EPEC Question

aftershocks · Post by **aftershocks** » Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:30 am

Hello,

I'm very interested in going to Singapore to look for a job.

Last night I was trying to apply for EPEC.. However I ran into a slight problem..

Here is my situation.. I used to be a former citizen.. So one of the question asked on the form is if I was previously a Singapore Citizen.. When I click "yes" another field appears asking for my NRIC No... I do not have one since I was too young at that time to obtain one (4 years old)... So I don't know what to enter in that field... It won't let me enter "N/A"... I have emailed MOM explaining to them my situation and what I should put there.... Hopefully they will come back with a response quick..

I have graduated from a University that qualifies under MOM list and have working experience in the IT industry..

Does anyone know if I stand a chance of obtaining an EPEC? Or is it impossible for me to get since I was a previously a Singaporean citizen and now a Canadian?

My parents moved to Canada from Singapore when I was 4 years old, and of course, they brought me along.. As I grew up in Canada, eventually I obtained citizenship status...

Replies are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Fri, 04 Jan 2008 9:31 am

Look on your Singapore Birth Certificate. The Birth Cert number will be the same as your NRIC with the exception of the Prefix letter Which will probably be a T instead of the normal S as is found on the NRIC. The number and trailing letter will be the same. You can try this. Normal NRIC: S1234567Z
Birth Cert number: T1234567Z

Not sure whether it will accept the T prefix but give it a try.

sms

munbeans · Post by **munbeans** » Fri, 04 Jan 2008 4:54 pm

Hi Aftershocks,

My situation is the same as yours - used to be a SIN citizen and lost it when family migrated. I did though had a Red NRIC before and managed to find the number from an old school report card. However I kept getting error messages about that a valid NRIC number is required when I filled in the online application form for EPEC.

There is a contact number on the website for any problems.

aftershocks · Post by **aftershocks** » Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:16 pm

Hello munbeans,

I managed to get a prompt response from the Ministry of Manpower... Singaporeans work really quickly..

At first the lady had to direct my mail to another division since she didn't know what to do in that case.. A few minutes later, I received a reply from another lady asking me to just put my birth certificate number since I never had a NRIC No nor did I have any schooling there... SMS was correct (thanks by the way!).. However my birth certificate was in the following format, "S1234567D".. Different from what SMS said - a "T" at the end... not sure what is the difference?

I just filled out the applications last night and is now hoping for the best... I know the odds are totally against me.. But it doesn't hurt to try..

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:41 pm

The T at the end is just happenstance. Could have been any letter. I guess older BirthCerts had S's just like the NRIC does.

I just had a look at my kids birthcerts and they also have an S prefix. New Birth Certs have T's but I don't know when it started. I just started running into them when the MOM came up with two days of "Childcare" Leave. We have to input the Registration number in the software and it been T's for me (course the child care leave is only good for the 1st 7 years. So maybe that's recent. Anyway, sound like you are good to go.

Good Luck.

sms

aftershocks · Post by **aftershocks** » Sat, 05 Jan 2008 12:32 am

Interesting... Thanks for the insight!

munbeans, what country are you living in now? And have you applied for the EPEC as well?

munbeans · Post by **munbeans** » Sat, 05 Jan 2008 6:51 am

Hi Aftershocks,
Yes I did apply for EPEC but was unsuccessful and the reason given was that I have insufficient work experience and maybe qualification too as all I have is a degree. I have 7 years' experience in Finance/Accounting, maybe that's not enough plus from looking at the job market, there are apparently enough accountants to go around in Singapore.

I live in Sydney Aust and love it here but need a change of scene for the next few years. May have to live in Malaysia instead of Singapore since my spouse wisely kept his Malaysian citizenship.

Please do let us know how you went with your application.

Munbeans

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Sat, 05 Jan 2008 9:25 am

Maybe both of you should read this link as well with regard to EPEC and EP's. Accounting is a good example. Unless you are really bringing something to the table an employer will be hardplaced to get an EP approved due to the surplus of local with the same qualifications.

http://www.singaporeexpats.com/forum/ft ... 4739130102

aftershocks · Post by **aftershocks** » Sat, 05 Jan 2008 10:21 am

Hi munbeans,

I'm sorry to hear that it was unsuccessful.

.. Maybe you should try again if it wasn't too recent...

Ahhh I only have my bachelor's as well... So most likely I will be rejected...

I will for sure let you know how it goes... Maybe will take some time because I realized I made a mistake on the application and have emailed them to cancel it so I may re-submit another. According to the FAQ, that's what they tell you to do when you made a mistake... *sigh*..

So once I get that sorted out, I will try again... The odds are totally against me.. But nothing to lose...

I read the thread SMS... Hopefully Singapore wants IT people... Although there are already tons of smart IT people in Singapore already... hehe

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Sat, 05 Jan 2008 10:39 am

If you are in IT security you will have a leg up. But you will need a lot more than just a CCNA.

aftershocks · Post by **aftershocks** » Sat, 05 Jan 2008 11:33 am

Hey SMS, do you work for the HR department for MOM? Seems like you have a lot of knowledge about these things...

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Sat, 05 Jan 2008 1:02 pm

No, I have, however, spent 14 years as a Headhunter/Recruiter here and the past 4 or 5 years as the HR & Finance Manager of a local SME about 200 strong with a 60/40 mix of local and WP/EP/S pass holders. Worked for MNC's the 1st 10 years here. (25 years here and counting).

munbeans · Post by **munbeans** » Sun, 06 Jan 2008 4:31 am

Hi SMS,
Hope you don't mind but I have a question. Do companies have quotas for recruiting foreigners? I've seen ads that say no quotas for foreigners, what does that mean?

Thanks in advance.

Munbeans

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Sun, 06 Jan 2008 10:42 am

Different industries have different quotas for the hiring of WP holder, S pass holders. EP holders don't seem to be affected so much. A good example was my industry which said up till the latest revamp of quotas recently, that I could have 1 "S" Pass holder for every 5 Local/PR's on my payroll.

overview_of_work_passes

For R pass (work permit holders) there are numerous variations based on industries and ratios to local/PR's. That discussion is too lengthy for a discussion here and it constantly changing anyway.

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