MOM No Longer to Issue EPEC as of 1 Dec 2011

[nakatago]

Hat tip to Mad Scientist for pointing it out.

Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate

Following a review, the Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate (EPEC) scheme would be discontinued from 1 December 2011. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will no longer accept any applications or appeals from that date.

All EPECs already issued would remain valid until their expiry. Within the validity period of the EPEC, the EPEC holder would continue to be eligible to apply for a Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) from the Singapore Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). In general, a non-renewable three-month LTVP would be issued.

For further queries, please refer to our FAQs or contact the MOM Contact Centre at +65 6438 5122.

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

[vnpan]

So bad for those missing the ship...

[ecureilx]

"In general, a non-renewable three-month LTVP would be issued. "

Wow ..

[JR8]

Wow!

So even if you have an EPEC, that you have yet to apply for an LTVP with, if you apply now you'll likely only get 3 months.

It is strange how when they launched the EPEC it had a validity of 12 months, which they later extended to 24. Now, apart from stopping the scheme completely, the LTVPs issued under it are being chopped from as much as 12 months to just 3.

I was reading another thread this morning re: jobhunting where the person was saying in their experience arriving in SG and getting hired takes at least 3 months. Something must have put the zap on ICAs head to demolish the scheme like this!

p.s. Can someone who's command of English grammar is better than mine tell me if the use of 'would' in the below text is correct. It jars for me when I read it...

Edit to add:
No residency = no renting, so that is going to ramp up the initial costs beyond the reach of quite a few people I expect.


-------------------------------------------------
Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate

Following a review, the Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate (EPEC) scheme would be discontinued from 1 December 2011. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will no longer accept any applications or appeals from that date.

All EPECs already issued would remain valid until their expiry. Within the validity period of the EPEC, the EPEC holder would continue to be eligible to apply for a Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) from the Singapore Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). In general, a non-renewable three-month LTVP would be issued.

[ecureilx]

I was reading another thread this morning re: jobhunting where the person was saying in their experience arriving in SG and getting hired takes at least 3 months. Something must have put the zap on ICAs head to demolish the scheme like this!

On the other hand, it is not an actual representation of the rest, but, I have met a handful who got EPEC just to stay in Singapore, with no intention of even looking for a job.

Hey, 12 months LTVP - why not use it to stay here, and enjoy, if you can afford it ?? (no, none of those I met are engaged in other part time work, or they forgot to tell me .. if they do so .. )

[Mad Scientist]

Two months prior to GE, I had received words about this issue but I cannot confirm. Right after the GE a wrath of measure were laid out and I did post about this issue here to inform all the gravity of the issues on hand.
Sad to say, these measures are only half way through. More to come.
So please..... stay tight and keep yourself on the toes, it will be a rough ride and FTs are in the middle of the perfect storm

[revhappy]

I wonder if the PEP will also be done away with. I guess its worth taking it up, while its available?

[BillyB]

I wonder if the PEP will also be done away with. I guess its worth taking it up, while its available?

I would have thought so, or rather hope so. It's basically a long-term visa that is just there to be abused by serial job hoppers, or those wanting to stay in Singapore without ever having the intention to commit to the long-term i.e. PR.

[carteki]

I would have thought so, or rather hope so. It's basically a long-term visa that is just there to be abused by serial job hoppers, or those wanting to stay in Singapore without ever having the intention to commit to the long-term i.e. PR.

I disagree. Yes, there are people who abuse the system, but that is life. The PEP is one of the reasons I'm still here. If it wasn't for that I would've packed up and left long ago. It was a way of deciding to give myself another 5 years to make the "do I want to settle down here" decision, rather being forced into it after 2 years (and taking up PR for the wrong reasons). You will see from some of the other posts here that there are others who see the PEP the same way I do. The other things about the PEP is that it is in line with what other countries are offering. I can get a similar visa in the UK. SG needs it in order to be competitive on the international labour market.

In addition I got a mail from a friend this morning from a tax haven in the Caribbean. This particluar island has the most foreigner unfriendly policies out - he was saying how his firm was being forced to hire a local even though the local didn't meet the local legal requirements for the job! They have only ever had 2 year visas and up until recently had a blanket policy of not renewing the visa after 7 years (to avoid people claiming permanent residence based on tenure).

I can also see how the PEP has obviated the need for the EPEC. You can get this visa without a job and go to the employers with visa in hand. Why then would someone who qualifies for the PEP go for EPEC?

[BillyB]

I would have thought so, or rather hope so. It's basically a long-term visa that is just there to be abused by serial job hoppers, or those wanting to stay in Singapore without ever having the intention to commit to the long-term i.e. PR.

I disagree. Yes, there are people who abuse the system, but that is life. The PEP is one of the reasons I'm still here. If it wasn't for that I would've packed up and left long ago. It was a way of deciding to give myself another 5 years to make the "do I want to settle down here" decision, rather being forced into it after 2 years (and taking up PR for the wrong reasons). You will see from some of the other posts here that there are others who see the PEP the same way I do. The other things about the PEP is that it is in line with what other countries are offering. I can get a similar visa in the UK. SG needs it in order to be competitive on the international labour market.

In addition I got a mail from a friend this morning from a tax haven in the Caribbean. This particluar island has the most foreigner unfriendly policies out - he was saying how his firm was being forced to hire a local even though the local didn't meet the local legal requirements for the job! They have only ever had 2 year visas and up until recently had a blanket policy of not renewing the visa after 7 years (to avoid people claiming permanent residence based on tenure).

I can also see how the PEP has obviated the need for the EPEC. You can get this visa without a job and go to the employers with visa in hand. Why then would someone who qualifies for the PEP go for EPEC?

I'd like to see the stats on the % of people who have obtained PEP and left Singapore, against the number of those that have subsequently gone on to take to PR.

I know a bucket load of people who took the PEP as it allows them to change jobs frequently without the risk of losing a Singapore visa, or to insure themselves against losing their jobs.

[ecureilx]

I know a bucket load of people who took the PEP as it allows them to change jobs frequently without the risk of losing a Singapore visa, or to insure themselves against losing their jobs.

I know a handful, and not more, who are on PEP and have told in more than one way that being under PEP, they save the CPF and all, and have zero intention of PR and will pack up once the PEP expires .. oh, I am yet to see any of them reach the PEP expiry yet and it will be interesting if their thinking changed by then, though I doubt any of those guys have any intention of getting PR .. and are very vocal about it ..

[carteki]

Does taking PEP mean that you need to take up PR at the end of it? My understanding is that PR is for people who want to make their lives here permanent, not just as long as they have a job. Quite frankly if there wasn't PEP there would be a lot more PR abusers out there.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Initially, when the PEP scheme was first mooted, it was to be a stepping stone or easement from EP to PR. They though that if they gave "certain" types of people a PEP which allowed them considerably more freedom to move around in Singapore, career wise, that these people would hopefully want to make their stay permanent, e.g., PR.

Unfortunately, with the onslaught of PR abusers over the past 10 years or so (since Y2K), they are now having a second look at that. It used to be you were given a letter, if you came here and secured a P1 visa, inviting you to apply for a PEP. It was virtually automatic. However, it's never been an assurance of getting PR as you would still have to jump through the requisite hoops first. Now, I wouldn't be surprised if it is even harder to obtain a PEP.

[revhappy]

At the moment getting PEP is a piece of calk, if you have a P2 EP and have completed 2 years. I know colleagues who have got it quite easily, even very recently.

1 big advantage of PEP for me is that I can sponsor my parents and in laws. My employer, inspite of being a large global IB doesn't sponsor parents or inlaws, if they do its only in extreme cases.

Thats the only reason why I would ever want to get a PEP. I don't give a damn about the flexibility of changing jobs. I have the best job I can get here in SG. If I have to leave this job, I also leave this island for good

[sundaymorningstaple]

1 big advantage of PEP for me is that I can sponsor my parents and in laws. My employer, inspite of being a large global IB doesn't sponsor parents or inlaws, if they do its only in extreme cases.

And this is one of the very reasons why they are tightening it up.