Difficulty to get approval to come back to SIN, EP holders (Jul/Aug/Sept)
 

Hi everyone,

Do you have any personal experience or any anecdotes from colleagues, friends etc on how easy was it to get their application approved to get back to Singapore with an EP, for people that left after March/April? I understand that many people apply multiple times and some tend to get approved after a week or two of declines, to travel 30 days later. What's the experiences you've heard?

I understand people were turned down multiple times during CB and June but things started to improve in July/August.

Any data points you can share?

I have two colleagues who were denied reentry several times before August but approved to return in August.

No personal experiences, but people who left after 27 March, when Singapore closed their borders will likely receive extra scrutiny from the government as they would have left against the government advise. Yes, you might have pressing personal matters, but since the country took their eye off the ball in the dorms, they have been very very careful about letting people in.
For example, I know some companies have only in August started to be allowed to let their employees in.

Good luck either way and safe travels!

Let me be blunt here - current atmosphere is such, that foreigners are not welcome - neither tourists nor pass holders. I personally know only one person who got approved after being denied six times earlier. Others still are waiting. Several of them already gave up.

Plus recently rules for EPs have been tightened up agan - now if the offered salary is less than $20000/mo the position needs to be advertised on government job board for minimum a month and if the employer won’t hire a singaporean, company needs to provide written explanation why they didn’t. If company is found to be discriminated against Singaporeans, they won’t be allowed to get a pass for a year and exiting passes issued to them will be canceled.

Then, according to the new rule, minimum salary for EP holder who is older than 40 needs to be minimum $10000/mo - the double of the minimum salary for EP.

In short, modus operandi of Singapore of last 40 years is over.

The only foreigners which are still welcome from now on and in near future, are either maids and construction workers on work passes, or executives from multi national companies on million $ packages. But not middle level professionals in between.

I forgot that I also know a family of 5 who left 6 weeks ago. Travelled to their home country and are now back and have a week left in quarantine.

I also have a Western colleague on EP who has been granted permission to leave to Batam and then return. He will have to quarantine upon return.

I was under the impression they were pushing for reform for the minimum salary requirements for Employment pass holders, didn't know they had approved the same already. Wonder what happens to EP holders who are already there but whose salaries are just above the old minimum?

Why would there be an impact if the salary is above the minimum?

Meant say, if a person was currently earning only $4000 and the new minimum threshold is $4,500; was wondering how it works in these cases.
Or does it only apply to new Employment Pass applicants from here on.

Considering how much 14 days mandatory quarantine costs at the government approved facility- I’d say that it was very expensive trip for Batam.

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Originally Posted by quarryking (Post 32648929)

Meant say, if a person was currently earning only $4000 and the new minimum threshold is $4,500; was wondering how it works in these cases.

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It works such a way that company must increase the salary or let the worker go (and hire a singaporean on his/her place with the same salary).

The most screwed up are these EP holders who are older than 40, while earnig less than 10k and their passes renewal coming next year. Their only option is to find a job with pays more than minimum requirements or pack bags and leave.

Got it.. Tough times indeed. I don' know if other neighboring S.E. Asian nations such as Malaysia and Thailand also have equally stringent employment policies for their expats.

Considering that Malasya is going to be closed for the rest of the year - I don’t see much prospects.

Anecdotal evidence from other forums suggests Singapore has been easing the restrictions since July.

Also, people are ok to leave and come back. They just have to pay for their own tests (and depending where they're coming from, quarantine hotel costs) when they return.

What the government has said is they will not pay for the medical treatment for anyone who left Singapore after 27 March, which could be a lot of money!

I suspect they would be fine on the existing EP, but when it came up for renewal, it would likely get rejected at that level or would have to leave.

It depends what you mean by expats ... but anyway ... Thailand doesn't need such stringent policies as the country mainly conducts business in Thai. It's only a very narrow number of business that actually conduct regular business in English.

That's why Singapore is so attractive... English is not only the business language, it is also the main language full stop (hmmm ok lah, Singlish is).

Hence why you see a lot of Indians and Filipinos in Singapore. They can earn more money and they can speak the language

Sure. But sometimes pressing matters need to be attended to. It isn’t for a change of scenery. As COVID cases begin to show up there, better to get in and out sooner rather than wait.