ltrock wrote:I will be moving to Singapore from the U.S. in the next few months and am looking for any advice or insight on the process of moving to Singapore. In particular, I am interested in:
1. I will be looking for a job in Singapore, so how does this work given I am initially on a visitor status and then getting a employee pass/work permit? Do I have to purchase a round trip airfare and work around it later? Does the employer assist me in getting the employee pass/work permit? Yes; Technically Yes; Yes - The employer has to apply for it, not you. It's tied to your employer, when you leave that company's employ your EP is cancelled.
2. From an employers standpoint, is getting a employee pass/work permit an issue when considering a candidate? Yes - they have to justify why they need to hire a foreigner instead of a local citizen.
3. How's the housing market in Singapore? What type of properties offer the best value? Are there any restrictions on a U.S. citizen on purchasing property? Expensive; None are good value; Yes and no, but that is a much longer discussion
4. If it takes awhile to find a job, what are my health care options during this time? You better have your own international health insurance policy.
You can lose your perks in the negotiation phase of a job offer if you are already present here. You may well only be offered a "local" package or "local" with a bit more basic instead of all the perks of and Expat package. Not always the case but more and more often now days.
Thank you in advance for any advice or insight.
Problem is that is the problem with government agencies. The right hand generally doesn't have a clue what the left hand is doing. Neither the Singapore High Com nor ICA are the ones that issue EPEC's. Contact Singapore is just a commercial website with no guarantees either. MOM are the one that issue the EPEC so they are the point of contact (which, by the way, has to be applied for online now - they no longer accept manual submissions.durain wrote:dude, to be honest, i dont know what's the duration of the EPEC as the website state 1 year but people i spoke to in contact singapore state it is for 2 years. double checked with ICA and they said 2 years. triple checked with singapore high commission and they said 2 years.
The EPEC should be applied for before coming to Singapore. It will take approximately 7 days to process and you will be notified by email of approval and/or the necessity of submitting documents (Not required in the initial application) prior to arrival here. Having said this, I couldn't find anywhere where it said you could not file while in Singapore - so it may be possible but I cannot say for certain. The only thing I could find was in the T&C below.ltrock wrote:Thank you sundaymorningstaple and durain for the information. In order to make sure that I am understanding the steps, I believe the following steps are:
1. Enter Singapore with a round trip ticket and be on a visitor status
2. Find a job in Singapore or apply for a Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate (EPEC) if I need more time. I did the self-assessment on Ministry of Manpower (MOM) website and it indicated I would likely get approved.
3. Employer applies for Employee Pass (EP) for me.
- Is this generally correct?
Some more questions:
- Healthcare. Do you have any suggestions for good international health insurance policies? Are there any Singaporean health insurance policies that might be a solution?
- Expat Packages. Could you elaborate on expat packages? In terms of background, I have 10 years of U.S.-based experience in finance with investment banking and private equity. I am moving to Singapore for family reasons. Do you think it is a mistake to find a job when physically in Singapore as compared to finding it when outside of Singapore? Would I be considered for "local" packages if I get a job after arriving in Singapore? To what magnitude would the compensation packages differ?
Thank you again for your insight and advice.
So. The order of requirement should be as follows.......Terms and Conditions
In order to apply for an Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate ("EPEC") online, you must agree to these terms & conditions. Application for an EPEC does not constitute an application or renewal of an Employment Pass. The EPEC is not a pre-requisite to an application for or a renewal of an Employment Pass.
1. Application for the EPEC is free of charge, and is not a pre-requisite to making an application or renewal of an Employment Pass.
2. MOM may ask EPEC applicants for additional supporting documents through the email address provided by the applicants. Please ensure that the email address provided is correct and applicants should check the email account frequently. MOM will not be responsible for any delay in processing caused by slow responses from applicants.
3. If your application is successful, please make any plans to leave for Singapore only AFTER you have received the physical copy of your EPEC. MOM will not entertain requests for reprinting of EPEC after the certificates have been mailed to the mailing address stated by the applicant at the point of application.
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