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

Quick update for the benefit of others.

Maybe it's s coincidence, but my EP somehow shows as approved this afternoon, so about 2 weeks including appeal (if there is even one).

Not sure if it's a system glitch or something, HR didn't even inform me of the rejection.

Ha! Well, EP Online checks by you are more accurate. If it shows as approved, it indeed is- congrats! Think we just exchanged some comments earlier, if memory serves me right.

Your HR will get back to you with the news.

Shekhz wrote:

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

This (the part in bold) would not be legal and such an agreement (if it exists in the contract) is null and void. A foreigner can only be hired if there is no suitable local candidate!

Thanks, I thought so. Could not believe some post on forum “ rejected without reason “ . I believe those should be read as submitters did not advise the candidate the reason of rejection for their own reason.
The process can’t be arbitrary I think
The system can be loaded for hiring of citizens because that any way is one of the core function of MOM however unlike a PR rejection a EP or S pass rejection would be backed by a proper reasoning/ reason
Thanks for your reply
Would also like to hear comments by Beppi

Hi All, posted in another thread but decided to post here as well to get more answers and assurance. I'm confused- some people claim that they are able to see their renewal application status via EPOL, while my HR advised that I am unable to see the renewal status, hence I am only seeing "Issued".  As per Beppi & Shehkz, my HR is correct. 

Is there anyone with on-going renewals like me?  Was the status became "pending" again?

Kaushik: This being meritocratic Singapore, there certainly is a valid reason fore EVERY rejection or approval. (I personally think MoM - and ICA for PR applications - has an internal points system similar to those of Canada or New Zealand.) But MoM does not clearly share its criteria and reasoning - most probably to prevent targeted applications that are purposely made to tick the right boxes, and also so they can change criteria at any time without notice (which they do!).
The rejection letters from Mom usually give one of a number of standard phrases that indicate what type of rejection it is - e.g. whether the salary is too high/low, whether there is a black mark in the job-seeker's record, or whether the employer does not qualify. More detail is only sometimes given in personal contact between the employer and MoM's processing officer.

Hi ,
My girlfriend visa got rejected today … she got the reason that her salary doesn’t consumerate with her credentials…. First , what does that mean?
Second, she is currently working on a project with Accenture but Accenture has applied through third party contractor.
Even providing all the documents and checking eligibility criteria in sat tool thirdly party made her application accordingly but still she got rejection?

I would like to check what are her chances? Moreover her current pass is expiring on 1st July … any one who can share the experience who has faced this difficulties

"Salary doesn’t commensurate with credentials" means that, in MoM's eyes, the offered salary is too low or too high for the job or the candidate's background.
The employer should contact MoM to find out more, before deciding on the next steps.
Of course her chances are higher if she's employed directly with Accenture, not a third party contractor.

Hi , no she is not with Accenture but Accenture put her on third party contract at the moment . Usually how much time does it take for mom to reply back?

Happy to report that EP is approved . This forum is absolute great . I will write a consolidated piece in a few days of all the information that I have gathered from this forum and other research / experience
Timeline
Applied : 22 March
Education verification check requested by MOM to Employer: 06 April
Submitted Verification to MOM 06 June
EP Approved 22 June
In a way took 3 months
But actually you can count one month on MOM account because it took me two months to get the education verification check done for the pathetic eeCheck
Additional information
Started with eeCheck : 10 April <till date they have been unable to provide>
Avvanz : Requested 20 April delivered 06 April (15 days)
RMI : Requested 17 April delivered 16 May (30 days)

Some absolutes out of my experience
1.There is no whims and fancies involved on part of MOM
2.MOM works as per set guidelines (all may not be transparent) however they are there and there is no person deciding our EP fate rather laid down guidelines. The process is rational however in our anxious state this does not seem so at times
3. MOM does not intend to trouble anyone and there is no conspiracy theory
4. You can influence timeline to some extent with MOM there is "official" procedure. You cannot influence outcome ( I am writing this with some consideration not just mentioning this )
5. You can influence both process and definitely timeline of verification agency. In many cases it is highly recommended to get involved and pushy with them
6. If you meet criteria you will positively get your EP approved if you do not you will not get. Criteria are crystal clear have mentioned in another post
7. You need to remember the cases on this Forum are all the "exceptional" cases i.e. those of us who face some roadblock. Compared to the complete EP application population is miniscule. In other words your are amongst the few unlucky ones. This will make you frustrated but will help you not to worry.

Now that the load is lifted I can see the clarity above. Believe me I was under a lot of stress thinking how life will go down the drain kind of scenarios.  Truthfully will test your patience nothing more.

Finally wishing all loads of patience and best of luck
PS : I will write a complete piece will take some time to put everything together till then and in future will support the forum as much as possible
Hats off to the regular contributors like Shekhz , beppi others

Congratulations, Kaushik!
And thanks for posting your experience here in detail - best post by a job seeker on this forum for a loooong time!!!

Kaushikpal12- Hearty congrats! Pop a drink on my behalf too to ease off all the tension over the past few months.

You have not only gained information from this forum but have shared a lot of content and info that?s beneficial to others who are anxiously waiting for their approvals and have queries.

I second Beppi, good post above.

I am really happy to share that my EP for the new job has been approved today.

Timeline:
Applied - 5 June
Approved - 24 June (19 days, 14 business days)
Industry - Software

No extra information was requested.
I have worked in Singapore on EP for 5 years.

It has been really frustrating to wait for the outcome, but this forum gave me some solace that there are other people in the same journey. And I was really amazed that people are so helpful to others here, kudos to the members!

Good luck to everyone who are waiting for the outcome!

Iamnotabot: Great news, congratulations!

Hi All,

Arif here. Indian national working in shipping industry. Been here since 2015.
Great to see dearth of information and support to each other in this forum. Awesome.
Sharing my situation here and hope to receive your valuable guidance.

My situation:

Old employer cancelled my EP on 7th June and issued STVP (me   family) valid until 7th July.
New employer applied for new IPA on 7th June. As of today status on MoM website shows - " We need inputs from other agencies to process this application". In most instances outcome will be available in 4 weeks time".
Meanwhile i await on positive outcome of IPA application, please guide me on extension of STVP if needed. Understand from MoM's website that STVP can only be extended on below cases:

1. If no flights available to home country.
2. Waiting for new passport. Any Medical condition. Serving SHN.
3. Waiting for EP renewal outcome.

Out of above, i can think of point no.1 in which case, has anyone tried to get a letter from embassy or airlines that fights are not available and got their STVP extended. I know that VBM flights are available, but returning to India is not an option as you all would agree.

Also advise any alternate option which i am not thinking of.

Thanks a lot everyone.

Regards,
Arif

IPA stands for In Principle Approval, it isn?t a pass type/ category. I guess you meant that new employer applied for EP?

You can request STVP extension through previous employer. There are a few threads here where STVP extensions were secured.

30 days isn?t sufficient (given application has already been flagged and information from agencies is pending)- it could take longer by the looks of what you have mentioned.

Lastly, outbound flights to India are there, so how can you select option 1?

Yes, In principal approval (IPA) is for Employment pass.
I read in one of the threads that STVP extension for 2 weeks was received by showing ticket booking and payment along with STVP extension application.
The flights closest to my home town is once every 2 weeks. This made me optimistic.

Is there any other option of seeking STVP extension. Ease advise.

You have the prime reasons covered in your post, nothing else is acceptable. For health reasons, you need proper substantiating evidence- just a heads up.

I?d suggest write to ICA stating your situation, you can share a letter (from your new employer as evidence) that your pass is pending approval. Worth a try?

Thanks Shekhz.
Will submit extension request supported by letter from new employer and hope for positive outcome within to e frame.

Shall share the outcome and experience on this forum.

Appreciate your guidance.

Thanks.

Your EP renewal is pending should be sufficient ground for STVP extension as per <3. Waiting for EP renewal outcome.>
Only catch I think is has to be done by your old employer hopefully the bridges are not burnt there.

Additionally
Your New Employer can raise an official "expedition request" to expedite new EP approval through< I submit > <Option 1> OR writing in mail to MOM WPD. Will be done positively if all conditions are meet

Kaushikpal: No, I beg to differ.

EP Renewal and New EP application are two different aspects all together. His EP has been canceled, so reasoning 3 doesn?t hold good (it?s not a renewal).

Kaushikpal - It's a new EP application and it clearly states that it doesn't stand a ground for STVP extension. EP renewal does.

I can look into you suggestion of writing to MoM to expedite the case. Thanks.

True missed that

Dear Members,

Got my EP approved yesterday.
Date of submission : 7th June
Date Approved : 25th June.

Just to add more details. This was my second IPA (EP) application in last 6 years since I have been here. My educational credentials are from Singapore, hence background check time was saved. Salary difference from last job to this wasn't so much.

Awaiting DP for family members which should be approved by Wednesday next week.

Discussions, feedback and inputs in this forum are valuable & really helpful..it did made me a bit anxious at the beginning but then I was able to forge a plan for my case.
MOM rules have been dynamically changing in these times and this forum is up to date on these changes which makes it stand out from other forums.

Thanks a lot guys....keep helping each other.

Wishing all the best to those who are awaiting their application approval.

Cheers,
Arif

Hi Arif, you mentioned your education credentials are from Singapore. can i ask did you attend public university or private university in Singapore?
I am waiting my EP approval and my education credentials are from Singapore also, but from private university.

Studied at Public institution.
Educational credentials verification is not required by MoM for those who studied in Singapore irrespective of Private or Public. However, employer will assign an independent contractor to carry out background check which includes qualifications verification.

Congratulations, Arif. Just to complement my earlier post on timelines, your own approval took 3 weeks, not 2. And that’s attributed to your educational qualifications from SG, else it is prone to longer review cycles.

Hello Just thought I would share my timeline.

Since we see a lot of negative/long waiting cases, hoping to add some positivity.

Employment Pass
Date of Application: 15/06/2021
Approved Date: 23/06/2021

Total working days ~5

@vepiri9605
Thanks for the comment, could you pls share your industry, position level, year of work experience and salary range if possible?

vepiri9605 wrote:

Hello Just thought I would share my timeline.

Since we see a lot of negative/long waiting cases, hoping to add some positivity.

Employment Pass
Date of Application: 15/06/2021
Approved Date: 23/06/2021

Total working days ~5

Congratulations! That’s indeed too swift an approval.

I would like to know what kind of misconduct MOM stores in Databases , Some Examples ? As I had left my first job in sg in 1 month but I got my EP processed 3 times post that scenario.
Any Misconduct which we are not even aware of that MOM silently keeps a track on like Social Media , Smoking fine , Late payment of Credit card fee ?
My EP is pending since 14-June-2021 , I am a bit curiuos !

The only thing MoM has in its own database is your employment and work pass history in Singapore, together with all applications ever submitted.
But they do routinely check with ICA, IRAS and SPF about major problems, too, as part of their evaluation process.
I don't think social media is checked (unless you are a political activist), small fines are not a problem and issues with private companies (like late payment of credit card debt)  only once they reach lawsuit stage.

Hi would need your help to guide me

My wife's S pass pending since( june 11)-- in between asked for university and degree check-- ( uploaded 22 june) and today her employer received clarification for company financials,  salary hike justification etc
Prob is her STVP expiring on july 17

1) considering good IT mnc in digital marketing, how long can it take from this stage ? They said all details they will submit by monday !!
2) to secure her stay can i apply dp simultaneously from my employer as i am elgible ?  if not can her employer withdraw application at this stage for my company to apply dp ?  How long dp would take approx?
Which one could be better wait for s pass outcome or DP as i have only 2 weeks left ?

i am worried as stvp is nearing and  she is 4 months pregnant - not sure how this goes !!

Sandeep: Before posting here, please check if the answers already exist in the forum! In fact, this has all been recently discussed - and it is no fun explaining the same things over and over again.
In short: Work pass processing currently takes 8 weeks on average (according to MoM). Only one pass application (incl. DP and work passes) can be in process at any one time.

Hi Beppi, sorry and thanks. I am new and tried to check above threads ...but been indecisive...

..its been a double edge sword for me to either wait for spass outcome after MOm query to employer last sat or ask her employer to  withdraw application ( not sure if they can if status is showing " pending " ) interim  to secure dp atleast as i am left with 2 weeks only...hence wanted to check latest dp processsing time..

Apologies if this is already answered.
Once the EP is renewed, how do we check validity of the same ? Is it once after IPA is issued ,will understand the validity? Current EP expiry still has 3 months to go .

Any pass validity can be checked via the SGWorkPass app, download it from Apple/ play store. Scan your pass and tada!

And since your query wasn’t accurate, I’d also highlight this- pass renewal can be done up to 6 months before pass expiration date, but the renewal date is effective from the day your pass was originally expiring.

Example- You got your pass renewed in June, 2021, but your original EP let’s say was expiring only in October, 21. Your renewal of 2/3 years whatever it may be, is effective October 21 onwards, not July.

Hi All, My question is to all S pass and EP renewal folks

My S pass is approved and completed medical examination.

My pass will expire on 2nd Sept. However my HR says issuance of the new approved pass will only be done at the expiry.

I am quite confused. Mom says issuance has to be done before expiry.

Could you please share the process after medical examination , when would the pass be issued ?

Also I am unable to see the pass validity duration granted in IPA. It just has the employee and employer declaration.

@beppi,  @ surya.. Kindly help your inputs on this. Thanks

Vinvini wrote:

Hi All, My question is to all S pass and EP renewal folks

My S pass is approved and completed medical examination.

My pass will expire on 2nd Sept. However my HR says issuance of the new approved pass will only be done at the expiry.

I am quite confused. Mom says issuance has to be done before expiry.

Could you please share the process after medical examination , when would the pass be issued ?

Also I am unable to see the pass validity duration granted in IPA. It just has the employee and employer declaration.

@beppi,  @ surya.. Kindly help your inputs on this. Thanks

Does posting the same question repeatedly get you better responses?

Just for your information- most of the people here who are experts, advisors are commoners like you and I who have their full time jobs, businesses, families to take care of and at the same time we try our best to help people with responses to their queries.

Please don’t populate the forum with the same post.

In case of a renewal for EP: Usually the same pass is retained by the applicant, dates (post successful renewal change and reflect on the work pass app/ portals).

For S-Pass: In the event of a renewal, employer must buy medical insurance for the S Pass holder under their obligation. Only after such examination and insurance is bought, will a pass be issued on basis of the approval. Your HR will advice you, they get notified by MoM. Trust them.

Hope this helps.