Employment Pass Rejected

On expiry of your S-Pass, you will get a 30 days SVP, which is not extendable (so you'll have to leave Singapore after these 30 days!).
Please note that you are NOT allowed to work or receive salary while on this SVP.

Hi
I work for MNC since 20 years as manager.  My company wants me to work in Singapore and applied for EP and got EP approved without any hurdle as I have 20 years experience and salary above 13K.
In EP my qualification mentioned as per the certificate submitted to MOM as degree holder in respective filed. This certificate I submitted to my company 20 years back.
This degree is no more valid now because the institution issued this certificate is no more exist and not recognised list of Singapore MOM.

Considering above scenario please advise me what I shall do. Do I come and work in Singapore ?

Please advise.

MoM verifies given information when you apply, and possibly again when you renew your EP (when it expires).
You have a valid EP now and thus can work in Singapore as long as it is valid. There is a risk (small, as I explain below, but existing) that it will not be renewed because of the degree issue, but by alerting MoM now you create a bigger risk that you cannot even work in Singapore now. Is that what you want?
In addition, the need for a degree to get an EP exists only for lower salaries than yours. In your range, MoM's reasoning is that a company which pays that much to a non-degree-holder probably knows best what it needs - thus high salary EPs (previous P1 class) can be had without degree.
You don't know which criteria MoM applied in your case (this is never published), so you shouldn't worry about it (in my opinion).

Edited to add: If, however, your degree was officially renounced or declared invalid, such that you are not allowed to use it any more, then you MUST change the application - as knowingly using incorrect information for personal gain is a criminal offense!

Thank you Bappi for your swift reply.
Actually I wanted from my company my degree qualification appeared on the EP to be removed.
My only concern is after EP is approved is there any further random verification of the education cert by MOM? Before next renewal?

hjgovies wrote:

Thank you Bappi for your swift reply.
Actually I wanted from my company my degree qualification appeared on the EP to be removed. But company do not willing to do this because as per HR EP is already approved.
My only concern is after EP is approved is there any further random verification of the education cert by MOM? Before next renewal?

Only if they have reason to doubt.
Don't give them such reason!

sometime back, a whole group of employees were taken in, from the same company, the charge was forged qualification certificates, masters and bachelors degrees. the strange thing is they worked in their company for over a year.

most of the time mom approve candidates without checking or aunthenticate their documents, imagine the amount of work needed to do that, mom just doesnt have that kind of man power.

what i want to say in your case is, if for some reason your qualification has problem with mom, you are the one going to get it, cos your company can say that this is what you provide them, there is no proof that said you told them to remove certain information. but on the other hand, you also mentioned that you have a salary of 13k per month, mom will unlikely check you as they assume your company would have done enough check on you before awarding you a good salary. but you should still try not to let too many people know about it.

that group who was being charged were likely due to a whistle blower ... meaning people from the same company that wanted them out, and reported to mom about it. questions were raised why only after one year before mom found out, and mom defended themselves by saying they cannot check on all applications at the beginning, it takes time. i think its bullshit, cos why only this group so widely publicised, i am sure there are so many in singapore having fake certificates.

if your institution closed down, or changed name, it does not affect your certificate unless that institution is a scam, like many private schools in singapore which literally sells certificates. these kind of scam schools if caught, all certificates issued from day one will be useless in singapore.

Hi guys,

I worked for IT industry for 4 years, I've been offered a job in a big Singapore company with salary 4.1k. Previously I already got my EP valid until 2016, but there is a mistake on the EP application. My new company asked my old company to cancel my pass because they are going to apply for a new one. (According to MOM they dont need to). It left me with outstanding tax clearance and stuffs.
Then when my new company applied the pass, it was rejected for no specific reason, they only specify that I'm not eligible for EP, while I already got my EP before. Additionally I only worked for my previous company for only 4 months. Because of financial issue, they decided to cut down their cost. And ask their employees to try to get a job.

Can anyone advice why my EP is rejected? Currently I already resolve my tax problem, and get a recommendation letter from my prev employer.

THanks before.

The reason for your rejection is not clear from what you posted - and since MoM rarely discloses anything, it might never become clear.
But this, being rejected although you had an EP before, is the risk you take by changing jobs - especially after just four months in the previous company. MoM dislikes job-hoppers and currently grabs every opportunity to reduce the number of foreigners in Singapore!

Hi Beppi,
Thanks for a quick reply. I thought so, I don't want to be a job hoppers too, but this is from the company itself that ask me to find another job because they want to cut down some cost.
Do you think I should explain this to MOM? and is tax issue has anything to do with it?
Currently my company is trying to appeal for my application, do you have any suggestion to make it effective?

Most probably the tax issue (which you didn't explain, so I cannot be sure) has nothing to do with it.
Yes, a letter by the old company explaining that you were terminated or didn't leave voluntarily might help.
Also, the new company must justify why they need to hire you and not a similarly skilled local.

The tax issue is, from my understanding, my employer need to file an IR21 to report my income tax during the end of my employment period. But Im not sure if it would effect MOM decision.
Thanks anyway Beppi, my company is making the appeal according to that advise now.

Good luck!
(If the tax issue was just due to your ex-company not declaring correctly, it has definitely no influence on you!)

What is the % of rejection for EPASS if you well qualified after implementation of new rules from 1st august 2014?

There is no statistics available.
And even if it were, every case is different and is evaluated on its own merit.

Hi, I am new in this forum. Well, my story goes like this. I worked as a senior programmer in Singapore for 6 years before resigning. I exited Singapore and went back after a month. A company hired me before my social visa expired. My new company applied for my EP before I exited again. My EP got rejected after a week of waiting but my company said that they would be appealing the rejection. I was earning 6000 SGD from my previous company but I've accepted a 5,500 SGD salary on the new company because there would be a salary review at the end of the year. Could this be a reason of rejection? ... lower salary?

Salary is only one of the many things MoM takes into consideration, but I believe for a programmer with 6 years work experience S$5500/month is in the allowed range.
Therefore, I think something else caused your rejection. Was the job (unsuccessfully) listed on the new (locals-only) Job Bank for two weeks? Is the company well established and has sufficient local employees to be allowed to hire foreigners? Or does it have a bad track record with MoM?

That's a fast response, thank Beppi.

It's a relatively well established company outside Sg (AU, UK) and they are just starting to put up a branch in Sg. So far they only have a couple of employees, excluding the 2 expat managers who interviewed me. Although I have no idea if the currently hired employees are locals. Is an EP application also subject to quota considerations? Companies with less than 25 employees are excluded from the fair consideration scheme, right?

Yes, small companies are excluded from the Job Bank requirements, and officially there are no quota for EPs, but since new companies are supposed to create local employment (and have to show their plans in this respect during the incorporation process), it does play a role. Ask the managers about it!

Thanks for responding. We've got the reason already. Apparently, I still have unsettled taxes since my last employment. It's set on auto deduct via giro but I think they need to recompute due to my resignation so the last supposedly tax payment didn't get deducted. I'll give IRAS a call on monday then have it re-appealed.

Thanks for responding again.

jason321 wrote:

Hi beppi, I just applied for S-Pass recently but rejected with the reason from MOM:

"Your candidate has an adverse records with us and hence is not eligible to apply for a work pass. Please look for another candidate."

What will be the chance if I get hired by another company to apply for S-Pass again?

Thanks a lot!

beppi wrote:

Without knowing what you did, I cannot comment.
Ask MoM!

Dear beppi,
                  my spass application was rejected this morning and i got the same reason as jason321.
"Your candidate has an adverse records with us and hence is not eligible to apply for a work pass. Please look for another candidate"
                  i recently got a degree from the UK and applied spass from there but last 10 yrs ago i used to work in singapore with workpermit. My company couldn't  pay the salary regularly .so,we(the workers) went out and work illegally. To sum up,when i went to MOM and asked for help,they said my work permit was cancelled 11months ago.Therefore,i was sentenced 2weeks in ICA cell and 1year banned to come back.
                  that was my past.
i realized my current spass application was rejected for that record. the question is ..should i ask the company to do appeal or better forget about it?

thanks

After working illegally in Singapore, you can probably forget about being allowed to work there ever again.
Sorry!

Dear beppi,
                  thanks alot.
i won't try it anymore.

Hi Pepi,

I have been working in Singapore for 2 and a half years under P2 category. My EP was rejected after held more than 2 months under 'Inputs from vetting agencies'.

My company appealed again with additional letters from my clients.

I am confused why it was rejected after working 2 and a half years here a consultant for LTA MRT project.

MY MSc is from UK and BSc from Srilanka.I am an accredited consultant by Instituition of Engineers,Singapore as well.

Could you clarify this to me please?

My user name is Beppi, not Pepi.

There are many possible reasons for rejection, and little can be deduced from the limited information you gave.
A rejection on EP renewal in most cases has to do with the tighter requirements implemented recently. Is your salary still within a reasonable band for your seniority and responsibilities? Does your company have a good locals-to-foreigners ratio?
The fact that the rejection came after vetting could also mean they found something wrong in your credentials: Is your B.Sc. genuine and recognised by MoM? Are there any inconsistencies in your data?

Hi Beppi, my name is Sam. I have signed an employment contract for a newly set up company in Singapore. The company has 2 directors, made out of 1 local and 1 expat on employment pass who has been working in Singapore for 4years.

They applied an EP for me to be a Tennis Fitness Programme Director last week but got news today that it was rejected because the "information provided in the application was questionable". What does this imply actually?

I have a bachelor of business degree from new zealand massey university with double majors in sports management and marketing. I have worked for 9years in the related industry. The salary offered to me was $5,000 monthly. Currently in new zealand, i am half selfemployed and half director of a company in the same industry as well, but for my recent 2 employments, i only earned $2,400 a month. I'm wondering if this gap between what i earn in new zealand and how much my Singapore employer is going to pay me is too huge, which may be why MOM thinks it's "questionable". But my employer has checked and $5000 is the market rate for this job in Singapore for expats.

Other than that, i am 27 years old, healthy and very experienced in what i do. The company doesnt have to meet with quota requirements as it has just 2 staff, and we are not applying for not s pass.

I really wanna come out to Singapore to work. Any advice would be really appreciated! How should my employer go about appealing for me? Or should we not even bother? I have no new information to submit.

"Information provided in the application was questionable" means they don't believe what you wrote in the application.
I could only speculate which part of the application this is (maybe it's worth asking MoM?), but an appeal needs to include substantial proof to remove their doubts.
Furthermore, with a Bachelor degree and 9 years applicable experience, you should generally earn more than just S$5000/month. Consult Singapore salary surveys (regularly published by several consultancies and headhunters) to find out how much.

Thanks Beppi!

So you dont think the sudden jump from $2400 (current job as half selfemployed and director of company) to $5000 that Singapore employer is willing to pay me is the reason for the outright rejection? My company in nz makes money but $2,400 is the salary i pay myself monthly.

My Singapore employer wants to make an appeal. Do appeals usually take a long time and is there usually a fee? For my "questionable info" rejection, is it common? What are success rates of appeals for this reason? I find it weird that they don't directly ask my Singapore employer on the parts they find questionable and just rejected it immediately.

I was scheduled to come out in January. Gotta put my plans on hold now.

I don't think MoM is really interested in what you earned before, just whether your Singapore earnings are in line with the local market conditions. If it were otherwise, all third world immigrants (the majority of Expats in Singapore) would have no chance, as they earn peanuts in their home country!
Before appealing, your employer should contact MoM (best try to get a personal appointment, but that is sometimes difficult) to find out more about the reasons (e.g. which information they found questionable.
Depending on what MoM needs to check and process (and how much of that they already did before rejecting your application), an appeal can take between a few days and a month. As far as I know, there is no fee for it.
There is no statistics for rejection reasons and occurrence, but I haven't heard about many rejections for "questionable info" - and those that I do know about were either inconsistent data, or  faked degrees or work experience.

Thanks for the quick reply, Beppi! Could it be because my employer is a newly set up company? We are racking our brains on what to do next.

Yes, MoM is also hesitant to grant newly setup companies the right to employ foreigners, but normally the reply would be different in such a case (they either give no reason or the correct reason).

Hi,
i would like ask if my prev unpaid tax in sg will affect my future s pass application?
i received my tax assessment letter a day before i was terminated at my prev job. i wan't able to pay it before i leave singapore. Now new employer will apply my pass on monday and i worry it'll get rejected. i'm trying to call iras to confirm what is my latest outstanding amount to pay so i could settle it before company apply my pass but office is closed today saturday..

ps. if it will affect.. after how many days can the employer apply my pass after i pay my tax?

thanks.

Unpaid tax debt will lead to certain rejection of your work pass application.
You should settle the debt, with associated interest and penalties, at IRAS as soon as possible and hope for the best!
Giving a good explanattion to MoM why you couldn't pay it until now, with attached proof of it being cleared now and asking for leniency, cannot harm. Please note that your explanation given above will not help - you could have settled things from abroad in the meantime!

I admit it was a very irresponsible move. But yeah there's no other choice but hope for the very best. Thanks for the fast response.

Hi Beppi,

I got a response and my Singapore employer will be sending in an appeal.

They rejected my EP application because:
1) they find it weird why the company has no local workforce

2) why the company operates from a residential address

3) why the company is hiring me as a programme director when there is already a programme director

The company has to make an appeal and is thinking of changing my job title to head tennis and fitness coach instead. Would that be advisable?

So, in other words, MoM doubts that it is a real company (which must employ locals). Your employer must clear these doubts (e.g. by showing their real economic activity and their plans to hire locals later, together with a good explanation why they need to hire yet another foreigner first). It has nothing to do with your job title.

Hi Beppi,

My brother just had his S Pass application rejected because of adverse records. The company who applied for his pass asked the MOM if what record is that, then the MOM told them that my brother knows it already. Seriously, we don't have any clue on what is that record about as he did not worked here before. Although in 2011, he had an IPA but due to some reasons, it did not push through. My brother tried calling MOM to find out what is that record about, the MOM officer said that they cannot review the record and just try to appeal. First, we have the right to know what is written in that record and secondly, how can we appeal if we don't know what we're fighting for?

Is there anything we can do just to clear my brother's record? Please advise.

The records probably show that yur brother overstayed his visa in the past, or did something else illegal in Singapore. The employer can try to find out more, or appeal with a letter from your brother saying  that he never did anything of that sort and has no idea why he should be banned.
You don't have the right toknow your records - and yes, it does sometimes feel like you're fighting against the unknown, but in the end the authorities always win. Welcome to Singapore!

So to think that he only have this week until his SVP expires, then we cannot do anything to clear this record and forever be banned to work here in Singapore... We just had a taste of the "REAL" Singapore then... such a very bad experience...

Thanks for the reply.

I am afraid one week is really not enough to clear such a matter, but for an EP application or appeal, he does not need to be in the country - so he (and his designated employer) could pursue this further after he left.
He could also try to get an extension of his SVP (up to 89 days is possible, and waiting for the outcome of an EP application might be a good reason to apply for it).
Good luck!