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

user80 wrote:

Hello Everyone..!!
This forum has always been a source of great information, many who don't post still keep a close look on what's latest going on, certainly provides lot of help.

Have a query today,
I have 6 years of working experience in Singapore (total 10+ years of experience in IT)

Stuck overseas (India) last year due to pandemic, pass got cancelled as I couldn't come back.

Now a new employer(one of the big company in SG) is offering job.
offered monthly salary 12k+

Given that currently entry approval is nearly impossible, is it still safe to apply the EP now (get the IPA, and wait for few months until travel restrictions are lifted)

Any challenges in getting the EP approved (i.e. if MOM is rejecting EP application just because travel is currently restricted) ?

EP approval has a validity, usually a few months. Given the current travel ban for incoming travelers from India (including pass holders), my advice would be to wait and apply for the EP. You don’t really know when the situation in India is going to improve and when the SG Govt reopens it’s borders. When you apply for an EP, it is taken that you are required to come into SG on basis of the approval.

Considering that EP approvals is now often taking 2-3 months or even longer if education certificates verification is needed, perhaps it might make sense to apply now so that if the situation is better in a few months, there is no more waiting time.

Shekhz wrote:

user80 wrote:

Hello Everyone..!!
This forum has always been a source of great information, many who don't post still keep a close look on what's latest going on, certainly provides lot of help.

Have a query today,
I have 6 years of working experience in Singapore (total 10+ years of experience in IT)

Stuck overseas (India) last year due to pandemic, pass got cancelled as I couldn't come back.

Now a new employer(one of the big company in SG) is offering job.
offered monthly salary 12k+

Given that currently entry approval is nearly impossible, is it still safe to apply the EP now (get the IPA, and wait for few months until travel restrictions are lifted)

Any challenges in getting the EP approved (i.e. if MOM is rejecting EP application just because travel is currently restricted) ?

EP approval has a validity, usually a few months. Given the current travel ban for incoming travelers from India (including pass holders), my advice would be to wait and apply for the EP. You don’t really know when the situation in India is going to improve and when the SG Govt reopens it’s borders. When you apply for an EP, it is taken that you are required to come into SG on basis of the approval.

EP12Mar wrote:

Considering that EP approvals is now often taking 2-3 months or even longer if education certificates verification is needed, perhaps it might make sense to apply now so that if the situation is better in a few months, there is no more waiting time.

Shekhz wrote:

user80 wrote:

Hello Everyone..!!
This forum has always been a source of great information, many who don't post still keep a close look on what's latest going on, certainly provides lot of help.

Have a query today,
I have 6 years of working experience in Singapore (total 10+ years of experience in IT)

Stuck overseas (India) last year due to pandemic, pass got cancelled as I couldn't come back.

Now a new employer(one of the big company in SG) is offering job.
offered monthly salary 12k+

Given that currently entry approval is nearly impossible, is it still safe to apply the EP now (get the IPA, and wait for few months until travel restrictions are lifted)

Any challenges in getting the EP approved (i.e. if MOM is rejecting EP application just because travel is currently restricted) ?

EP approval has a validity, usually a few months. Given the current travel ban for incoming travelers from India (including pass holders), my advice would be to wait and apply for the EP. You don’t really know when the situation in India is going to improve and when the SG Govt reopens it’s borders. When you apply for an EP, it is taken that you are required to come into SG on basis of the approval.

There is a big uncertainty on travel restrictions, from high risk countries. You and I or anyone for that matter can’t predict when travel will resume. Even if you get an EP, you still need entry approvals, what if you get EP approved (IPA), but aren’t allowed to enter/ can’t enter due to travel ban? Then you would keep requesting employer to extend IPA validity. Also, that 2-3 months isn’t the case for every application, some get approved in less than 2 weeks too

Thanks Beppi for the details and informational post. Is there a similar post for EP Renewal process ?

Renewals can go through the same steps, but are usually a bit faster (since most verifications are already done). However, even for verified items MoM might decide to do a spot check, at their discretion. So in the worst case a renewal can take as long as a new application.

Thank you !

Husbands new (first)  EP and my DP application was approved in 8 days

Dear All,
Apologies if the question has been asked before. I have gotten my IPA letter from another company. My former employer has just canceled my pass, but the new company still couldn’t apply the new pass immediately after the cancelation. How long does it usually take for new company to apply new pass after the old one canceled?
Thank you

Once your pass is canceled by the current employer, you instantly get a STVP over email. Once you have the STVP/ confirmation that your previous employer has canceled the pass, your new employer can request for the new pass to be issued. Your HR/ company rep gets the pass or it’s sent directly to you (if later, you get a SMS on your mobile with delivery date/ time).

Time taken is utmost a week or ten days (request to you securing it).

Shekhz wrote:

Once your pass is canceled by the current employer, you instantly get a STVP over email. Once you have the STVP/ confirmation that your previous employer has canceled the pass, your new employer can request for the new pass to be issued. Your HR/ company rep gets the pass or it’s sent directly to you (if later, you get a SMS on your mobile with delivery date/ time).

Noted, Thank you Shekhz, I just got confirmation that MOM has issued my pass, now waiting for the card.

Jdid-1 wrote:

Shekhz wrote:

Once your pass is canceled by the current employer, you instantly get a STVP over email. Once you have the STVP/ confirmation that your previous employer has canceled the pass, your new employer can request for the new pass to be issued. Your HR/ company rep gets the pass or it’s sent directly to you (if later, you get a SMS on your mobile with delivery date/ time).

Noted, Thank you Shekhz, I just got confirmation that MOM has issued my pass, now waiting for the card.

Great news! Congrats again.

Hi,

My E-Pass renewal was rejected in March. My HR says they ran my credentials in SAT and I didn't meat the salary. The appeal got rejected.

My company then adjusted my salary and now SAT says I'm qualified, applied for another E-Pass on 28 April and until now we haven't heard back from MOM except for 2 weeks ago when they asked for the company's financial statement. It's 5 weeks tomorrow.

My pass expires in July 2021 and I am very anxious. I'm thinking that if it fails, I can perhaps apply for a LTVP since I graduated from a Singapore university in 2020 (postgrad).

My question is what are the chances of rejection, given that it's been 5 weeks and we haven't heard back from them? Has anyone here received good news?

Thanks!

Penelope: Do not over-worry! Processing times of 8 weeks and more have become normal- and the length has no indication on approval or rejection. You can only wait patiently!
However, LTVP is not available just because you studied here.

Thanks Beppi! I feel a mix of worry and frustration because it's completely out of my hands!

So do you mean I cannot apply for LTVP? I was told that all graduates from Singapore IHL are given one time chance to apply for it. The duration of the pass is for one year. Some of my classmates from the course got theirs upon graduation, but as for me, I didn't  have to since I was already on E-Pass.

There are many things in life that are out of one's hand. Get used to it!
I thought the "job search after graduation" LTVP is given right after graduation only, not at some point later in life. But please ask them and prove me wrong! :-)

Hi I've been benefited by this forum big time so just would like to briefly share my timeline as follow :

Nationality : Indonesian
Currently resides in Singapore
Job changes - previously under EP however my new employer was applying for S-Pass

Date of application : 19 March 2021
20 March : We need inputs (never changed)
05 April : Approved

Wishing everyone the same good outcome of the process as well!

Shekhz wrote:

Once your pass is canceled by the current employer, you instantly get a STVP over email. Once you have the STVP/ confirmation that your previous employer has canceled the pass, your new employer can request for the new pass to be issued. Your HR/ company rep gets the pass or it’s sent directly to you (if later, you get a SMS on your mobile with delivery date/ time).

Hi sorry may I just clarify whether employer can issue the cards prior to the join date? I'm just a bit confused as it seems like my new employer wish to only request the pass issuance on the date I'm supposed to join the company (which is 3 days after my IPA expiration date --- now we're seeking for extension but haven't heard from MOM). My previous company seemed to issue the pass prior to my joining date so I'm not sure what's the difference here. Thank you!

IPA extension request can be done by new employer, if they persistent on that. However, a card issuance can be facilitated before IPA expiry- usually companies don’t wait for the IPA to get expired.

Anxious, you mention IPA expiry, but in the post above you mentioned your approval came through in April. IPA is usually 3-4+ months. Do check the dates again.

Shekhz wrote:

IPA extension request can be done by new employer, if they persistent on that. However, a card issuance can be facilitated before IPA expiry- usually companies don’t wait for the IPA to get expired.

Anxious, you mention IPA expiry, but in the post above you mentioned your approval came through in April. IPA is usually 3-4+ months. Do check the dates again.

Thank you so much for this! We only got two months timeline though so my IPA is expiring this week (June 4th) and they would like to do the card issuance on June 7th on my joining date for some reasons and right now we haven't heard from MOM regarding the extension so kinda freaking out over here but I'll try to check with them again regarding this. Thanks again for the info!

Hi Shekhz

Does this mean that my current company need to terminate the current EP first before the new company can request for issuance of EP card?

I have already gotten IPA from the new company but not sure when my existing EP should be cancelled by the current company. Now that I got the IPA from the new company, I also need to resign and serve 2 months of notice period from now on. If the current company needs to cancel my EP immediately, how can I work for 2months of notice period?

Would you know about this?

Currypuff wrote:

Hi Shekhz

Does this mean that my current company need to terminate the current EP first before the new company can request for issuance of EP card?

I have already gotten IPA from the new company but not sure when my existing EP should be cancelled by the current company. Now that I got the IPA from the new company, I also need to resign and serve 2 months of notice period from now on. If the current company needs to cancel my EP immediately, how can I work for 2months of notice period?

Would you know about this?

Sure, you resign and agree on your last day at the current employer. On your last day, the company cancels your EP and MoM issues a STVP immediately over email. Share that with your new employer and they will apply for your EP to be issued, takes a few days to get to you through your HR or directly via SingPost (you will be notified).

Ensure your IPA validity is intact to cover your notice period and a few extra days since you will be on a STVP after EP is canceled while the pass is processed.

Excellent. Thank you for the reply!

I've been following this forum for a while now, and finally got my EP approved!

Date of application: 12th April 2021
Rejected: 24th April 2021
1st Appeal: 28th April 2021
Requested for education verification (used RMI) and some other company information on 4th May 2021
Submitted invoice from RMI and company information for review on 11th May 2021
Approved: 4th June 2021

Hoping that those who are waiting for their passes will get good news soon!

Hello,

My EP applied on April 16th and still in pending state.
I have submitted RMI - education verification on June 4th, when can I expect my EP approval. Did anyone suggests please, I have my STVP only week time.


Thanks

Dear all,

Can someone please tell me what are the approval timelines for fresh EP applications from overseas.

Thanks

Kbd64: Please read the first post of this thread (It is still valid!) - and the related threads "EP Processing Time April/May 2021", "EP Processing time Mar 2021" and "[URGENT] STVP Expiring, EP pending(might be out this week)" (the latter containing my statistics about processing times recently posted on this forum).
We always encourage readers to help themselves and try to find the information they need, instead of just posting questions!

beppi wrote:

Kbd64: Please read the first post of this thread (It is still valid!) - and the related threads "EP Processing Time April/May 2021", "EP Processing time Mar 2021" and "[URGENT] STVP Expiring, EP pending(might be out this week)" (the latter containing my statistics about processing times recently posted on this forum).
We always encourage readers to help themselves and try to find the information they need, instead of just posting questions!

Thanks Beppi. Only posted after I couldn't find anything related to EP applications from overseas applicants.

The process (and duration) is the same for all applicants, no matter whether currently in Singapore or not.
Only the rejection rate for overseas applicants is currently far higher, due to COVID.

Hi,
You were holding EP previously or this is first time you have applied?

Recently anyone got EP approval who has applied first time?

Thank you

I've been following this forum for a while now, just wanted to drop my experience.

New EP Approval [I am residing in SG]:

Date of application: 28 May 2021
Approved: 10th June 2021
Industry/Company: MNC
Nationality: Indian

Good luck to all!

Hi All,

I think EP processing time get extended based on lot of factors, and one of that also is the prospective employer's credentials(tendency to hire foreigner vs local, local and foreigner ratio etc) to MOM.

I was told, for one of the top global bank in Singapore, the typical EP processing time is around 3 months recnetly and in some cases is more than that based on observations.

Even though I have been working here on EP for last 5 years and changed EP two times with maximum 3 weeks processing time, My EP is pending now more than 8 weeks and MOM has not asked for any additional documentation. its just "Pending".

So it's just another trick to discourage them to hire foreigners by extending the processing time.

I did not resign, only shared to my current manager that I have accepted an offer and my EP is pending. But  had I known this earlier, I wouldn't have shared this to my current manager this earlier as well.

Hi all,

I've been following this thread for a while now because I wanted to move to Singapore. I find this thread super interesting and helpful.

I based in Malaysia at the moment. And recently got an offer from a company. However, due to the border closure, HR mentioned that they'll put all EP applicants for Malaysians on hold until further borders open again because the chances of it getting approved are close to 0.

Is it true? Just wanted to know if anyone heard or experience the same issue?

Yes, that’s a fair statement. We have come across a lot of similar instances. Even renewals for work pass holders who are stuck overseas aren’t coming through.

Be patient, stay updated with the recent news on border control and restrictions.

Hi all,

Dropping my own experience for EP timeline:

27 April: saw job bank post, salary matches exactly to my offer salary
13 May: contract signed and supporting EP documents sent over to the employer
27 May: job post closed, employer submitted EP
06 Jun: saw same posting on job bank, with exactly same details on salary and JD. Only difference is the industry tag and skill requirement tag.
15 Jun (yesterday): Checked EPOnline and saw Rejected. HR has not communicated anything yet.

Also abit on my background:
- Qualified for EP based on SAT tool.
- Did 3 new application & 2 renewal since starting, all successful so far. Of which one renewal cancelled shortly after pass issuance, one new application cancelled after IPA issuance. This is because I ended up choosing other options.
- Overall I have been in 2 jobs so far, spending about 2 - 2.5 years in each. This should be normal or slightly longer than industry, not sure if MOM takes it into consideration.
- Spotted a mistake in my application (miss out 4 years of study in Singapore, but I did declare full education in the section), not sure if it's tiny or significant.
- Stay in SG during the pandemic. My current EP only expires in 2 years.

Leaning toward rejection due to some posting shenanigan, in which case I guess the employer needs to wait 14 days after the second posting to appeal/start new application and another few weeks of processing?

I also assume if there is a similar local candidate within 14 days, then it is market practice to rescind my offer without any compensation? Or will they just hire both and call it a day? It's not in my contract terms, but I did stop a few alternative opportunities since acceptance, so if they terminate without fault on my end, I want to fight for it.

Too many queries in a subtly long post, let me try my best-
1. If a job posting on jobs bank was altered, it has to be given its due course (28 days, unless it has changed to 14 now, which I am not aware of)
2. All relevant applicants to the job post must be fairly considered and interviewed by the employer
3. If the company finds a good/ better local candidate they can sure hire them over you (since your EP was rejected) - that’s grounds enough unless there is a pact that only you will be hired for the role in black and white on your offer and outlines that there is no exit clause for either party. MoM rejection is a good enough reason unless the employer wants to appeal and get you onboard, you alone
4. My 25 cents, ask the HR to explain the reason. Don’t overthink, could be they have missed out on something or there is an ask for additional info- work towards an appeal with the info request from MoM
5. Companies usually keep the listing on jobs bank up, to ensure they have successful work permit processing, if they haven’t filled the role or the previous posting had limited information like industry etc, since EP salary thresholds have changed recently
6. You may have secured your EP and renewals easy in the past, there is additional scrutiny and stringent checks on fair hiring now by MoM to ensure locals have a fair chance and opportunity

Don’t jump the gun, get to the bottom of the reason ‘why a rejection’, also openly discuss with HR as to what next. Hope that helps.

Thank you Shekhz,

Guess I will just wait for HR to get back to me, they don't seem to be aware of the reject yet.

If they do find a replacement and have valid ground for withdrawal, then that's that. Abit unfortunate that I rejected later opportunities due to the acceptance.

PongExpat wrote:

Thank you Shekhz,

Guess I will just wait for HR to get back to me, they don't seem to be aware of the reject yet.

If they do find a replacement and have valid ground for withdrawal, then that's that. Abit unfortunate that I rejected later opportunities due to the acceptance.

If I were you, I would circle back to the opportunities that surfaced and keep the communication channels alive, if they haven’t been back filled. Just ensure you have a Plan B.

Also, HR/ submitter/ agency whosoever submitted your application, in most cases gets the rejection reason. MoM calls it out, if they don’t have it, ask them to contact MoM. They will know how to proceed accordingly with an appeal.

Hi Shekhz and all
A very basic an obvious question
If MOM rejects a EP Application or EP Renewal they will give some reason for the rejection to the HR / Agency submitting EP
Or is it possible that they just say rejected without assigning any reason whatsoever

kaushikpal12 wrote:

Hi Shekhz and all
A very basic an obvious question
If MOM rejects a EP Application or EP Renewal they will give some reason for the rejection to the HR / Agency submitting EP
Or is it possible that they just say rejected without assigning any reason whatsoever

MoM as a practice always outline the rejection reason. If it isn’t furnished, the submitter can always check with MoM for clarification.

I do see some individuals on the forum mentioning that rejection wasn’t accompanied with the reason, which isn’t the usual norm.

Strongly advice every applicant who has been rejected, not to loose hopes, but instead work towards identifying the reason with the help your ‘application submitter’, work towards an appeal with relevant additions as a cover letter/ supporting documents.

Wish everyone all the best.