How long will my work pass (EP, S-Pass, WP) application take

beppi · 2018-04-10T11:41:40+02:00

There have been numerous discussions and questions recently about the time needed to process a work pass application. For the benefit of those inquirers - and to avoid multiple threads about the same topic - I would like to explain the process in detail here: First, let me say that MoM does not disclose their actual internal processes, so the following is based on circumstantial evidence and observations by some users here (mainly Surya and me), plus what other users post about their own application process and results - so please come back here and post yours, to improve the information available on this site. Furthermore, MoM is a law unto itself - and has the right to do whatever they want, including deviating from their own rules and publications. It is their game, their court and their ball. If you don't like this, don't apply! That said, the following are guidelines that apply in most (but not all) cases. In addition, it is the status as of now (Apr.2018) and things can and do change. 1. A Singapore work pass can only be applied for by a Singapore-registered employer willing to hire you. They must submit the offer letter (accepted by you) and full job and salary details. They cannot apply before this is settled. 2. The employer has to cover all work pass application fees (and if they engage an agent to help with the formalities, also the agent's fees - Please note that an agent alone CANNOT apply for a Singapore work pass!). They are not allowed to charge the job seeker for it. Thus all Singapore work passes are free of charge for the job seeker! 3. On submission of an application, MoM first performs a rough check if the application can be entered into the process. The submission will be rejected if - the application is not complete (e.g. missing documents or information), or - the job seeker already has another work pass application running 4. If this check is positive, the application is entered into the system. This means a FIN number is issued (and the employer informed of this) or an existing FIN of the job seeker re-used and the application entered into the EPOnline system with status "pending". It may take a week or so until this is done. 5. Next, the officer in charge will check whether the employer is allowed and able to hire foreigners: - Is the industry strategically allowed to hire foreigners (e.g. due to a lack of local workforce)? - Is the company banned or had problems with foreign employees in the past? - Do they have a viable business model and can pay the offered salary? - Does the employer have space for you in their foreigner quota (S-Pass and WP only)? - Was the job posted on the jobs bank for two weeks, with no suitable local applying? During this stage, MoM may ask for additional documents from the company, and process will resume only on their submission. If MoM then decides negatively, the application is rejected without further checks. This stage may take 1 - 3 weeks, depending on the workload of the officer in charge. 6. After this, your personal credentials are checked: - Are your submitted certificates recognised and correct? MoM may (at their discretion) engage external agencies (e.g. in your home country and elsewhere) for the verifications, which by itself takes 2 - 12 weeks (the timing is out of MoM's control) and can be seen by your EPOnline status changed to "pending input from vetting agencies". - Is your background (education and work experience) suitable for the job offered? (Note: It is basically impossible to get a work pass without experience in a similar job.) - Is there a strategic interest (and benefits) for Singapore to have you working here? - And, last but not least, is the offered salary within the market norms for this job in Singapore? You will be rejected if you earn too little or too much! Again, additional documents and information may be requested during this stage (e.g. a justification why the employer wants to hire you and no other candidate). If not, this may take 1 - 3 weeks. 7. If all these checks are positive, MoM will approve your application, inform the employer of this and send an IPA (In Principle Approval) letter to them. The IPA is your visa to enter Singapore, so you should travel within its validity (usually a month). In exceptional circumstances, the IPA validity can be extended by up to a month (the employer must apply for this). If the IPA expires and you didn't travel yet, you lost your chance to work on this job! 8. After your arrival, a health check is required in most cases. This is mentioned in the IPA. 9. Then MoM will issue the actual work pass (usually on the spot or within a day) and you can start work. From submission to start of work, you should realistically plan for at least two months, but this can be shorter or longer depending on many factors nobody can foresee. Some additional notes: - MoM rarely discloses any rejection reasons, but sometimes the wording in the rejection letter gives a hint. E.g. "This candidate is not eligible for a work pass, please look for another candidate" means you have no chance of getting any work pass at all, often due to misconduct in the past (MoM has a very long memory and good databases!). - A rejection can be appealed against by the employer. For this to be successful, additional information must be included that alleviate the rejection reason. If the reason is not known, it may help for the employer to arrange a personal meeting with the officer in charge. You may come along to such a meeting. - If the appeal also has been rejected, the decision is final and you cannot work on this job in Singapore. - An appeal process can take as long or longer than the original application. - In some, rare cases where the employer has very strong reasons for you to start work before the application process is completed, they can request a temporary work pass from MoM. - In all other cases, there is nothing you can do to accelerate the process. MoM takes as long as Mom takes - and all you can do is wait. There is no point asking on this forum how long it will take (nobody here knows!), or complaining about it. - You or the employer can, however, at any time cancel the application for any reason. This of course ends your attempt to work in Singapore. Good luck! (Yes, al lot depends on this, too!)

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WoShiDavid95 Member

Member since 23 September 2019

WoShiDavid95Member08 May 2020 10:43:47

#881

WoShiDavid95 wrote:
EP applied on 10/04/2020
Rejected on 15/04/2020 because of COVID-19 concerns
HR appealed on the same day with proof I'm still in Singapore (LTVP)

Still awaiting further news

Appeal approved today on 08/05/2020. Took 23 days since the date of appeal. Best of luck to all those waiting.

andybarr Member

Member since 27 April 2020

andybarrMember08 May 2020 11:31:20

#882

WoShiDavid95 wrote:
WoShiDavid95 wrote:
EP applied on 10/04/2020
Rejected on 15/04/2020 because of COVID-19 concerns
HR appealed on the same day with proof I'm still in Singapore (LTVP)

Still awaiting further news

Appeal approved today on 08/05/2020. Took 23 days since the date of appeal. Best of luck to all those waiting.

Congratulations Hope will have positive result soon too Thanks for letting us now

Shinhan New member

Member since 09 April 2020

ShinhanNew member08 May 2020 11:48:54

#883

EP applied : 24 March
Rejected : 7 April
Appeal : 8 April
Approved : 8 May

Appeal took a month, good luck to those still waiting for outcome.

shanesl Member

Member since 02 May 2020

shaneslMember08 May 2020 12:11:55

#884

Shinhan wrote:
EP applied : 24 March
Rejected : 7 April
Appeal : 8 April
Approved : 8 May

Appeal took a month, good luck to those still waiting for outcome.

Congratulations. Is this your first EP applying?

GuestPoster293 Guest

GuestPoster293Guest10 May 2020 07:25:35

#885

214245

Just to update :

Application : 6th April
Rejected: 9th April
Appealed: 10th April
Approved : 10th May.

It seems MOM is having a one month waiting time for appeals.

Shinhan New member

Member since 09 April 2020

ShinhanNew member10 May 2020 07:32:51

#886

Yes is first time application

Indestructible007 Active member

Member since 02 January 2019

Indestructible007Active member10 May 2020 07:47:56

#887

Rainrunner wrote:
Just to update :

Application : 6th April
Rejected: 9th April
Appealed: 10th April
Approved : 10th May.

It seems MOM is having a one month waiting time for appeals.

Congrats bro . Did ur EP got approved today in sunday ?

beppi Germany - Singapore Expert

Member since 08 August 2010

Germany & Singapore Expert

beppiGermany - Singapore Expert10 May 2020 07:59:30

#888

15388

Rainrunner wrote:
It seems MOM is having a one month waiting time for appeals.

PROCESSING TIME
They are not waiting - and there is no badwill or chicanery involved!

shanesl Member

Member since 02 May 2020

shaneslMember10 May 2020 08:07:16

#889

Hi

Is there anyone who approved a new EP rather than renewal in the Circuit Breaker period?

GuestPoster293 Guest

GuestPoster293Guest10 May 2020 08:54:25

#890

214245

I'm not saying there is, don't put words in my mouth. I'm just stating that most of the posters are reporting similar one month waiting time from the appeal date.

In reply to Beppi, please don't be malicious, I never said any "bad will" or I'll intent in MOM's approval time.

GuestPoster293 Guest

GuestPoster293Guest10 May 2020 08:58:48

#891

214245

Indestructible007 wrote:
Rainrunner wrote:
Just to update :

Application : 6th April
Rejected: 9th April
Appealed: 10th April
Approved : 10th May.

It seems MOM is having a one month waiting time for appeals.

Congrats bro . Did ur EP got approved today in sunday ?

I guess on Friday, but I was only informed today.

anilchoudhary84 Member

Member since 13 February 2018

anilchoudhary84Member10 May 2020 10:47:10

#892

@Rainrunner,
congratulations for the EP,
are you in SG already or outside, if you are not in SG what info you got about entry as they have bordered closed.
thanks

Mjpsg New member

Member since 27 April 2020

MjpsgNew member10 May 2020 13:13:20

#893

shanesl wrote:
Hi

Is there anyone who approved a new EP rather than renewal in the Circuit Breaker period?

New EP means not existing EP holder?. Then literally will be treated as foriegner currently outside SG.

Im existing EP holder present in SG.
Switching job and EP got approved by very next day of applying by 8th May.

andybarr Member

Member since 27 April 2020

andybarrMember10 May 2020 13:48:36

#894

Rainrunner wrote:
Just to update :

Application : 6th April
Rejected: 9th April
Appealed: 10th April
Approved : 10th May.

It seems MOM is having a one month waiting time for appeals.

Congratulations

andybarr Member

Member since 27 April 2020

andybarrMember11 May 2020 01:18:55

#895

Anyone here have any updates?

S-Pass Applied: 20 April 2020
S-Pass Rejected and Appealed: 21 April 2020
MOM informed us that they need more time to review: 11 May 2020

Status: Pending (Still Rejected status at MOM website)

Non-essential Sector.

Will keep everyone posted Stay Safe.

shanesl Member

Member since 02 May 2020

shaneslMember11 May 2020 07:04:04

#896

Hi All

EP type: New not renewal
EP applied: 31 March
Rejected: 9 April
Appeal: 9 April
Approved: 11 May
Sector: IT
Waiting for the IPA letter.
The appeal took a month, good luck to those still waiting for the outcome.

thena001 Member

Member since 11 May 2020

thena001Member11 May 2020 10:37:35

#897

E-Pass

Applied: 01 May 2020
Rejected and Appealed: 05 May 2020
Sector: IT
Status: Rejected status at MOM website

thena001 Member

Member since 11 May 2020

thena001Member11 May 2020 12:10:55

#898

One of my friend told me a way to check Appealed EP Status ( Normaly in MOM website display the Rejected status even appealed)

To check that we need
1.Application No or FIN
2.appealed date( if you don't know exact date try entering near dates)

https://eponline.mom.gov.sg/epol/PEPOLE … tAction.do
using option 1 or option 3 he said can view the new status.
(but still i coudn't see and only see ERROR E0000236 : No record found.)

Indestructible007 Active member

Member since 02 January 2019

Indestructible007Active member12 May 2020 02:17:12

#899

thena001 wrote:
One of my friend told me a way to check Appealed EP Status ( Normaly in MOM website display the Rejected status even appealed)

To check that we need
1.Application No or FIN
2.appealed date( if you don't know exact date try entering near dates)

https://eponline.mom.gov.sg/epol/PEPOLE … tAction.do
using option 1 or option 3 he said can view the new status.
(but still i coudn't see and only see ERROR E0000236 : No record found.)

Even am getting no record found.

anilchoudhary84 Member

Member since 13 February 2018

anilchoudhary84Member12 May 2020 06:52:42

#900

@Shanesl,
what is your current location,

shanesl Member

Member since 02 May 2020

shaneslMember12 May 2020 07:43:18

#901

I am in Singapore

its_bharath New member

Member since 13 May 2020

its_bharathNew member13 May 2020 03:20:51

#902

Hi All,

First time EP applied on 04/05/2020 and it's status is pending as of now.

Anyone out there whose EP applied in May 2020 ?

thena001 Member

Member since 11 May 2020

thena001Member13 May 2020 04:10:17

#903

Yes. My EP applied in 01/05/2020

beppi Germany - Singapore Expert

Member since 08 August 2010

Germany & Singapore Expert

beppiGermany - Singapore Expert13 May 2020 07:35:03

#904

15388

Are you currently in Singapore?
If not, your work pass applcation will be rejected until after the CB easures are lifted. You can apply again then.

its_bharath New member

Member since 13 May 2020

its_bharathNew member13 May 2020 08:18:17

#905

I am in Singapore now on SVP. Thanks for the update Beppi.

mrdada New member

Member since 13 May 2020

mrdadaNew member13 May 2020 08:46:35

#906

Hi All

I've been reading this forum for some times, thank you for sharing your experiences, here is mine so far :

EP type: New not renewal
EP applied: 25/02/2020
Rejected: 09/03/2020
Reason of rejection was error on job post so my employer post the job again during 2 weeks before appealing
Appeal: 23/03/2020
MOM informed us that they need more time to review: 14/04/2020

Status: Pending (Still Rejected status at MOM website)

Sector: IT
I am in Singapore with LTVP. My employer told me I need to wait until 1rst of June end of CB to have an answer, but I don't understand why because I am already in Singapore since November. I hope I will have an answer sooner.

I will keep everyone posted.

Sapphire17 Active member

Member since 05 March 2020

Sapphire17Active member13 May 2020 11:34:36

#907

Hi just want to share.

In my case before, my employer called mom to expedite the appeal coz my stvp was expiring that time. In just 9 calendar days they approved it stating i am in Singapore.

Indestructible007 Active member

Member since 02 January 2019

Indestructible007Active member16 May 2020 14:46:46

#908

mrdada wrote:
Hi All

I've been reading this forum for some times, thank you for sharing your experiences, here is mine so far :

EP type: New not renewal
EP applied: 25/02/2020
Rejected: 09/03/2020
Reason of rejection was error on job post so my employer post the job again during 2 weeks before appealing
Appeal: 23/03/2020
MOM informed us that they need more time to review: 14/04/2020

Status: Pending (Still Rejected status at MOM website)

Sector: IT
I am in Singapore with LTVP. My employer told me I need to wait until 1rst of June end of CB to have an answer, but I don't understand why because I am already in Singapore since November. I hope I will have an answer sooner.

I will keep everyone posted.

Hi Bro,

Did you get any update on your appeal yet ?

ToBeLucky Member

Member since 16 December 2019

ToBeLuckyMember18 May 2020 17:12:04

#909

WoShiDavid95 wrote:
EP applied on 10/04/2020
Rejected on 15/04/2020 because of COVID-19 concerns
HR appealed on the same day with proof I'm still in Singapore (LTVP)

Still awaiting further news

Hi WiShiDavid，
You mentioned it was rejected because of COVID-19.
Have your hr received rejected result together with reason, or your hr just call MOM to check the reason?

mrdada New member

Member since 13 May 2020

mrdadaNew member20 May 2020 03:06:45

#910

Indestructible007 wrote:
mrdada wrote:
Hi All

I've been reading this forum for some times, thank you for sharing your experiences, here is mine so far :

EP type: New not renewal
EP applied: 25/02/2020
Rejected: 09/03/2020
Reason of rejection was error on job post so my employer post the job again during 2 weeks before appealing
Appeal: 23/03/2020
MOM informed us that they need more time to review: 14/04/2020

Status: Pending (Still Rejected status at MOM website)

Sector: IT
I am in Singapore with LTVP. My employer told me I need to wait until 1rst of June end of CB to have an answer, but I don't understand why because I am already in Singapore since November. I hope I will have an answer sooner.

I will keep everyone posted.

Hi Bro,

Did you get any update on your appeal yet ?

Hi,

Still no news from my employer and status still rejected on the MOM website.

If I ask my employer to contact the MOM to inform them I am in Singapore to expedite my case, what is the MOM asking to prove I am in Singapore ? I am under LTVP Visa but I'm wondering if this is enough proof.

Thanks for your help.

Indestructible007 Active member

Member since 02 January 2019

Indestructible007Active member20 May 2020 04:35:32

#911

mrdada wrote:
Indestructible007 wrote:
mrdada wrote:
Hi All

I've been reading this forum for some times, thank you for sharing your experiences, here is mine so far :

EP type: New not renewal
EP applied: 25/02/2020
Rejected: 09/03/2020
Reason of rejection was error on job post so my employer post the job again during 2 weeks before appealing
Appeal: 23/03/2020
MOM informed us that they need more time to review: 14/04/2020

Status: Pending (Still Rejected status at MOM website)

Sector: IT
I am in Singapore with LTVP. My employer told me I need to wait until 1rst of June end of CB to have an answer, but I don't understand why because I am already in Singapore since November. I hope I will have an answer sooner.

I will keep everyone posted.

Hi Bro,

Did you get any update on your appeal yet ?

Hi,

Still no news from my employer and status still rejected on the MOM website.

If I ask my employer to contact the MOM to inform them I am in Singapore to expedite my case, what is the MOM asking to prove I am in Singapore ? I am under LTVP Visa but I'm wondering if this is enough proof.

Thanks for your help.

Hi,

MOM already knows that your in SG. No update on my appeal too.

AmaNTU New member

Member since 19 May 2020

AmaNTUNew member20 May 2020 18:54:29

#912

Hi all, hope everyone is staying safe. I would like to share my experience -

1. EP applied - 14/04/20 - rejected due to circuit breaker
2. Appealed - 20/04/20

Current status on website (as on 21 May, 2020) is showing as Rejected. I am currently in SG on a student pass. Will keep everyone posted as the situation evolves. Thanks everyone for sharing your experience, was really helpful in understanding the EP situation. Stay safe and good luck to all!

Henem75 New member

Member since 25 May 2020

Henem75New member25 May 2020 10:34:21

#913

Hi there! Any update on this one?

its_bharath New member

Member since 13 May 2020

its_bharathNew member26 May 2020 01:54:53

#914

My SVP extension approved for the third time.

EP appeal is still in process for a week.

Keep you all posted.

AmaNTU New member

Member since 19 May 2020

AmaNTUNew member26 May 2020 03:16:24

#915

No progress as of today. Will keep everyone posted. EP appeal was submitted on 20 Apr, 2020.

Guanrong Member

Member since 01 June 2018

GuanrongMember26 May 2020 06:25:33

#916

Hi All,

Just update my application timeline,
Sector : Financial
Applied : 18 March 2020
Rejected : 04 April 2020
Appeal : 21 April 2020

Current status in EPonline : Rejected
Current status in Employer : Pending check from other vetting agency

Hopefully approved very soon. Good luck for everyone.

thena001 Member

Member since 11 May 2020

thena001Member26 May 2020 09:00:46

#917

Just update.
Hi All,

Sector : IT
Applied: 01 May 2020
Rejected and Appealed: 05 May 2020
MOM informed that they need more time to review : 25 May 2020

Status: Pending (Still Rejected status at MOM website)

anilchoudhary84 Member

Member since 13 February 2018

anilchoudhary84Member26 May 2020 11:11:39

#918

Hi Anyone applied for special entry permission with IPA letter who are not in sg ? Thanks

mrdada New member

Member since 13 May 2020

mrdadaNew member27 May 2020 02:14:25

#919

Hi all,

Update on my application timeline as well :

EP applied: 25/02/2020
Rejected: 09/03/2020
Appeal: 23/03/2020
MOM informed us that they need more time to review: 14/04/2020

Status: Pending (Still Rejected status at MOM website)
Current status in Employer : Pending check from other vetting agencies

AmaNTU New member

Member since 19 May 2020

AmaNTUNew member27 May 2020 02:21:44

#920

Thanks for sharing. It has been quite a long time for you. Earlier posts suggested perhaps a month's waiting time. Wish you all the best!

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