Need Help to tackle PEP Issue

[usa2sing]

Hi Guys,

I need some help urgently to resolve an issue I have landed in.I applied for a PEP visa 5.5 months back and it got approved (since I earn more than 7k SGD being in the US).I just managed to get a job but still have lots of documentation to do before I can join.In the meantime my in principle approval letter will expire.What should I do now? Apply for PEP again or send a letter to MOM requesting an extesnion of approval letter?Please advice.Thanks in advance.

[sundaymorningstaple]

I'm not sure what documentation you are referring to. The medical you will get when you arrive here. Surely, with 5.5 months since obtaining your IPA you have all your documents already in hand including sufficient quantities of notarized copies if necessary? You can courier most anything necessary in 3 days using FEDEX or DHL or UPS. Or faster yet, a highres scan & email. I don't have any real advice except to tell you that you might need to make a long distance call or two to MOM to get a factual reply poste haste rather than depending on our guesses here.

That is unless someone here has had the same problem...... even then you are going still going to have to call MOM to initiate things anyway.

[usa2sing]

I meant documentation for my new job.They will offer me a joining date which will cross the 6 month deadline on my approval letter.The latest date I can get my PEP stamped is 17'th March but I wont be able to fly to singapore by that time.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Then I would suggest a call to MOM for direction as I've not run into a case of this on this board or in my mental anecdotal archives as the PEP is a relatively new thing, having only been around for a little over a year now.

When you do contact MOM, let us know how/what their recommendations were as we can always use the info here. All we have here are input by our regulars, hopefully you will become one as well.

[usa2sing]

sure thing!

[carteki]

Will you let us know what the reply is - be useful for future peeps who're in a similar situation.

[FaeLLe]

*bump* for possible reply from usa2sing.

[usa2sing]

Sorry for the late response,I have been quite busy getting things set.They finally approved my extension for approval letter but it was tough.You have to show proof of new employment via Fax,email and local mail.It is quite tough to trace your applciation since it is not a common request for them.I was told that it is totally upto the visa officer to approve or reject based on the individuals merit and so one should not presume that it will get approved for them..its like trying ur luck ..Let me know if anybody needs more info...

[YankStuckinSuiss]

I'm going to apply for PEP. I qualify according to the website.

I made over 8,000 Sing in my last job a month, well over that, because I worked in Switzerland.

I have 8 years experience as an IT Business and Applications Analyst.

Still I want to provide notarized supporting documents upfront. I'm 35, single, American male, worked internationally before, worked for 3 Fortune 500s. I have a Master's degree, but unrelated to IT, and two bachelor's degrees (one in Information Systems and another in International Business Admin). All are from schools in America recognized by MOM (no distance learning stuff, only full-time on campus).

What do you guys think my chances are here?

Also I am still in Taiwan, will come to Singapore for 2-3 months this Saturday to look for work directly, instead of from Taiwan. I will get my documents notarized here. Do you think it is a good idea? Will they look poorly on a Taiwanese notary as compared to one at a U.S. Embassy?

[sundaymorningstaple]

As long as they are notarized it should be okay.

[YankStuckinSuiss]

As long as they are notarized it should be okay.

I'm going to include notarized copies of:

1) Passport Info Page
2) Diplomas for all degrees
3) Transcript of undergraduate because I double majored and want this shown
4) Letter of recommendation from last employer.
5) last two paycheck stubs from my previous company.

Should I include a short CV or anything else?

[Mi Amigo]

I would add a CV too. I did that when I made my PEP application several years ago. The advice I got at the time was that the more (relevant) documentation the better, within reason of course. I also included a letter of recommendation.

Edit to add: Actually that was for my original EP application, and then later for my PR application. I was invited to apply for the PEP, so it was a different situation. But I think the general princple applies - a decent amount of good quality supporting documentation can do no harm, and will probably help.

[zzm9980]

Will they look poorly on a Taiwanese notary as compared to one at a U.S. Embassy?

The US embassy will only notarize copies of documents if they're for the IRS, and actual documents only if they're for use inside US jurisdiction:

http://singapore.usembassy.gov/notaries.html

So yeah, Taiwan will have to do.

[zzm9980]

Also, there are some useful tidbits on the bottom on what you may need to do to have a notarization 'authenticated'. I never did this for Singapore, only for Vietnam, but boy was it a pain in the ass. Nice whirlwind of trips between county records office, a notary, the CA SOS office, then Vietnamese consulate. Every step of the way taking their 'fee'... I think it was about US$500 for 5 or 6 documents by the end.

Anyway that's all off topic... The important thing which for you (which may screw you) is to see what kind of diplomatic representation Singapore has in Taiwan. The US has none, so you couldn't get a local Taiwanese notarization authenticated even if you wanted to, at least for the US. If Singapore has a consulate or embassy, I'd contact them.

[YankStuckinSuiss]

Also, there are some useful tidbits on the bottom on what you may need to do to have a notarization 'authenticated'. I never did this for Singapore, only for Vietnam, but boy was it a pain in the ass. Nice whirlwind of trips between county records office, a notary, the CA SOS office, then Vietnamese consulate. Every step of the way taking their 'fee'... I think it was about US$500 for 5 or 6 documents by the end.

Anyway that's all off topic... The important thing which for you (which may screw you) is to see what kind of diplomatic representation Singapore has in Taiwan. The US has none, so you couldn't get a local Taiwanese notarization authenticated even if you wanted to, at least for the US. If Singapore has a consulate or embassy, I'd contact them.

Not exactly accurate.

Very few folks have an embassy in Taiwan...Singapore doesn't call it an Embassy either. America has AIT, it is a de facto embassy:

http://www.ait.org.tw/en/

I got my passport renewed there and I got documents notarized there today (for a hefty fee of US$50). Taiwanese notaries won't do it because they can't notarize documents that are not translated into Chinese first. I found out all this today and went to AIT and got it done in 30 minutes.

Singapore has what they call a "Representative Office" for trade.

http://www.ait.org.tw/en/

It is a de facto embassy...