MOCHS wrote: ↑Mon, 30 Jan 2023 9:12 pm
lsuiug wrote: ↑Mon, 30 Jan 2023 8:52 pm
Oh, but why has the rules changed now? Is it due to stricter immigration policies?
Quite sure MP letters never worked in the first place. SMS will have some insight into this.
It was volunteering that had some points in the past but it got abused to death by a certain nationality.
[rant]
I applied for PR once-it was rejected; appealed once-appeal rejected. Reapplied 5 years later and was called in for interview where I was put in a small room with two ICA officers and given the good cop, bad cop, routine (not really but did have two officers). I think the elder was the department Senior as he looked about as old as I am now (this was in 1995). After that interview I had my PR in two weeks after saying some things that would probably sealed my fate forever had it not been for my explanation which caused both their jaws to drop. That's another story. BUT. The younger officer eventually made it up the ministry ladder to #2 and I ran into him at a Xmas Luncheon at SICC about 10 years after that interview. He recognized me and walked over and re-interduced himself to me and to my wife and we had a nice chat. He told me he'd never had done an interview like mine with the frankness & candor I displayed there. Later he gave me some information about applying for PR and SGC that has stuck in my head ever since.
I applied for PR the first time (without the Internet and it's wealth of info today) using a local law firm. I also got a letter from my wife's MP and the first application was rejected. The appeal was done and also using a 2nd MP (we'd moved to another constituency between the two) so duly got another letter and it was subsequently rejected. The 2nd application 5 years later was made by my self without any agency or legal firm. He told me, at that Xmas party, that ICA looks sideways at applications that are done by agents & legal firms as they are doing nothing except being form fillers to fill out forms designed to be filled out by N level holders and ripping off scared applicants. When they get those from agencies and law firms they always ask themselves "what are they trying to hide" or is it a "tailor made application".
And the other thing is MPs have absolutely no power to do anything other than make up a form letter and enter people names on it. In fact, most are done by underlings and just signed by the MP (if they are lucky). Immigration is beholden to nobody as they, like immigration offices around the world, are a law unto themselves. I also saw that first hand when I shared an office with the US INS Officer here in Singapore in Int'l Plaza due to the resettlement program for the VN Boat People exodus from the 80s to early 90's (for me 1988-1991 when the program shut down).
Suspicion is the last thing a potential PR should want to create. But after 18 years on this board and thousands of appliers it would seem the average applicant would rather trust one of their own countrymen (who will burn the bridge before you get on it if they can - history here shows that) than a forum full of people who have successfully done all the trips and are trying our level best to continue to pay it forward.
[/rant]
