Unemployment Clause in PEP

[TonyL]

Ive read quite a bit about it but I find conflicting information so hoping someone can clear this up for me. As a foreigner moving to Singapore whohas to prove they earn enough to quality for a PEP you need to be employed in your home country. At some stage you then need to move to Singapore to look for work on the ground. You are allowed 6 months of unemployment

But when does the clock start ticking on the 6 months, is it when you arrive in Singapore or the last date of your prior job?

For instance, could you leave your job in July, apply for the PEP at the time on the basis of your salary, then only move to Singapore in December while being unemployed and only start the 6 month clock in December? Allowing you to stay until May of the next year?

Some sources seem to clearly specify that you can be unemployed for 6 months in Singapore, others just say you can be unemployed for 6 months in total

Thanks v much for any guidance!

[Wd40]

Once your PEP is activated, from that point on, your overseas employment is not counted towards the PEP employment requirement. If that wasn't the case, then, the moment I lose my job in Singapore, I can go to another country get a job and still could keep my PEP valid, which is not true.

So to answer your question, the clock starts ticking from the moment your get your Green PEP card. If you are overseas and have just got your PEP inprinciple approval, you are still not a PEP holder. You have 6 months to come into Singapore and get the PEP card, from then on you have another 6 months to look for a job in Singapore.

[nutnut]

To be honest, since you have to show your salary level in the foreign (your home) country, I believe it has to be recent. Therefore, if you are currently out of work, then you may not be eligible for the PEP even if your last salary was sufficient.

I may be wrong though.

WD40 is correct though, the PEP doesn't take into account whether you are in SG or not.

[yogaloungeforever]

just adding to the above: the 6 months apply from the time you collect the PEP and can be utilised anytime during the validity of the pass. but it is not a 1 time 6 months. you can resign from co A and go on 6 months unemployment to look for another job. if you do get another job within that 6 months you are safe. assuming you lose your next job for whatever reasons, and as long as it is within the validity period you can utilise the 6 months to look for another job

[sundaymorningstaple]

And assuming you make the prescribed minimum salary for the year.

[Wd40]

Good point SMS. I had this confusion, so let me ask here. The minimum salary requirement currently is what 35,000? Lets say one was unemployed for the 1st 6 months of the year. Now with this minimum salary requirement, does it mean the person has to make 35k in those remaining 6 months? So effectively he should get a salary package of 70k?

The PEP in principle approval document that I got, doesnt mention all this so clearly, all it says is your annual salary for the year should be XXXXXX.

I am assuming that you need to report your last drawn salary i.e. the last salary package that you get in the year. So lets say you got only 1000$ from jan to nov and then in december you got a job offer of annual salary 150K, then your PEP remains valid. No?

Edit: I just found this PEP notification form and it has 2 items to be declared. Fixed Annual Salary and Salary Earned in a Year. It also says Fixed Annual Salary = Fixed Monthly Salary X number of months worked in year

http://www.mom.gov.sg/Documents/service ... cation.pdf

The minimum salary requirement pertains to the "Fixed Annual Salary" and the fact that they have defined how to calculate it without mentioning anything about how to go about calculating multiple jobs in a year, tells me that the last month's salary is what you must use for the calculation.

[zzm9980]

Good point SMS. I had this confusion, so let me ask here. The minimum salary requirement currently is what 35,000?

S$144k, or S$12k/month. S$34k was the old one.

[sundaymorningstaple]

My response was geared to WD40s question rather than the OP. That's why I used the old figure which will apply till Dec 2014 I believe. It's gonna really be rough when the 144K kicks in for those on PEP under the old rates. Gonna bust a whole lot of former P2s for sure and a lot of P1s as well.

[Wd40]

Good point SMS. I had this confusion, so let me ask here. The minimum salary requirement currently is what 35,000?

S$144k, or S$12k/month. S$34k was the old one.

Yeah, thanks. But thats not my question. My question is how is the "Fixed Annual Income" calculated? If you have more than one jobs in a year and also some gap in between employment, not more than 6 months?

[zzm9980]

Good point SMS. I had this confusion, so let me ask here. The minimum salary requirement currently is what 35,000?

S$144k, or S$12k/month. S$34k was the old one.

Yeah, thanks. But thats not my question. My question is how is the "Fixed Annual Income" calculated? If you have more than one jobs in a year and also some gap in between employment, not more than 6 months?

"The minimum salary requirement currently is what 35,000?"

Sure looks like a question for me, even if it was rhetorical. I was correcting it so that people who do searches on this topic aren't confused by your incorrect information.

[TonyL]

These replies are really helpful, thanks

My PEP application was approved a week or so ago. Now my prior employment is over

I havent yet received the documentation (appears to have been lost in the mail to my PR representative), so I havent received details on how to get the Green PEP card. So I have 6 months from the approved date to pickup the card, and then the 6 months clock starts for unemployment in Sing?

The PEP application requires me to inform them of changes in my employment status, does this mean I need to inform them I am no longer employed in the UK?

All sounds very promising

Though I still need a job in singapore!

[AngMoG]

These replies are really helpful, thanks

My PEP application was approved a week or so ago. Now my prior employment is over

I havent yet received the documentation (appears to have been lost in the mail to my PR representative), so I havent received details on how to get the Green PEP card. So I have 6 months from the approved date to pickup the card, and then the 6 months clock starts for unemployment in Sing?

The PEP application requires me to inform them of changes in my employment status, does this mean I need to inform them I am no longer employed in the UK?

All sounds very promising

Though I still need a job in singapore!

I think they're mostly interested in changes to your employment status in Singapore. It is natural that you would give up your job in your previous country to move here.