Relocating fresh out of University

[adrenaline]

Im taking a Computer Science degree at a MOM recognized institution of higher education. Some friends of mine have moved to Singapore and Im becoming increasingly interested in doing the same.

My education will land me a 4 -5000 SD job in my home country, but since I am interested in moving fresh out of Uni, I wont be able to prove that my "last salary" was that high.

So how does this work? Will I be able to land a p2 pass? Or perhaps it doesnt matter, should a company be willing to employ me and sponsor me regardless of my experience, will that be some other kind of pass/visa?

[amarettoSour]

are you going for a personalized EP (PEP)? if not, i believe you need to find a job here first before you can apply for an employment pass. the EP application will be done by the company.

sms should be able to correct me on this shortly...

[sundaymorningstaple]

The second part is right but the PEP is out of the question as he need to have been earning over 7K SGD in his previous job in his country no longer than 6 months ago from the date of application for the PEP. He has to find a job offer and then the company will apply for the Employment Pass. If your home country will pay you 4 to 5K then here you might be luck to get 3K and a P2 but more than likely a Q pass provided the employer can convince MOM that they need to hire a foreigner in the first place. Local low to mid-range IT personnel are a dime a dozen here.

[adrenaline]

So whats the deal with this whole "last salary" and deciding which permit you will get thing then? Obviously, fresh out of uni, any last salary will be nickels.

Or will they look at the offered salaray from the Singaporean company?

EDIT: I see now I got another answer before I posted this post.

OK so getting a job offer it is then. Thanks for the info. I do realize there is no shortage of IT personnel but from my network in Singapore I hear that getting a job fresh out of uni with a european degree is not at all impossible.

EDIT 2: So do you reckon I should aim for a p, q or S pass? Id appreciate any info on which would be more suitable as to me they all seem to fit my situation.

[amarettoSour]

I don't think you get to decide which pass you want to aim for. it depends how much your job will be paying you when you get one. if i'm not wrong, it goes like this:

S: $2500 and below
Q: $2500 - $3500
P1: $3500 - $5000
P2: $5000 and above

[nakatago]

@OP:

* don't worry about which permit you get as you don't control it anyway it's all dependent on the job offer and ultimately if MOM approves the permit your would-be employee applied for. note that even if you get a job offer, if MOM doesn't approve the pass, you won't get the job.
* just keep looking; obviously, competition is not in your favor as a fresh grad but what do you have to lose by doing research, scouring the job boards and websites and responding to some job postings?

[sundaymorningstaple]

I don't think you get to decide which pass you want to aim for. it depends how much your job will be paying you when you get one. if i'm not wrong, it goes like this:

S: $2500 and below Actually $1800 and above
Q: $2500 - $3500 Actually $2500 and above
P1: $3500 - $5000 Actually $7000 and above
P2: $5000 and above Actually $3500 and above

In addition, to the salary ranges, the various levels are also Academically ranked as well, with the exception of the P1 pass which is only Income dependent (the gahmen figure if a company is willing to out $7K/mo then you probably have the experience and the degree would not really be relevant. See the following site for the whole breakdown.

Employment Passes

[adrenaline]

Thank you all so much for great and relevant advice!

This work pass thing really turned out to be quite simple then, as far as which one you get that is.

Do you think it would be possible to start applying for jobs a month or two ahead of graduating or would it be more sensible to wait until you actually have officially finished the degree?

[nakatago]

Thank you all so much for great and relevant advice!

This work pass thing really turned out to be quite simple then, as far as which one you get that is.

Do you think it would be possible to start applying for jobs a month or two ahead of graduating or would it be more sensible to wait until you actually have officially finished the degree?

just do it. some companies take forever to respond, if at all. especially those posting at job boards.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Doesn't really matter as the odds are not really in your favour unless you have a niche degree that is not generally available among graduates here. Without experience you are shooting in the dark without infrared scopes. Especially in the IT field. Good Luck.

[nakatago]

Doesn't really matter as the odds are not really in your favour unless you have a niche degree that is not generally available among graduates here. Without experience you are shooting in the dark without infrared scopes. Especially in the IT field. Good Luck.

for my company, i was actually surprised that they were asking for applicants even if not singaporean/pr. i figgered OP might as well start scouring for positions. if he doesn't land an interview (using the shotgun approach), at least he'll get plenty of practice looking for a job--reading posted jd's, writing resumes and cover letters, hunting down hr contact info, talking with headhunters and all that stuff. so, i say, let him out into the jungle. time to put all that edumacation to the test.