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Employment Pass Renewals - 2018

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rajagainstthemachine
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Employment Pass Renewals - 2018

Post by rajagainstthemachine » Mon, 11 Dec 2017 4:18 pm

I've found that using the Self Assessment Tool that in 2018, renewals for EP's are going to be super tight,

For eg. if you are earning 5000/6000 PM on EP and its up for renewal in 2018, it may be rejected.
the Self Assessment Tool says this salary is only eligible for an S pass.
For your EP to be renewed in 2018 the chances are that such salaries will need to be bumped to at least 7000 to receive EP renewals.
Do you guys know of any such cases of employees in this bracket and who were EP's were rejected?
To get there early is on time and showing up on time is late

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Re: Employment Pass Renewals - 2018

Post by Barnsley » Mon, 11 Dec 2017 6:23 pm

rajagainstthemachine wrote:I've found that using the Self Assessment Tool that in 2018, renewals for EP's are going to be super tight,

For eg. if you are earning 5000/6000 PM on EP and its up for renewal in 2018, it may be rejected.
the Self Assessment Tool says this salary is only eligible for an S pass.
For your EP to be renewed in 2018 the chances are that such salaries will need to be bumped to at least 7000 to receive EP renewals.
Do you guys know of any such cases of employees in this bracket and who were EP's were rejected?
This is quite a move by the Government , as I think a lot of the IT roles by third party vendor are around this salary.

I think will have quite a large impact once it gets going.
Life is short, paddle harder!!

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Re: Employment Pass Renewals - 2018

Post by rajagainstthemachine » Tue, 12 Dec 2017 10:13 am

I agree! a sizeable chunk of EP holders fall in this bracket, I suspect all their renewals are going to be heavily scrutinized one way or another. The impact of this will be disastrous for a lot of industries.
To get there early is on time and showing up on time is late

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Barnsley
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Re: Employment Pass Renewals - 2018

Post by Barnsley » Tue, 12 Dec 2017 10:19 am

rajagainstthemachine wrote:I agree! a sizeable chunk of EP holders fall in this bracket, I suspect all their renewals are going to be heavily scrutinized one way or another. The impact of this will be disastrous for a lot of industries.
Actually looking at the new instruction , the Dependent Pass base has been raised to $6000.
From 1 January 2018, work pass holders will need to meet a minimum salary criteria of $6,000 to enjoy dependant privileges
Maybe everything just being brought into line for that.
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Re: Employment Pass Renewals - 2018

Post by Wd40 » Tue, 12 Dec 2017 11:14 am

Vendors will raise salaries for employees and also ask for higher billing rates from their customers.

Basically Singapore becomes a high cost center.

How else will employers mitigate higher cost? Demand for higher productivity from their staff, make work hours longer, hire only more talented senior staff. Any jobs that had to go back to low cost locations have gone back already.

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Re: Employment Pass Renewals - 2018

Post by Wd40 » Tue, 12 Dec 2017 11:22 am

My base salary is 8k and my EP just got renewed for 3 years. So I don't have to worry until 2021, provided I have my job.

I think 8k is nothing these days. It is not even worth staying here if I don't get 8k.

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Re: Employment Pass Renewals - 2018

Post by bgd » Tue, 12 Dec 2017 11:27 am

Wd40 wrote:My base salary is 8k and my EP just got renewed for 3 years. So I don't have to worry until 2021, provided I have my job.

I think 8k is nothing these days. It is not even worth staying here if I don't get 8k.

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3 years? I get 2 years, so does everyone I know. Why are you special?

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Re: Employment Pass Renewals - 2018

Post by Wd40 » Tue, 12 Dec 2017 11:29 am

bgd wrote:
Wd40 wrote:My base salary is 8k and my EP just got renewed for 3 years. So I don't have to worry until 2021, provided I have my job.

I think 8k is nothing these days. It is not even worth staying here if I don't get 8k.

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3 years? I get 2 years, so does everyone I know. Why are you special?
It depends on the employer. My employer, everyone gets 2 years initial and then renewal is 3 years. I work for a European bank.



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Re: Employment Pass Renewals - 2018

Post by Strong Eagle » Tue, 12 Dec 2017 1:13 pm

It could be a backdoor way to get employers to raise wages because S-Pass attracts a levy of between $330 and $650 per month. Additionally, S-Pass is quota limited, so employers are either going to have to hire more locals, or pay more to escape the S-Pass quota.

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Re: Employment Pass Renewals - 2018

Post by bgd » Tue, 12 Dec 2017 1:37 pm

I'm aware of a company in the education sector who lost a number of people on renewal of SPass. Quota I guess. And too tight to push the salary to the next band. They now have to employ some locals to teach English. Understandably parents are pulling their kids. They prefer native English speakers.

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Re: Employment Pass Renewals - 2018

Post by Barnsley » Tue, 12 Dec 2017 3:14 pm

Wd40 wrote:Vendors will raise salaries for employees and also ask for higher billing rates from their customers.

Basically Singapore becomes a high cost center.

How else will employers mitigate higher cost? Demand for higher productivity from their staff, make work hours longer, hire only more talented senior staff. Any jobs that had to go back to low cost locations have gone back already.
Business always has a way of finding lower cost solutions.

Higher billing rates means less business , its a competitive world out there, unless you are a sole provider where is the room to raise billing rates?
Life is short, paddle harder!!

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Re: Employment Pass Renewals - 2018

Post by Strong Eagle » Tue, 12 Dec 2017 10:42 pm

Barnsley wrote:Higher billing rates means less business , its a competitive world out there, unless you are a sole provider where is the room to raise billing rates?
Exactly why my business model became irrelevant. Pressure on billing rates, coupled with increased costs of living meant I could not attract the kind of talent needed to run my business. Employees wanted more to cover living increases, clients wanted less because they are a bunch of cheap buggers... end of the line.

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Re: Employment Pass Renewals - 2018

Post by The Ref » Wed, 13 Dec 2017 12:00 am

Given I am well above the $6000 limit for the new EP with DP attached, is there any benefit applying this year rather than next?

My current PEP expires in February. I was going to apply in early Jan.

Thanks.

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Wd40
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Re: Employment Pass Renewals - 2018

Post by Wd40 » Wed, 13 Dec 2017 12:20 am

The Ref wrote:Given I am well above the $6000 limit for the new EP with DP attached, is there any benefit applying this year rather than next?

My current PEP expires in February. I was going to apply in early Jan.

Thanks.
Let's put it this way, there is nothing to lose if you apply this year.

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Re: Employment Pass Renewals - 2018

Post by EdwardHend » Thu, 11 Jan 2018 4:33 pm

rajagainstthemachine wrote:I've found that using the Self Assessment Tool that in 2018, renewals for EP's are going to be super tight,

For eg. if you are earning 5000/6000 PM on EP and its up for renewal in 2018, it may be rejected.
the Self Assessment Tool says this salary is only eligible for an S pass.
For your EP to be renewed in 2018 the chances are that such salaries will need to be bumped to at least 7000 to receive EP renewals.
Do you guys know of any such cases of employees in this bracket and who were EP's were rejected?
I agree with you on this. EP approvals are getting tighter now even for renewals. My ex colleague has been rejected for her EP renewal twice and now her pass is on appeal. Her current salary is already 7k and she took the assessment tool, tried to key in and increases the salary til it reaches 10k to be approved. No way her current company will give her 10k pay.

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