company also.

Agencies are notorious for not providing a good service, especially if they made you pay for it (which is not allowed by Singapore law, so these agencies are cheaters in any case!).
Just try again without one (or with an honest one) and you will see!
Being in Singapore on a tourist visa is not a hindrance, and might help you finding a job.
Good luck!

Thanks a lot Beppi! Hope my rejected epass history won't be a problem in the immigration.