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Applying for new EP after changing company

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truthhurts1
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Applying for new EP after changing company

Post by truthhurts1 » Thu, 13 Apr 2023 7:18 pm

Dear All,
I am in the process of now changing my company in singapore after 10 years.
Please can someone advise me on the best way of transiting from one EP to another ?
I expect that the new EP will be applied in June.
Also what happens if the Salary in the new EP is lower than the one in the old EP?
Thank you very much for all your advice.

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sundaymorningstaple
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Re: Applying for new EP after changing company

Post by sundaymorningstaple » Thu, 13 Apr 2023 9:31 pm

Okay this one is touchy. Your new prospective employer needs to apply for your EP IPA (in principle approval). Once that has been given, only then should you give notice with your current employer. You need to be careful as you should notify your new prospective employer how much notice you must give to your current employer (if you are one with a 3 month notice period then you must consider the prospect very carefully, e.g., will the new employer wait that long or will the new employer actually pay a portion of you notice or will YOU be willing to give your current employer one, two or three months salary in lieu of notice.

If it is a normal 30 days/one month notice then the new employer needs to understand that you cannot give notice until you have the IPA in hand as that is your assurance of getting the new EP which has absolutely NOTHING to do with the old EP. e.g., the new EP will have to meet the current criteria for same.

Now, not knowing where your salary is currently with regard to the current criteria, If you are going to join a new company that is paying a salary that is less than the minimum currently required by the MOM for an EP there will be a box on the application form asking if the prospective employee would be willing to accept an S pass if not considered favorably for the EP. This is a bouncing betty trip wire (VN war reference). If the prospective employer does NOT tick that box to have the MOM consider an S pass if no longer qualified for the EP, then application will be rejected. The bad part is if that happens, the employer CANNOT reapply for an S pass after the EP is rejected. You know what that means, yeah? You cannot get a job with that company. The bad part is if you have already let the cat out of the bag and your current employer knows you are actively job hunting. It's your head on the chopping block as the current company already knows you want to leave. So my advice to you is to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed and you and the new employer are on the same page on every page. Sorry this is so long but my 25 years in HR Mgmt has seen it all at one time or another.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

truthhurts1
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Re: Applying for new EP after changing company

Post by truthhurts1 » Fri, 14 Apr 2023 8:44 am

sundaymorningstaple wrote:
Thu, 13 Apr 2023 9:31 pm
Okay this one is touchy. Your new prospective employer needs to apply for your EP IPA (in principle approval). Once that has been given, only then should you give notice with your current employer. You need to be careful as you should notify your new prospective employer how much notice you must give to your current employer (if you are one with a 3 month notice period then you must consider the prospect very carefully, e.g., will the new employer wait that long or will the new employer actually pay a portion of you notice or will YOU be willing to give your current employer one, two or three months salary in lieu of notice.

If it is a normal 30 days/one month notice then the new employer needs to understand that you cannot give notice until you have the IPA in hand as that is your assurance of getting the new EP which has absolutely NOTHING to do with the old EP. e.g., the new EP will have to meet the current criteria for same.

Now, not knowing where your salary is currently with regard to the current criteria, If you are going to join a new company that is paying a salary that is less than the minimum currently required by the MOM for an EP there will be a box on the application form asking if the prospective employee would be willing to accept an S pass if not considered favorably for the EP. This is a bouncing betty trip wire (VN war reference). If the prospective employer does NOT tick that box to have the MOM consider an S pass if no longer qualified for the EP, then application will be rejected. The bad part is if that happens, the employer CANNOT reapply for an S pass after the EP is rejected. You know what that means, yeah? You cannot get a job with that company. The bad part is if you have already let the cat out of the bag and your current employer knows you are actively job hunting. It's your head on the chopping block as the current company already knows you want to leave. So my advice to you is to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed and you and the new employer are on the same page on every page. Sorry this is so long but my 25 years in HR Mgmt has seen it all at one time or another.

Thank you very much. My Base salary is close to 150,000$ a bit higher that the existing employer so I guess the new EP Application should be fine?

So I guess here is the way to move forward -


1. Apply for the new EP with new employer.

2. Wait for IPA.

3. Resign only after having this IPA with new employer.

4. Serve Notice Period which could be anything between 2-3months.


However I am worried this will delay my joining with the new employer.
I have no idea how long does it take nowadays to get a new EP.

I have been given approx 3 months to join the new company.

Thank you for your advice again.

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Re: Applying for new EP after changing company

Post by Ignorant1 » Fri, 14 Apr 2023 10:16 am

Tell your new employer that you will only resign once IPA is in hand.
New employer can also buy out your notice period if they really really want you.
I would think if your new Ep shouldn’t take much time. My wife and I changed jobs last year and IPA came in 5-7 working days.

bro75
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Re: Applying for new EP after changing company

Post by bro75 » Fri, 14 Apr 2023 11:12 am

This new company should be aware of notice periods and MOM's EP processing time and should not put the onus on you to be available at a certain time. But it is what it is and sometimes there is nothing we can do about it unless we do not want to continue with the new opportunity.

Depending on your contract, you may be able to shorten your notice period by paying cash to your current company (typically 1 month salary per 1 month of notice period removed).

truthhurts1
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Re: Applying for new EP after changing company

Post by truthhurts1 » Sun, 16 Apr 2023 7:08 am

Ignorant1 wrote:
Fri, 14 Apr 2023 10:16 am
Tell your new employer that you will only resign once IPA is in hand.
New employer can also buy out your notice period if they really really want you.
I would think if your new Ep shouldn’t take much time. My wife and I changed jobs last year and IPA came in 5-7 working days.

Thank you very much for your advice. This is a daunting task indeed but have to go through it.
I think the new employer is aware of the rules and is applying for the EP first, but I will make it clear that I will resign only after the IPA is in hand.
5-7 working days is pretty quick, I remember the last time I renew my Ep was mid year 2022 and it took almost 3 months for the renewal.

truthhurts1
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Re: Applying for new EP after changing company

Post by truthhurts1 » Sun, 16 Apr 2023 7:10 am

bro75 wrote:
Fri, 14 Apr 2023 11:12 am
This new company should be aware of notice periods and MOM's EP processing time and should not put the onus on you to be available at a certain time. But it is what it is and sometimes there is nothing we can do about it unless we do not want to continue with the new opportunity.

Depending on your contract, you may be able to shorten your notice period by paying cash to your current company (typically 1 month salary per 1 month of notice period removed).

Thank you and noted. Sometimes the notice period of 3 months is pretty long, I think most companies will let you off the hook ASAP cause they can save some cost.
Let’s see how it goes.

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