The Singapore Government’s recent move to tighten the labour force and make work passes scarce means every businessperson needs to be smart when applying for work passes.
Here are 14 principles to increase the chances of securing an employment pass application the first time.
More here: http://futurebooks.asia/blog/14-principles-to-securing-an-employment-pass-in-singapore/6244
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14 principles to securing a work pass in Singapore
1. Prepared for directors and
senior professionals
relocating to Singapore.
As of January 2013
14 PRINCIPLES
FOR SECURING AN
EMPLOYMENT PASS
IN SINGAPORE
5. RIGHT
DESIGNATION
Don't short sell the candidate.
Choose a title that accurately reflects the
seniority of the candidate. If the
candidate is in operations, are they the
'director of operations„?
Choosing a title “Consultant – F&B”
rather than “Bartender” helped one of our
clients secure an EP.
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7. EXPERIENCE
MATTERS
The candidate should have different
experience or skill-sets not available in
the local job market.
Their CV should list similar positions
held before. Include with the application
a copy of the job description.
We recommend including a business
plan which describes the job
position, and a employment contract with
a corresponding job scope.
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9. DEGREE
HOLDER
It is preferable if the candidate is a
degree holder.
However for most industries, experience
plays a bigger role.
Candidates who obtained qualifications
from a Singapore institution have an
advantage.
We have secured EPs for senior
professionals who do not hold any paper
qualification.
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11. RELEVANT
REFERENCES
In cases where a degree or formal
qualifications are not held, references
and training certificates hold sway.
Letters of endorsement from past
employers and clients, especially large or
well known.
Training certificates relevant to your
industry count.
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13. RIGHT
SALARY
1 December 2012, EPs and other work
passes require a greater base salary.
A salary below the bar will get you a
quick rejection.
The salary should not compete with local
talent, which is why it priced higher.
The minimum for most applications is
now $4K.
A director‟s salary should be > S$8k
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15. NATIONALITY
As defined by the ICA, candidates from
level zero countries (including USA,
Australia, Europe and Malaysia) are
easier to secure an EP.
Candidates from Level one countries
(India, Russia, China, Myanmar, Ukraine)
have an advantage if they have held a
study or work visa in a level zero country.
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17. EXISTING
EP HOLDER
We discovered employees who are EP
holders, have higher chances of
obtaining a new EP from a new
employer.
This recognises local experience in
Singapore is an advantage.
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19. COMPANY
STRUCTURE
Companies operating successfully for
longer than three years have an
advantage over startups.
New companies can benefit from having
a large paid up capital to demonstrate
they have liquidity to pay salaries.
Having a reputed corporate parent is an
advantage.
A unique or important business segment
gets attention too.
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21. PROFILE
BUILDING
If it is the company's first time applying
for a pass, include a copy of the business
plan to build the profile of the company.
Provide a rental agreement or letter of
intent to rent if available.
Include bank statements showing
infusion of paid up capital.
Include and signed contracts with large
or reputable client.
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23. NICHE
INDUSTRY
Some industries are easier to hire foreign
talent than others.
Tech startups are an example of a sector
which we have seen fast approvals of EP
applications.
We have seen cases of companies with
90% foreigners, build a payroll of 40
employment passes, because of the
firm‟s unique contribution to the tech
space.
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25. APPEALS
Plan this with the candidate and have a
backup plan should things go wrong.
You have 30 days to file the appeal.
Each appeal takes 6 weeks to process.
It is common for companies applying for
their first few EP‟s to require appeals.
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27. PAST
REJECTIONS
A candidate with a history of rejected EP
applications, has a lower chance in the
future of securing an application.
It is so important to get the application
correct the first time.
Past rejections may be due to errors or
more commonly due to the candidate or
company being short sold.
It requires extensive communication with
MOM to get such a situation corrected.
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29. QUOTAS
S-Passes have strict quotas - four
Singaporeans to one foreigner.
EPs are free of explicit quota restrictions.
However companies are expected to
justify the need for EP‟s if there are not
enough locals on the companies payroll.
In our experience, quotas can be
negotiated depending on circumstance.
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31. RIGHT
WORK PASS
EPs and PEPs are among the two most
popular work passes for professionals.
However a Letter of Consent or a
Business Visa are easier to apply for and
may suffice.
Letter of Consent is free of most
restrictions and are exclusively for
Dependant Pass holders.
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