Acting Minister for Manpower Mr Tan Chuan-Jin said 30% of foreigner Employment Pass (EP) and S-Pass applicants were rejected in Singapore, as at end July this year.
This is up from last year’s total rejection figure of 26%.
He added that 29% out of the total number of rejected applications were for renewals, an increase compared to 21% for the whole of 2011.
Reasons for the increase include:
- Tightening of the S-pass sub-Dependency Ratio Ceiling (DRC) from 25% to 20% of the total workforce.
- More stringent educational qualifications for EPs, with older applicants having to command a higher salary pegged to their working experience.