# Few Queries before visiting Singapore



## mkjohn (Nov 14, 2011)

Hi,

I am an IT guy having experience in DOTNET 5 yrs exp. I am willing to find
a job in singapore. And planning to visit SG to make it up. Have few questions 
prior to this. Any of SG expats please clarify my points. Please bear with
me if any of my query is a repeated one in the forum.

1) If I plan to stay for about two months here, what sort of visa should I apply for?

2) What would be the approx cost of stay for two months in SG (Food, accom, travel)?

3) Is it I who actually apply for EP/WP or company should apply on my behalf?
If it is company, how am I involved in the process? I need to sign
the visa application prior to applying?

4) How do I receive my EP? (If I return to India once I get my offer)

5) How long does it take to process my EP? If I get it soon, can I commence 
my employment with employer? Also once I get some job offer during my stay as a tourist, Am I allowed start working or should I get back to India to get my EP and return back to SG?

6) If I start working on Q pass, how do I upgrade to P type passes? Is it enough
to get highly paid and apply for?

7) How about consultants in SG? Do they levy any service fee for the job? I
heard from some people It is SG government rule that they should not 
charge the employee rather do the employer?

8) How about salary offered? Since I am from India there would be variance
between INR and SGD. How would the offering company decide upon my last drawn pkg?

9) How does this make a difference hiring a foreign worker while on overseas and
while he is in SG? Is it to avoid risks involved?

10) Does a PR/Singaporean need a WP/EP? When he is a citizen of SG does he require?

11) How do EPs (P1,P2,Q) differ from Work Permit (WP)? (Because both are for
foreign workers only)

12) Is it employer who decides upon which EP to be applied? Because if I am eligible for P2 visa, can the employer apply for Q also or he should only go for P2?
(I think it is something related with salary offered and not employer. Whichever
the payscale the employee falls in, he should be given the appropriate visa.)

13) What is ICA letter? How is it related to EP/WP? And when do I receive it?

The listing is a bit long but could be informative with your points added up.
Also please post by No. on whatever the query you wanna answer.
Thanks and waiting for response.


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## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

> 1) If I plan to stay for about two months here, what sort of visa should I apply for?


What sort of visa do you think is available ? 

Unless you got EPEC and got 12 months LTVP, you need to get the one that the Singapore mission gives, which is 30 days.



> 2) What would be the approx cost of stay for two months in SG (Food, accom, travel)?


Good question: you can stay in a hostel for 35 $ a day, with shared toilet et. al, or put up in presidential suite for 35,000 $ a day .. 

Food - same .. you can make do in 10 $ a day, or be unhappy with a 80 $ steak a day .. and a bottle of finest red wine at 3,000 $ .. 


> 3) Is it I who actually apply for EP/WP or company should apply on my behalf?
> If it is company, how am I involved in the process? I need to sign the visa application prior to applying?


Employers apply for visa, and will need copies of your certificates and all.

The submission is online, so unless ICA asks, the employer will not ask for your signature on any form, or will ask you to sign and send the scanned copy first.



> 4) How do I receive my EP? (If I return to India once I get my offer)


Why would you return to India after getting your EP ? Aren't you supposed to work once you have your EP ??  




> 5) How long does it take to process my EP? If I get it soon, can I commence my employment with employer? Also once I get some job offer during my stay as a tourist, Am I allowed start working or should I get back to India to get my EP and return back to SG?


EP approval takes days for most nationalities, and upto a month or more for Indians and some countries, if you are the 'chosen' one, as MOM nowadays gets the certificates and credentials verified, on a random basis.

As to starting work et. al, it all depends on your employer.

Legally, once EP is approved, you can start work, without waiting for the collection of the card/finger printing etc.



> 6) If I start working on Q pass, how do I upgrade to P type passes? Is it enough to get highly paid and apply for?


Since you have asked the question, did you also read up the difference between the passes at MOM Site ?



> 7) How about consultants in SG? Do they levy any service fee for the job? I
> heard from some people It is SG government rule that they should not charge the employee rather do the employer?


Good consultants don't charge. But when your brethren and a lot of other country people are willing to forego upto six month salary or more, unscupulous consultants will invent ways to collect placement fee. And if the fee is collected "BACK HOME" the Singapore govt cannot do nothing, and it is beyond their juridisction



> 8) How about salary offered? Since I am from India there would be variance between INR and SGD. How would the offering company decide upon my last drawn pkg?


Google my friend, google .. there is no such thing as 'standard offer' - each employer evaluates you based on your value and how important you will be to the company .



> 9) How does this make a difference hiring a foreign worker while on overseas and while he is in SG? Is it to avoid risks involved?


What's that all about ?? 



> 10) Does a PR/Singaporean need a WP/EP? When he is a citizen of SG does he require?


PR/Citizens don't need WP/EP, as they are "RESIDENTS" here .. 



> 11) How do EPs (P1,P2,Q) differ from Work Permit (WP)? (Because both are for foreign workers only)


Read up on MOM site .. again, please .. 



> 12) Is it employer who decides upon which EP to be applied? Because if I am eligible for P2 visa, can the employer apply for Q also or he should only go for P2?


Again, MOM.GOV.SG is your guide.



> (I think it is something related with salary offered and not employer. Whichever the payscale the employee falls in, he should be given the appropriate visa.)


Not just the payscale, but also your qualifications



> 13) What is ICA letter? How is it related to EP/WP? And when do I receive it?


What was that too ?? 



> The listing is a bit long but could be informative with your points added up.
> Also please post by No. on whatever the query you wanna answer.
> Thanks and waiting for response.


What points add up ?


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## mkjohn (Nov 14, 2011)

Thanks dude for your response.



> Good consultants don't charge.


 some of your suggessions on these is very much appreciated.



> 9) How does this make a difference hiring a foreign worker while on overseas and while he is in SG? Is it to avoid risks involved?





> What's that all about ??


I mean to say Singapore companies prefer to hire people who are available for
interview in Singapore. what kind of risks involved hiring a foreign worker when he is in India and why they don't make calls to people here?



> 13) What is ICA letter? How is it related to EP/WP? And when do I receive it?
> 
> What was that too ??


hup.. That is a mistake. That is IPA(In Principle Approval) Letter.

I read through MOM site before posting this thread dude  and that is why
I had few questions in mind. Where in it is mentioned as IPA letter is issued to employee. how does it releted to visa?



ecureilx said:


> What sort of visa do you think is available ?
> 
> Unless you got EPEC and got 12 months LTVP, you need to get the one that the Singapore mission gives, which is 30 days.
> 
> ...


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## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

Hmm   I thought you would appreciate "ALL" my responses .. ha ha ..  

No Worries 



> I mean to say Singapore companies prefer to hire people who are available for interview in Singapore. what kind of risks involved hiring a foreign worker when he is in India and why they don't make calls to people here?


As I said, if you are important, they will even reach you in the moon, or they prefer locally available candidates .. 



> hup.. That is a mistake. That is IPA(In Principle Approval) Letter.
> 
> I read through MOM site before posting this thread dude and that is why I had few questions in mind. Where in it is mentioned as IPA letter is issued to employee. how does it releted to visa?


IPA Letter -> In Principle approval -> which is sent once you found an employer -> and when your employer has chosen you -> submitted your application -> mom has your EP is approved ..... etc. etc. etc

And then you need to worry about getting a visa to come here and collect the EP -> EP -> which is the equivalent of the long term stay visa. 

It is something not to be worried about NOW


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## mkjohn (Nov 14, 2011)

Your response on the whole is much appreciated. :clap2::clap2:

I think you misunderstood me on below statement.



> Good consultants don't charge.
> 
> some of your suggessions on these is very much appreciated.


I meant some of your suggessions on these consultants would be
well and good, may be two or three names. thanks dude. 



ecureilx said:


> Hmm   I thought you would appreciate "ALL" my responses .. ha ha ..
> 
> No Worries
> 
> ...


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## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

mkjohn said:


> I meant some of your suggessions on these consultants would be well and good, may be two or three names. thanks dude.


I mean, you want *ME* to provide info of consultants ??


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## mkjohn (Nov 14, 2011)

Yes. Some good consultant names that you are aware.



ecureilx said:


> I mean, you want *ME* to provide info of consultants ??





> 4) How do I receive my EP? (If I return to India once I get my offer)





> Why would you return to India after getting your EP ? Aren't you supposed to work once you have your EP ??


That's right. I mean once I receive my offer letter from employer, he would need to apply EP for me right? I think it would take about a month to process it. Meanwhile I may prefer not to stay in SG and return to India. Once he dispatches EP, I shall get back to SG. (Am I right with this procedure? )
If I am right, Now how do I receive(or how does employer send) this EP or work visa? Or should I wait in SG until I receive my EP? Please enlighten me on this.


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## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

Answers in a nutshell: 

Consultants name : no, not gonna provide, as I don't want to publish anything conflicting with the forum rules - you can google yourself, and it was posted before

For the next question, again, the approval can happen within a couple of days or more.

It all depends upon your employer, if they want you to start immediately, or they are willing to wait for you to come back from India

Again, I mentioned this before .. it is between you and your employer, and IPA is good enough to start work

And let me repeat this - you are jumping the gun so much ahead and asking questions. My de facto answer would have been 'wait for the EP approval / IPA, and read up' as the IPA terms / conditions may have changed at the time of your approval. 

So, again, take one step at a time, and if you have an impatient employer, don't blame me .. offer letters get revoked if you tell them you need a month plus to come back.. if they have urgent projects in hand.

PS: pardon me, but you are making the whole process sound like a government bureaucratic process, which, in Singapore, is NOT


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## mkjohn (Nov 14, 2011)

that is ok. thanks for your reply ecurelix.



ecureilx said:


> Answers in a nutshell:
> 
> Consultants name : no, not gonna provide, as I don't want to publish anything conflicting with the forum rules - you can google yourself, and it was posted before
> 
> ...


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## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

Welcome. I am not sure if anybody else will wade in and add to what I wrote .. 

I would be happy, if some posts did get added


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