I have some questions on PEP timing that I want to make sure I have right in my head. Thanks for your help.
1) Is it correct to say that from the date of receiving the IPA letter, I have 6 months to collect the PEP from MOM, and then *another* 6 months from the date of collection to actually find a job? So all in, from date of IPA, 12 months max if you stretch each stage to its limit?
2) If I'm approved for a PEP and I activate it at MOM on Aug 31st, on Dec 31st (the calendar year deadline for salary declaration), if I've not found a job, that's OK as I still have 2 months left - but do I have to submit a $0 salary declaration?
3) Can you have two jobs, together totaling S$144k in annual salary? Or is it only allowed to be one job with a fixed annual salary over that amount?
4) This ones a nested question, sorry. If I'm offered a job before Dec 31st earning a fixed salary of >S$144k, great. But, if it's less than S$144k/yr, should I :
a) accept it pre-Dec 31st, and declare the lower than S$144k fixed salary at year-end. If so, what happens (as in theory I'm in violation of the salary floor)? Do I basically have two more months to find a job that does pay that amount?
b) accept it after Dec 31st, so that I declare $0 (in theory still 'job hunting') on Dec 31st, and have another 12 mos until the next salary declaration to find another job that does in fact pay more than S$144k.
Can I stay in Singapore on a PEP until Dec 2015 in this case, even if I stay in the job making less than S$144k? Or do employers have to declare to MOM sooner than that what they're paying PEP holders?
5) Can I enter Singapore on the normal 30-day visa-free basis, apply for the PEP while in Singapore, and expect an answer within 30 days? I know the website says 3-5 weeks. Just wondering if given Singapore efficiency, this in reality is much less - meaning I won't have to leave Singapore after 30 days and re-enter once/if the PEP is approved.
In reality I don't expect to have too much trouble finding a role in excess of the S$144k floor. I more want to understand the rules in case it's harder to find a new job than I expected and I have to go to Plan B.
Appreciate all your input. Thanks, and aloha.