PR Rejection - Root Cause Identification - Information from ICA

[G650]

Hello everyone,

I had my 2nd PR application rejected in December 2016.
I will try for the 3rd time in mid-2017.

Prior to that I would like to identify the root cause(s) of the previous rejections.
Ofcourse, I can make assumptions based on what I read on this forum and other
sources of conjecture. However, it would be great to get direct feedback from ICA.

Has anyone done this before? What would you recommend? Should I call them?
Should I visit the ICA office? What's the best way to understand from ICA the root cause(s)?

I know some factors are out of my control (ex. race). However, I would like to get
a sense of the other controllable factors (ex. salary, industry/type of occupation, years of residence) that have the highest impact on the 3rd application.

Background Information:

Nationality: Sri Lankan
Education: MBA (US)
B.Comm (Canada - Ryerson University)
Employment: Assistant Manager, German MNC
Industry: Certification (EU Market Access)/Quality Control (Ex. ISO) - Medical Devices

First Application:

Salary: SGD 4,250
SG Residence: 4+ Years
Age: 29
Applied: July 2015
Outcome: December 2015

Second Application:

Salary: SGD 4,750
Age: 30
SG Residence: 5+ Years
Applied: August 2016
Outcome: December 2016

Any ideas why it was rejected? My current guess is race, low salary, industry of profession.

Also, I'm thinking of switching to a start up with 3 people (I would be the 3rd)
Position would be Chief Operating Officer with a salary of SGD 7,000
The start up is in a very cutting edge/innovative industry and is supported by government grants. It's hosted by SGinnovate. It's definitely the type of company that SG is trying to nurture.

Do you think switching from a big MNC to a small startup with little revenue
but fully backed/encouraged by SG government would be a plus point or a negative point?
Salary would be much higher but the company is very small with low revenue.
For example would this reflect badly on Form 4A Annex?

Would the ICA recognize/value small startups that are working with other parts of SG government (Ex. IDA) to support Singapore's Innovation agenda?

Thank you for your time and inputs

[taxico]

Would the ICA recognize/value small startups that are working with other parts of SG government (Ex. IDA) to support Singapore's Innovation agenda?

my opinion is: no, they won't recognize the value of a government-assisted start-up.

my reason is simple: start-ups are a gamble for everyone involved.

are you also single?

[G650]

Thank you taxico for your input.

I am single (I forgot to mention that!) - applied both times as a single applicant.

At this point it seems that the only controllable factors are (ranked by importance):

> Salary
> Years of residence
> Industry / Company

Am I missing something here?

Any ideas on finding the root causes from ICA?
It's hard to meet the requirements when the requirements are not transparent.

I want to make sure I know what really makes the best impact before
I work on strengthening them. Instead of taking shots in the dark.

Also, is high salary in a start up better than low salary in MNC?

Thanks!

[sundaymorningstaple]

Am I missing something here?

It's hard to meet the requirements when the requirements are not transparent.

And that, my friend is exactly why it's NOT transparent. They are tired of getting tailor-made applications. If they keep their cards close to their chests, then applicants have to tell it like it is without massaging the crap out of the applications. Good Luck. Be honest, it's your best bet in the long run.

[G650]

Agreed. But it does weigh in the decisions that I make.
It's a matter of being proactive vs. being passive (in which case why make any effort at all?).

It's not about gaming the system as you're alluding to;
it's about making the best choices given the circumstances.

In any case, I'll work on the three factors that I mentioned before.

[sundaymorningstaple]

It's not about gaming the system as you're alluding to;
it's about making the best choices given the circumstances.

Now that gave me a real chuckle!

You do know what the meaning of tailor-made is, don't you?

[bcheng74]

Please go ahead and ask ICA, and share with us what they think is the root cause. The group here will be interested in knowing such.


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[sundaymorningstaple]

I'm curious as to why he put down his Canadian Uni's name but not his MBA's university in the US. doesn't make too much sense. Unless it's a paper mill MBA. Anybody familiar with the Canadian one? Was his degree a distance learning degree? Where did he work for an German MNC? Which country? So many questions, so little proffered to get a feel for the situation.

[beard1]

Race/nationality seems to be forgiven more these days, and integration may actually be the bigger factor here.

I'm a fellow Sri Lankan by birth, but studied/grew up here + married to a Singaporean. Recently approved after two rejections.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Race/nationality seems to be forgiven more these days, and integration may actually be the bigger factor here.

I'm a fellow Sri Lankan by birth, but studied/grew up here + married to a Singaporean. Recently approved after two rejections.

I also initially thought that way and didn't mention it for the same reasons. But your assimilation is much stronger/longer, coupled with the PTS so that probably lent a lot of weight to your eventual acceptance. I'm waiting to hear about his educational qualifications as well. Singapore has been burned in recent years with fraudulent qualifications (including a university professor here) so they are being particularly stringent on the paper qualifications today as well. Or it could be a total combination of various things. Hard to say until more data is forthcoming.

[beard1]

Race/nationality seems to be forgiven more these days, and integration may actually be the bigger factor here.

I'm a fellow Sri Lankan by birth, but studied/grew up here + married to a Singaporean. Recently approved after two rejections.

I also initially thought that way and didn't mention it for the same reasons. But your assimilation is much stronger/longer, coupled with the PTS so that probably lent a lot of weight to your eventual acceptance. I'm waiting to hear about his educational qualifications as well. Singapore has been burned in recent years with fraudulent qualifications (including a university professor here) so they are being particularly stringent on the paper qualifications today as well. Or it could be a total combination of various things. Hard to say until more data is forthcoming.

That's very true. Also, PTS verus Family Ties (which I applied through) may have components weighted differently (assumption by me)

[G650]

My MBA was from San Jose State University (Part of the California State University System).
I graduate with honours. Both degrees were done on a full-time basis and on campus.
I doubt that my educational qualifications were the cause of the rejection.

For clarification, I've been working for a German MNC in Singapore for the past 5+ years.

@ bread1, glad to hear that it worked out for you on the third time. Did you apply under PTS? May I know how many years of residency you had at the time of approval? If you don't mind, please share the details of your PR journey (:

As for integration, I do take it seriously. I specifically chose Singapore out of 190+ countries. I've turned down job offers to move the US. Singapore is the closest match to the things that I deeply value (economic freedom, capitalism, rule of law, future orientation and ambition). My best friend is local and at heart, Singapore really is my home.

[beard1]

My MBA was from San Jose State University (Part of the California State University System).
I graduate with honours. Both degrees were done on a full-time basis and on campus.
I doubt that my educational qualifications were the cause of the rejection.

For clarification, I've been working for a German MNC in Singapore for the past 5+ years.

@ bread1, glad to hear that it worked out for you on the third time. Did you apply under PTS? May I know how many years of residency you had at the time of approval? If you don't mind, please share the details of your PR journey (:

As for integration, I do take it seriously. I specifically chose Singapore out of 190+ countries. I've turned down job offers to move the US. Singapore is the closest match to the things that I deeply value (economic freedom, capitalism, rule of law, future orientation and ambition). My best friend is local and at heart, Singapore really is my home.

I applied under family ties (wife is Singaporean).

I'll share a summary of my particular situation, though I'd caution trying to draw any causal links between any of the things I've done and getting approved:

been here since 2004/age 14. 'Mainstream Singaporean' education (Sec school/JC/NUS). Employment pass 2013-2014 (company 1), then 2014 - 2016, renewed 2016-2017 (company 2). Working in tech MNC now. Married SG wife in 2015.

Applied via PTS twice (2013/2014) and failed both times. Third application as spouse was done in Aug, approved in Jan.

[bcheng74]

I think what you said in your last paragraph about how you feels about Singapore has nothing do with the PR application. The real determining factor is about how much Singapore likes you, not how much you like Singapore. Giving up a US job offer in favor of Singapore will not add any value to your PR application.


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[G650]

I think what you said in your last paragraph about how you feels about Singapore has nothing do with the PR application. The real determining factor is about how much Singapore likes you, not how much you like Singapore. Giving up a US job offer in favor of Singapore will not add any value to your PR application.


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@ bread1, thanks for sharing your details. It's much appreciated.

@ bcheng74, I agree with you 100%. It all comes down to what I can give to Singapore.

The question is what does Singapore want from me (or anyone else)?

> To earn a high salary?
> To work in a strategically important industry?
> To be an Entrepreneur in a strategically important industry?
> To create jobs?
> To show commitment & integration?

I can become all of these things. Not in an insincere way, but to really work on those things and deliver it to Singapore. This is why I started this whole thread, I would need to have a better idea of what's valued by Singapore so I can become that over the long term (in the next few years)