My EP got rejected.Requesting for suggestions!!

[Siv]

So....let me get this straight. If at point of renewing your EP after 2 years, your salary remains stagnant, you got a problem renewing EP ??

Damn.....this country is tough !

Actually if you change jobs, for certain sectors, you may end up with a pay cut ...

Exactly !

Which is why I find that someone would have a problem renewing EP if no pay increase for the duration of the existing EP.

It is also not uncommon for certain sectors at the moment who have frozen wages indefinitely.

Strange.....

[sundaymorningstaple]

And from what I know, if the 2 locals resign, MOM won't cancel your permit until It comes up for renewal. Somebody can clarify if that changed.

No, that hasn't changed. But they will tell you to find a local to fill the position they will not be renewed. Or, they could renew it for 12 months only as a sop to the employer (depending on how many he's had to give up in the past 3 years due to quota cuts, etc. The new tightened criteria also has renewals coming with rejections and/or 12 months with the admonishment that the individual will NOT be renewed again unless a lot changes with regard to basic criteria.

There is no reason not to expect the same thing is happening to EP holders as well, even though there are no quota. Singapore is going to reduce the foreign population come hell or high water. A lot of us are going to go home with the "why me" disease.

[ecureilx]

So....let me get this straight. If at point of renewing your EP after 2 years, your salary remains stagnant, you got a problem renewing EP ??

Damn.....this country is tough !

Actually if you change jobs, for certain sectors, you may end up with a pay cut ...

Exactly !

Which is why I find that someone would have a problem renewing EP if no pay increase for the duration of the existing EP.

It is also not uncommon for certain sectors at the moment who have frozen wages indefinitely.

Strange.....

But ... MOM expects foreigners on work pass to show salary growth ... as a solution to address salary depression ...

PS, SMS, thanks for the clarification.

[BBCWatcher]

Can you share some links Average salary rose to 4.95% and 4% respectively. Will be easy for me to understand.

See point #4 on this page.

Apart, My straight question how much salary I should ask my HR to provide me so my EP can be renewed.

I suppose your employer could try asking MoM that question directly. Only MoM knows the answer, but stagnant $4000/month wages was apparently the wrong answer.

Bear in mind that it's possible there is now no wage level that would change the outcome. MoM might take the point of view that, if you were worth an EP renewal per current renewal standards, you would have already been commanding increased wages. That's what tends to happen with successful salespeople. Echoing the comments upthread, MoM doesn't seem much interested in "cheap" foreign labor nowadays. Offering to raise the price after a denial doesn't necessarily convince somebody that the quality is any better.

I think this is pretty simple. If your employer wants a chance of keeping you on an EP then they're going to have to do better. The better they can do (within reason), the greater the odds they have of keeping you. So are they interested in trying to keep you or not? How interested? 10% more interested? 15%? 25%? 50%? If they are seriously interested, I don't think I'd recommend the minimum increment EP Online is indicating.

Oddly enough, MoM is protecting your interests at least as much as anyone else's. You might be willing to work for what MoM thinks are below current market rates, but it seems MoM won't let you do that. Three cheers for MoM.

Regarding S pass I worried if any 2 local staff same time resigned from my company then quota will be shaken-ed. Otherwise I have no concern.

Well, OK, but as you've discovered EPs aren't stable either. And your employer has a simple, straightforward solution to that problem: hire more resident workers to protect their quota.

If the choice is between an S Pass and leaving Singapore, which would you prefer?

[ecureilx]

I suppose your employer could try asking MoM that question directly. Only MoM knows the answer, but stagnant $4000/month wages was apparently the wrong answer.

Oh no .. seriously????????

[BBCWatcher]

Sure, seriously. It's an option. Anybody can send a letter. Nobody said MoM has to answer such a letter.

Are you seriously looking for an argument? Why?

[Strong Eagle]

I've written MoM on a number of occasions. If it's for a specific point that doesn't affect policy in general, the response is usually in a few days. If it's a question with broader based policy implications, such as when I asked about working remotely for an overseas employer, it took longer to get the answer but I got one anyway.

[abhi200211]

Hi everyone Strong Eagle, BBCWatcher, sundaymorningstaple, Siv, thanks for healthy suggestion!!

After reading your views I would ask my Boss to apply EP aagain with $300 increment [4K--> 4.3K] as EPOL tool states, I have still 2.5 months validity with my current EP If this time EP rejected will ask them to apply S pass.
Hope it should solve the problem.

Later, after three weeks will come again with you about the results!!

Finger Crossed!!
Thank you.

[ecureilx]

I've written MoM on a number of occasions. If it's for a specific point that doesn't affect policy in general, the response is usually in a few days. If it's a question with broader based policy implications, such as when I asked about working remotely for an overseas employer, it took longer to get the answer but I got one anyway.

Has MOM replied a salary question like above?

All the time for issues where salary didn't meet some requirement, the MOM officer on call gave answers like "should be more .... " but never an X amount ....

SMS, what say you ? Just wondering if MOM changed policies in answering pay related questions.

[ecureilx]

After reading your views I would ask my Boss to apply EP aagain with $300 increment [4K--> 4.3K] as EPOL tool states, I have still 2.5 months validity with my current EP If this time EP rejected will ask them to apply S pass.
Hope it should solve the problem.
.

In case you missed my post, try to work for more than 300 $ raise. After all, you said your bosses need you. If you have any allowance ask the boss to add to basic salary. You gonna fall flat if you went up exactly by 300$, based on past experience.

Plus, appeals generally have low success rate nowadays unless the reason is strong.

Don't mess it up.

[singaporeflyer]

In case you missed my post, try to work for more than 300 $ raise.

You gonna fall flat if you went up exactly by 300$, based on past experience.

Plus, appeals generally have low success rate nowadays unless the reason is strong.

Don't mess it up.

+1. Agree to all the above.

[sundaymorningstaple]

I've never written to MOM regarding Salary questions.

However I have seen in our own operations that often if an "S" Pass (I've not had any EPs for a number of years now) is rejected on renewal I will resubmit with an additional $200 salary increment. Sometimes, unless it's academic criteria that has changed, it will work, but about 50% of the time is doesn't. What I normally do, rather than keep giving the MOM possible suspicions of a kickback operation (where the employee is being paid more but returns a portion back in order to continue to work), is submit a new application with the increased salary using one of our other companies that may have quota.

We never try to apply for a 'renewal' using the minimum salary required for an S pass (failure is assured as the employee should have been getting at least COLA increase and maybe more. If we are successful, then the next one up for renewal we have a pretty good idea what is going to pass muster and just submit based on that and again, unless they are being rejected for renew due to academic criteria failing, it will generally be approved as long as we have quota ( at one point I had as many as 55 S pass holders across 4 companies. (fully 25% of our total staff strength at that particular time (225 staff) Now down to 14 S pass holders across 3 companies with a total staff strength of 135. I also have 22 WP holders, 9 WP-PRCs and three on LoCs.

[ecureilx]

However I have seen in our own operations that often if an "S" Pass (I've not had any EPs for a number of years now) is rejected on renewal I will resubmit with an additional $200 salary increment. Sometimes, unless it's academic criteria that has changed, it will work, but about 50% of the time is doesn't..

That's what I too have seen in practice, than .....

[abhi200211]

Yup, Agree on this point too much salary increase make MOM suspicious for kickbacks, but i don't think applicable for more then 20 years old , stock exchange listed company where audit is going by KPMG.

Just a funny line wanted to add: when i been interviewed by this existing company in june,2011 HR said we had never single rejection for S/EP pass because you are the first person we are hiring in history. Situation is still same unless one Malaysian they hired 4 months back..

So, Now we all stop our talks here for my case and I will let you know how much salary my HR put during appeal by next week.

Thanks again.

[abhi200211]

Hi Everyone Strong Eagle, BBCWatcher, sundaymorningstaple, Siv, thanks for waiting..
SO results are out and now my EP has been approved. It took around 14 calendar days after re appeal got result. Earlier I tried hard but my HR was not ready to increase 300+ so finally they raise 200SGD and put 4.2K/M. Now, result is approved..
Apart, my wife DP also has been approved as falls in earlier rule when DP ceiling was 4K. We both can stay together now. Thanks!!