singapore employment pass race question

[rod000]

Hi friends, I have a question regarding the specification of "race" on the EP / DP application. It asks whether you are Chinese, Indian, Caucasian etc. Does anyone know why this question is asked and what the implication of this is?

[Strong Eagle]

Virtually every government and non-government document wants to know race because the powers that be are race conscious and want to maintain race percentages at pretty much what they are right now.

As far as the implications go:

a) If you want to move to an HDB complex but you would exceed the allowable race percentage for your race for that complex, you won't get to move in.

b) If you're not one of the "big four" races in Singapore, it's probably much harder to get PR, the thinking being that what would a Vietnamese PR contribute anyway?

c) A lot of private employers are simply racist... they want someone like them... regardless of race.

d) And if you're Indian and applying for an EP, you're probably going to have a tougher time getting an EP, both because of the numbers of scammers that have come out of India, and the perception on the part of the gahmen that there are already "too many" Indians with EP.

[rod000]

Wow that is really interesting.. Im Indian origin but Australian resident and citizen.. I wonder what their definition of race actually is. A lot of people are mixed races over a period of time.. And how would you treat someone from say, Sri Lanka or Pakistan? Would they be Indian race?

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[sundaymorningstaple]

If you are initially from the subcontinent, or Sri Lanka, you will be generally thrown into the same pigeonhole as Indian.

From your other post, I am bit concerned as you did seem to know a bit about the various acronyms used here, e.g., LTVP, DP, etc. However, you indicated that your potential employer was about to start processing for your "work permit (WP)". I hope you meant 'EP' and not WP. If applying for a WP I don't believe you can get any kind of pass for your wife and kids at all. Clarification of which pass they are applying for would be a good idea just to confirm that what we have been telling you is consistent with what is being applied for. I'm assuming your employer is applying for an EP. But just want to be safe.

[rod000]

If you are initially from the subcontinent, or Sri Lanka, you will be generally thrown into the same pigeonhole as Indian.

From your other post, I am bit concerned as you did seem to know a bit about the various acronyms used here, e.g., LTVP, DP, etc. However, you indicated that your potential employer was about to start processing for your "work permit (WP)". I hope you meant 'EP' and not WP. If applying for a WP I don't believe you can get any kind of pass for your wife and kids at all. Clarification of which pass they are applying for would be a good idea just to confirm that what we have been telling you is consistent with what is being applied for. I'm assuming your employer is applying for an EP. But just want to be safe.

Hi sundaymorningstaple
Thanks so much for this. I'm still quite new to the whole thing so appreciate your guidance. The employer mobility team sent me an email saying that "we will assist you with an application for a Singapore Work Pass (WP)" so it's definitely not work permit. Subsequently they use the term WP and EP interchangeably.. Thoughts?

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[sundaymorningstaple]

Sounds like your HR or outsourced recruitment firm are a bunch of amateurs. However, if the did use both terms then you should be okay as while it is incorrect to use the term Work Pass (WP) as the (WP) actually stands for the term Work Permit which is what the construction workers making sub 1000 wages are on. The fact that you actually put the (WP) after Work Pass lead to the confusion. There are WP (work permits), S passes and EPs (Employment Passes) from lowest to highest. EP have two or three tiers within the EP itself, based on Basic Salary as to who you can bring to Singapore with you as Dependents. Spouse and children are fine, but one must have a basic salary over 10k/mo to be able to bring in the parents of the EP holder. The parents of the DP holder (Dependent Pass) cannot be brought on DPs. All this can be found on the MOM website (MOM.gov.sg) which I'm pretty sure you have already found. So it sounds like you are good to go.

Singapore has no laws like the western world when it come to pigeonholing people based on race, religion, marital status, age, gender and whether they like your face or not. All you will be asked at some point in time and decision may or may not be made based on those facts. It is what it is. It's their ball, their pitch & their rules. What to do?

[rod000]

Sounds like your HR or outsourced recruitment firm are a bunch of amateurs. However, if the did use both terms then you should be okay as while it is incorrect to use the term Work Pass (WP) as the (WP) actually stands for the term Work Permit which is what the construction workers making sub 1000 wages are on. The fact that you actually put the (WP) after Work Pass lead to the confusion. There are WP (work permits), S passes and EPs (Employment Passes) from lowest to highest. EP have two or three tiers within the EP itself, based on Basic Salary as to who you can bring to Singapore with you as Dependents. Spouse and children are fine, but one must have a basic salary over 10k/mo to be able to bring in the parents of the EP holder. The parents of the DP holder (Dependent Pass) cannot be brought on DPs. All this can be found on the MOM website (MOM.gov.sg) which I'm pretty sure you have already found. So it sounds like you are good to go.

Singapore has no laws like the western world when it come to pigeonholing people based on race, religion, marital status, age, gender and whether they like your face or not. All you will be asked at some point in time and decision may or may not be made based on those facts. It is what it is. It's their ball, their pitch & their rules. What to do?

Thank you
Great insights


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