Article from
http://www.ace.sg/info/review.aspReview Employment Pass Applications and Provide Reasons for Rejection
My client’s application for an employment pass was rejected with no explanation for the rejection by MOM. I suggest MOM should consider providing explanations for their decisions, although not all decisions may be explained, a great number of them can be explained for simple reasons such as insufficient/incorrect documentation, wrong type of application, insufficient merit of the applicant/employer, etc. Such explanations will help guide applicants in their applications and any necessary follow-up actions.
Response from MOM:
The procedures currently in place for Employment Pass (EP) applications are:
i) Where there is insufficient or incorrect documentation MOM will return the application to the applicant and advise him on the completion of the documentation before re-submission of the application.
ii) Where the applicant should apply for a more appropriate pass type EP and S Pass share the same application form. Thus the applicant can elect to be considered for S Pass if he/she does not qualify for an EP. Even if the applicant does not do so, the employer will also be advised if the applicant qualifies not for an EP but for an S Pass.
iii) Where the applicant does not meet the EP criteria Besides the two main criteria - education and salary, MOM also looks at other factors such as work experience in assessing EP applications. Hence, it is not possible for MOM to inform employers of the specific rejection reasons.
Licences for Home Office Scheme
While the government is trying to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship in Singapore by introducing Home Office scheme, it is definitely taking a step back by asking applicants to apply for separate licences from other agencies such as Fire Safety & Shelter Department (FSSD), etc. HDB should provide the licences automatically since the business conducted could not be more hazardous than cooking and using high power electronics such as refrigerator, air conditioner, etc. that are present in every normal households. I was not informed that I would need to apply for these licences when I applied for the Home Office scheme. I suggest such information be stated clearly in the website to minimise confusion to the applicants.
Response from HDB:
The Fire Safety and Shelter Department (FSSD) does not require Home Office (HO) users to obtain a licence/approval from them to operate a home office under the HO scheme. However, applicants of HO scheme are required to install a fire extinguisher and smoke detector so as to comply with the fire safety requirements imposed by FSSD.
The requirements are currently stated in the HDB InfoWEB and the HO e-application. In view of the feedback, we will list FSSD's fire safety requirements more explicitly in the HDB InfoWEB and the home office e-application form as one of the conditions of the HO scheme. We will state the required type of extinguisher and smoke detector.
The suggestor will also be pleased to know that currently, a person who wishes to start a new business can go to
www.business.gov.sg to search for the types of licences/approvals that may be required for his business. This portal administered by MTI, is a gateway to a host of government services, ranging from accessing information that is pertinent to businesses, exploring governmental assistance to filling of forms needed to start or grow a business.
As HDB's website is already linked to
www.business.gov.sg, we feel that there is no necessity for such information on types of licences/ approvals to be listed on HDB's website. Otherwise, there will be a duplication of efforts. However, to assist applicants to search for other licences that they may require for their businesses, we can provide a link to the relevant page of
www.business.gov.sg. We hope that our clearer listing of FSSD's fire safety requirements and the additional link to assist in the search for other licences related to the business will help you and other applicants of the HO scheme.
Bringing in Overseas Students for Hairstyling Courses
We are running a Hair Academy that is registered with the ITE to offer NITEC courses. We offer both short and long courses which can range from one week for new products training, to one year for professional hairstylist training. Currently, our overseas students for short courses are on social visit passes which they apply either directly or through travel agents. Is this in line with government rules and regulations? As for courses of a longer duration, I understand that we need to obtain student passes. What are the application procedures involved and which are the right government agencies to approach?
Response from ICA:
For short courses within the validity of the initial Social Visit Pass or 30 days (whichever shorter), with no hands-on practice, students can come in on social visit pass without obtaining student pass. Courses that stretch over three months will require Student Pass from ICA. The practical training part of the course may require MOM's training pass. ICA would be the first point of contact for this issue; you can contact Mr Loy Wei Wan, Manager, Student Pass Unit at DID: 63916603 on the application details.
Any foreigner who wishes to pursue full-time studies in Singapore in an institution that is registered with the Ministry of Education or has obtained permission from the Commissioner, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to accept foreign students is required to apply for Student's Pass. Please be informed that from June 2004, visitors who have been granted short term Social Visit Passes at the Singapore checkpoints can pursue a short course during their stay in Singapore without having to apply for a separate Student's Pass. The exemption will apply to short courses that the visitor is able to complete within the validity period of the initial Social Visit Pass granted to him at the Singapore checkpoint or 30 days, whichever is shorter. It must also satisfy two other criteria, that is, the course:
(i) must be a complete and stand-alone module on its own. Courses with multiple programme modules are excluded from this Student's Pass exemption scheme; and
(ii) must not involve hands-on practical occupational training and/or industrial attachment which have interaction with walk-in customers or be conducted at premises that are also the places of business, e.g. hair salons and beauty salons.
Those who wish to pursue a course which is more than 3 months duration are required to apply for a Student's Pass. Please visit our ICA’s website at
http://www.ica.gov.sg. You will find the procedure and documents required for application of Student's Pass under Visitor Services in the website.
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