Changing jobs in EP - becoming very difficult

[sg_pr_applier]

Has anyone else noticed that changing jobs in ep has become very difficult in the last year? Recruiters call and ask me about my visa status and this happened a lot of times without converting to interviews. Has gahmen tightened it a lot of late?

[gold.spot]

Yup, it appears so.

[malcontent]

It’s the new normal

[sg_pr_applier]

Is there any particular reason around this?

[sundaymorningstaple]

The government is getting agro at companies hiring foreigner for positions which have suitable numbers of locals capable of doing the same job. The country is starting to look more and more inwards.

[raptor_from_vietnam]

The government is getting agro at companies hiring foreigner for positions which have suitable numbers of locals capable of doing the same job. The country is starting to look more and more inwards.

Would this be a long term trend or just a short-lived initiative to placate the citizenry before the election? Surely if foreign PMETs know they are stuck in a company once they're here, some would not want to stay for long?

[sundaymorningstaple]

You would be surprised. Even worse where a lot are coming from.

[PNGMK]

The current govt are placating quite a few niche groups in order to stay in power. The useless stupid nationalistic "true blue Singapore" short sighted boomers (commonly called the pioneer generation here) and the idiotic PMETs who can't keep a job or want stupid money. This means thatt the PAP need to increase taxes and employment of idiots but they like having new citizens as they vote PAP almost entirely. A bit tricky. So they are slaughtering the future of the young to do it. The young just don't know it (well my son suspects something is going on).

PAP is dead with ideas. Literally dead. LKY would be so ashamed.

[raptor_from_vietnam]

You would be surprised. Even worse where a lot are coming from.

I would suspect many from the mainland are coming here to set up family offices. Surely Singapore is a more stable environment than China, where Xi is butchering the economy with his stupid "Common Prosperity" idea. Singapore government seems to like this group of people, and plan to set Singapore up as the the wealth-management hub of the world. But I am not sure substituting the foreign PMET by these loaded mega-millionaires would be a good idea. They are technically not "productive" to a knowledge-based economy?

[raptor_from_vietnam]

Wise men and ladies, where do you think is the next "promised land" for foreign PMETs in this world?

The only place still fairly easy to migrate to seems to be Canada. It is welcoming highly educated folks with aggressive immigration system. But I've heard horror stories of those who went there and struggled to find a job, simply because there are just not many professional jobs over there, and employers tend to only consider those with "Canadian experience".

Australia is harder to get in, and PMETs there may not earn as much as those with skilled trades.

America is the place where PMETs can thrive, but getting in is incredibly hard, unless you pay for a master there, in which case you still need to find an employer who can sponsor your green card/H1B, else you'd be kicked out after your OPT expires.

...Is globalization dead?

[MOCHS]

Canadian paperwork processing takes a looong time. Almost 2 years. Friend found a job in Canada back in 2021, visa only got approved last month.

I thought Australia had a website where they list jobs that they need manpower for?

[raptor_from_vietnam]

For Canada, there is a scheme called "Express Entry" which takes around 6 months to process. With it, one can secure the PR before coming to Canada.

For Australia, I have limited knowledge, but anecdotally there has not been such a huge influx of foreigners there as compared to Canada recently, even with seemingly higher salaries and better weather. So I reckon there must be a higher barrier to entry.

[PNGMK]

Australia is trying to streamline it's processes. It typically takes a min of 6 years from obtaining an immigration visa to becoming a citizen and can cost 10s of thousands. It's out of reach for many and far too difficult for many to navigate or risk.

[Lisafuller]

The current govt are placating quite a few niche groups in order to stay in power. The useless stupid nationalistic "true blue Singapore" short sighted boomers (commonly called the pioneer generation here) and the idiotic PMETs who can't keep a job or want stupid money. This means thatt the PAP need to increase taxes and employment of idiots but they like having new citizens as they vote PAP almost entirely. A bit tricky. So they are slaughtering the future of the young to do it. The young just don't know it (well my son suspects something is going on).

PAP is dead with ideas. Literally dead. LKY would be so ashamed.

Couldn't agree more! They are going off the first gen PAP's legacy to sustain themselves.

[Lisafuller]

Australia is trying to streamline it's processes. It typically takes a min of 6 years from obtaining an immigration visa to becoming a citizen and can cost 10s of thousands. It's out of reach for many and far too difficult for many to navigate or risk.

Why would anyone even bother then? Maybe only if they have family ties.