benjiiiiii wrote:Hi
I am a British 21 years old skilled IT worker, in the industry for almost 4 years, and the company I work for have asked me to go and assist in SG opening new offices.
We are going through an agency that helps apply to the MoM, and something that has been flagged is my lack of degree. The maximum level of education I have in the UK is AS level. The company have made it very clear in my application that I am a key member to the launch in Singapore in terms of client development and new hire training, and I have 2 employment testimonials from previous and current employer which state I am highly skilled.
I have no criminal record, etc.
I am only stating this because it seems it may be relevant (I've seen others say it is in posts), my salary will be atleast $130kSGD but below $150kSGD per annum.
How do my chances fare realistically? The agency that is assisting has said we'll have to make a very good case for the necessity and may have to apply for a 'secondment'.
Many thanks in advance
Welcome to the forum benjiiiiii.
For a P1 EP, in the past the criteria for this type of pass have been weighted more towards salary level than academic qualifications. For example, I obtained a P1 EP when I first moved to Singapore, despite 'only' holding an HND and not a degree. Mind you, that was ten years ago, but as far as I know, that hasn't changed. But I'm sure others will chime in if the situation is different nowadays.
I believe that the minimum 'fixed monthly salary and allowances' (i.e. not including bonuses or any other variable payment) to be considered for a P1 EP is $8,000 (again, if this has changed recently I'm sure someone will flag that up). Assuming that the figures you quoted were for your prospective 'fixed salary' then it seems you would meet that requirement. More details on the 'fixed monthly salary and allowances' here:
http://www.mom.gov.sg/foreign-manpower/ ... alary.aspx
I suspect that what the agency are referring to in terms of 'making a very good case' relates to the recent tightening up of requirements for companies wishing to hire foreign workers. This includes the obligation to post vacancies in a 'job bank' so that local applicants can apply - the idea being that preference should be given to Singaporeans. IMO this makes sense, but only up to the point where there are actually local candidates with the required knowledge and experience for the positions in question. Unfortunately however, a lot of Singaporeans have decided that they don't want foreigners in their country, so the government is trying to placate them by tightening the screws more and more. Hence the need to demonstrate to the MOM beyond any doubt that you have skills and experience that cannot be sourced from the local population. Keep in mind that there are already a lot of skilled IT people here, so it will be a case of showing what the differentiating factors are in your case.
Here's a presentation from the Iyer Practice (who I have used in the past for tax (as opposed to EP) related matters), which explains more about the current employment pass regime, etc.:
http://www.aasingapore.com/media/files/ ... n_2014.pdf
AFAIK it is up to date, but if in doubt, you can also go to the 'horse's mouth' (a.k.a. MOM):
http://www.mom.gov.sg/foreign-manpower/ ... fault.aspx
Good luck, and please keep us updated as to how everything goes.
p.s. Don't worry, a criminal record is not required here, unlike... [I'm sure you can fill in the rest of the cliche].