On 14th September, there was a marathon 10-hour parliamentary debate on jobs, livelihoods, and Singapore’s foreign talent policy. Some highlights included “reducing the number of foreign talents and a call to increase the qualifying salaries for work pass holders.” Apart from these, other measures were also suggested that would aim to restore some balance to the job market.
What other measures were suggested?
MP Mr. Leong Mun Wai suggested measures such as doubling the qualifying salaries for Employment Pass (EP) and Spass holders to $10,000 and $4,500 respectively in stages, imposing a standard monthly levy on EP, and enforcing a cap on workers of a single nationality. Whereas the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Pritam Singh suggested a fixed-term employment pass.
How does this affect you?
If you are an Employment Pass or Spass holder, we encourage you to start considering applying for the Singapore PR soon to secure your long-term life here. Becoming a Singapore PR comes with a lot of benefits, such as subsidised healthcare, hassle-free travel, family sponsorship, and more. It even opens the doors for you to become a Singapore citizen in the future. The government currently offers 5 schemes under which you can apply for your Singapore PR.
If these policies were to take effect, some companies may not be able to match the new criteria and qualifying salaries and as such may not be able to renew the work passes of their current foreign employees. Moreover, in the past, the government has also set different qualifying salaries for specific sectors such as finance which are higher than the rest, and they have also cut the quotas of foreign workers in some industries. Any such measures if implemented can set back your plans of permanently residing in Singapore. But, there is a silver lining. Since the measures haven’t been introduced yet, it gives you sufficient time to prepare your application for Singapore PR.
Conclusion:
Act fast before the government applies the measures and makes any policy changes. This will make the application process more competitive as a large number of people might start applying for PR, once the government is changing the policy which can have an effect on your profile.
Many applicants think that the application process is easy. Just fill up the forms, attach the necessary documents, and submit. But many have ended up getting rejected this way. They’ve also seen their friends, colleagues, and family members’ PR applications get rejected despite having a good profile.
So, what’s the catch? What is the ICA exactly looking for? What makes a strong application? Fret not, talk to our experts and they’ll help guide you step by step through the whole journey, answer all your questions, and offer customised solutions to increase your chances of approval.
