MOM began to reject EP app-s to protect labour market?

[RST]

Hi all,

I was very happy when I found job in Singapore in the end of last year via internet (now i'm living in Russia). Everything was OK, my future employer has agreed to apply for EP for me, I sent all necessary doc-s including letters from my previous employers (among them big multinational company and government)..I have a masters degree and enough working experience. Employer has sent all that to MOM, and in a week we've got rejection. Very sad (((
But ppl in MOM said we can make an appeal - my employer has written an appeal letter where he explained why I'm so important for his company and why he cant hire local for this job (actually I'll have to work with Russian-languaged entrepreneurs, so it's true). Now I hope for better outcome..
But generally the matter is that I've heard that now MOM has made tougher rules and requirements for foreigner who wishes to work in SG in order to protect local labour market. Coz there's also crisis and more rethrenchments are expected and so on.
Evidences for this supposition is my case too, and also there were some the same cases these days (MOM rejected several applications for EP though there were no evident reasons for that). Also there was case when they rejected to extend EP for specialist who already works in Singapore.
Has someone heard about that? It's clear that there was no official announces about, but maybe some rumours...

[Strong Eagle]

Like a lot of other places, the Singapore government is caught between a rock and a hard place. You have the local crowd that is sure that every foreigner in the country is 'stealing' jobs... there have even been proposals floated to revoke PR's and for sure EP's for people that are currently employed.

There are others who recognize that just because we are in a recession doesn't mean that foreigners aren't needed. In fact, they think that the sooner Singapore can hire the right foreign talent, the sooner it will pull itself out of this mess.

So, everybody is waffling at all levels of government. They don't know whether to shit or go blind or approve your EP or not approve it because none of the higher ups have a clue what to do in the face of domestic pressure and business reality.

So, I'd appeal, and again, and again... because not only might circumstances change, so will government policy, official or otherwise.