IT professional in Malaysia looking for a job in Singapore

[p.navid]

Kudos everyone
I'm an Iranian engineer who has recently started his PhD in UTM in Johor. I'm a system administrator (UNIX administrator) to be exact and I'm quite good at what I do. I've started looking for a job in Singapore. I've applied for some positions using some websites but I never heard back from any of them.
I'm really beginning to wonder why. I have a Master's degree from one of Iran's finest universities and I am quite good in English (iBT TOEFL 111). So I want to know, how can I improve my chances of getting a job in Singapore? I guess one of the main reasons is that I don't have a work permit or a working visa. Is there any way I can apply for one without having an employer sponsoring me? I came across EPEC. Are there any prerequisites to applying for it? How about internationally recognized certificates such as RHCE or CCNA? Do they make a big difference to my chances of landing a job?
I'm really in the dark here and I would appreciate any help I can get. Thank you for taking the time to read this long post.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Unless your University education is listed on the EPEC site:

http://www.mom.gov.sg/foreign-manpower/ ... tions.aspx

Which at first glance, tells me that NO Iranian Universities are listed, it means this avenue is not available.

Secondly, you cannot get a work permit/Employment Pass without a sponsor unless you qualify for the PEP. This means you would have to be earning more than 8000/mo SGD to enable you to even be considered, and even then it's not a guarantee.

So, it would appear that the only thing is to find an employer here willing to sponsor you by offering you a job. Again, even if you find one, there is no guarantee that the employment pass will be granted. I don't if Singapore will even recognize the degree for an employment pass of the S/Q/P2 variety. But without a job offer or an existing income of over 8000/mo your not going to have a whole lot of luck.

[revhappy]

The list of institutions is interesting.

I had a look at the insitutions in Singapore that are in the list. Surprising, the list a really small, just 12.

Even more surprising. 2 of them are offshore centers of Indian universities.
IIM, Bangalore
S.P. Jain Institute of Management.

What about the host of other university offshore centers from US, UK and Australia, like Manchester Business School and City University of New York, Baruch College.

[p.navid]

Thanks a lot for the clearance. Now do you have any idea how I can improve my chances of finding a job while I'm not in Singapore? Any idea what can catch the attention of the employers/recruiters? Certificates, particular work experience, etc.?