'Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate' Question?

[AJASYD]

Hello,

As an Australian and living in Australia, it is proving next to impossible to obtain a job/interview or sponsorship with a Singapore organisation.

Has anyone experienced the use of the Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate which allows you 6 months on a social visit pass to look for a job whilst staying in Singapore? Does this help your cause in looking for employment as a foreign national once you're in Singapore?

My background is in the Training and Development industry.

I hope someone can shed some light for me. Thank you!

[michaeldistel]

Hey Ajasyd,

I'm an Australian who just started working in Singapore and I know what you mean about it being hard finding a job while overseas. When I in Australia I was called up for a number of interviews for jobs in Singapore but as soon as they found out I was in Australia and could not meet them for a face to face interview they turn me down. So in the end I took a risk, I quit my job, sold everything I owned and move here before getting a job. Everyone said I was crazy and in someway they were right because when I got here I found it harder and took me a lot longer to find one than I thought.

I didn't apply for an EPE and the truth is I didn't need one to find a job or to even work in Singapore. It is because as an Australian you will get a 90 days social pass when you land at the airport, and you only need to travel over a bridge to Malaysia to get another 90 days. My passport is full of Malaysian stamps because I travel over there at lest once a month for day trips. So in my case my social pass never run out, so I never had to get an EPE.

EPE will not help you find a job in Singapore, it just lets you stray here a little longer than normal. It also does not mean you will get an EP (Employment Pass) which is needed to work here.

I’m not sure about your background or how easy or hard it will be for you to find a job in Singapore but if you do decided to move here before getting a job make sure you plan to be able to support yourself for at lest 6 months. You can travel all over South East Asia while you wait, so it’s not that bad.

Anyway good luck and I hope you make it over here, it’s a great place and I’m sure you’ll love it.

Cheers
Michael

[AJASYD]

Hello Michael,

Many thanks for your advice. Sounds like a quick visit to Malaysia and back is the way to go whilst basing yourself in SIN! It seems after reading this forum that overseas based people from different industries have similar difficulties obtaining sponsorship from a SIN organisation.

Cheers,
Andrew

[vany_li]

To michael

wow it seems that you quite bold to move from australia to singapore.... may i ask you , how long for you to find a job when you arrived in Singapore ? and isn't it per 2 months needed to renew your permit to stay..?

thanks

[zjules]

Sorry, to comment on an old post, but isnt an EP or EPE needed to rent an apartment, so if you come over here without, you will be restricted in where you can stay?