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Singapore Employment Pass Application The Facts And Procedure

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Singapores advancing economic structure attracts a great number of individuals who wish to experience its business potential. Any foreigner who wishes to do business in Singapore, either by seeking employment or putting up his own company, must first obtain a Singapore Employment Pass before he can legally transact his business in the country. A Singapore Employment Pass is a work visa issued by the Ministry of Manpower to foreign business people who are already employed in Singapore or to any business person still seeking for employment or who either owns a Singapore company or is a shareholder or director of such company.

The Singapore Employment Pass has three types, depending on the purpose:

P1 Pass for a minimum monthly income of S$7,000 and holds a managerial, executive or specialist position
P2 Pass for a minimum monthly income of S$3,500
Q1 Pass for a minimum monthly income of S$2,500

Applications for a Singapore Employment Pass are submitted to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). The MOM is the sole authority that reviews, evaluates and approves EP Applications. To be eligible for a Singapore EP, the applicant must possess specialist skills and professional qualifications. In this case, an applicants educational attainment and background are added considerations, so it is important that a hard copy of the Original Transcript of Records and other relevant certificates pertaining to education is attached to the application. Although, educational attainment is vital, its absence could still be compensated by presenting the following documents: resume or curriculum vitae indicating in details the educational and employment history, testimonials or certificates of employment from previous employers, and a copy of passport. An applicant who has not earned a college degree is not immediately denied by the Ministry of Manpower as long as his application is sufficient in form and substance and his supporting credentials are excellent.

There are three steps in applying for a Singapore EP with the Ministry of Manpower:

First Step: For newly incorporated companies, an authorization code must first be obtained from the MOM before submitting the application. The authorization code is issued within 1-2 weeks.

Second Step: Submit your EP application. An application may be submitted personally to the MOM or online. The approval of the application takes at least 2 weeks.

Third Step: Once an application is approved, the MOM sends through email, an In-Principle Approval (IPA). The IPA must then be presented personally to the Work Pass Division of the MOM upon claiming the EP. The IPA is valid for 6 months from the time of notification of approval. Aside from the IPA, the applicant must also bring a medical exam report (which may be issued by the applicants country of origin or by in Singapore), original passport with entry embarkation cards, recent passport-size photos, and other documents specified in the IPA. Documents which are not in the English language must be translated into English by any Singaporean accredited official translation service.

An EP issued for the first time is valid for 2 years and can be renewed thereafter. The renewed EP is valid for 3 years. Once an Employment Pass (EP) has been issued, the foreign holder may now apply for a Dependent Pass or Long-Term Visit Pass for his/her family members.

Why to Opt For Billig-a-kasse Unemployment Insurance

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Unemployment insurance is one best way to solve the job difficulties. Such services are the foundation to help you out at times of economic crisis.

In today economic scenario, employment is precarious. Your household expenses and daily needs calls for employment and it is considered to be a need for all individual. As the economy is down, more and more people are facing unemployment problems and truly saying it is becoming a major crisis these days. These difficulties tend to make people nervous as it makes them unable to meet their responsibilities and duties. So, in this case seeking benefits of billig-a-kasse unemployment insurance can make you come out of the difficulties and problems. Here in this write up, we would provide you a foundation by enlightening facts about what all you need to know about unemployment insurance.

Government Insurance VS Private Insurance Policies

If you are considering employment insurance, do not get confused with government and private insurance. Such indemnity is basically a coverage bought through a private insurance firm that promises to pay you out if you are out of your service. Public employment is obliged to pay only if you meet certain responsibilities and have lost your job without any liability of your own. Private insurance is the best one and if you consider taking their services, you could be fortunate to get the ultimate level of coverage you wish and further do not have to worry about as many limits.

Why Do You Need Unemployment Insurance

An important reason to get such policies is to safeguard against unemployment problems. This will avoid severe financial repercussions and some other major aspects of your life. Such inexpensive procedures can offer you wide benefits if you opt their services. It can solve all your setbacks in a short span of time.

Huge Benefits of Unemployment Insurance

In case you become unemployed, insurance firms can offer you wide benefits. Some of their advantages are discussed below.

Offers Variation in Plans: They are entitled to offer deviation in their plans and the payouts can mainly be deferred to 30, 60 or 90 days, all depending upon your requirements.

Tax Free: During the claim period, the payouts an individual receives are not taxable. This offers a break to all which further helps in meeting the household expenses.

Reasonable Premiums: Unemployment coverage provides sound premiums, most likely not to cause a burden over your head.

Redundant Policy: The policy would continue to pay benefits on various events as long as you excel in making the premium payments.

So, do not lack behind! Take up such services to get ultimate peace of mind. The reason is that at times of economic crisis, it is the mental peace that will help you out to face the challenges.

About the Author

Alex Kaylee understood the conditions of the unemployed and thereby provided insurance facilities for people to work in finance, HR, IT, management, marketing and many other sectors. For more information please visit, Billig a-Kasse.

Pre-employment Background Checks And Facebook Have Companies Gone Too Far

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One of the most important laws about background checks is the Fair Credit Reporting act, or FCRA. According to this legislation, employers must tell applicants if they will be carrying out pre-employment background screening. A company could face expensive litigation and fines if they fail to follow the letter of the law regarding drug testing, credit reporting, and professionalism when doing background checks. Increasingly, however, social media is becoming a contentious area in pre-employment background screening. The vast majority – 91%, according to Reppler’s 2011 survey of 300 hiring professionals – of companies have researched social media profiles while conducting background checks.

A range of viewpoints exists on this issue. Many applicants purposely tailor their social media profiles for potential employers. These pro-social media types would argue that a modern job search is incomplete without social media networking. Yet on the other hand, many say that companies have gone too far with social media pre-employment background screening, for instance by asking each interviewee for his or her Facebook password. (A password would be required to view profiles for those whose pages are only visible to friends.)

Until recently, those in the public sector were most commonly asked for Facebook passwords in pre-employment background screening. Cops, teachers, and doctors are used to this sort of thing during in-depth background checks. NPR tells of one instance when a Maryland corrections officer was asked to provide his Facebook access during a pre-employment background check. Apparently, the state hiring agency wanted to make sure that this individual had no gang connections. Nowadays, however increasing number of private companies are also requesting social media login data.

At the moment, this form of pre-employment background check is legal across the country, but the Maryland, Michigan, Illinois, and California state legislatures are working on legislation that could ban it, under the argument that social media profile discrimination should be illegal, just like it’s illegal to discriminate against a female applicant because she implies she would like to have children in the next couple of years.

Watch legislative news and court proceedings over the next few years to see where legal boundaries are drawn regarding social media background checks, discrimination, and privacy rights. Until then, protect your company’s reputation and bottom line by following these pre-employment background screening tips:

1. Remember that courts can mandate that you explain the reasoning behind your hiring practices. The threat here is that you could be sued by a rejected applicant. If so, you’ll have to testify in court as to why you chose not to hire this person. Don’t select or reject employees based on parental status, race, age, or sexual orientation – that way your decision will stand up in court. It seems obvious, but it’s still good to remember: Hire people based on their abilities and the position’s requisite skills.

2. Follow FCRA guidelines. Those who carry out pre-employment background screening in-house should have their background check procedure reviewed by an attorney, to make sure it is kosher.

3. Ask third-party pre-employment background check companies to only tell you information related to the job itself. Likewise, in-house specialists in background checks should only tell you data that is relevant to the position at hand.

4. Beware of “Quick Fixes” for background checks. Smartphone apps and other “immediate” pre-employment background screening programs are rarely in complete compliance with employment laws.

Whether To Sign A Non-disclosure Agreement

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Steven Sutton is the owner of the Law Offices of Steven R. Sutton and a commercial litigator in New York City. According to Sutton, for employers who are trying to protect their businesses, having new employees sign non-disclosure agreements is a great way to ensure that company information and trade secrets dont get out in the event of an employees departure.

Employment issues are a key part of my firms business, and I have acted as a commercial litigator for New York clients on both sides of this type of case. We have had employers coming to use and asking to have non-disclosure agreements drafted as a way to tie their employees in to the company, and we have also had employees come to us to ask about what the details in the agreement they signed really mean.

On the Employers End
On one hand, for business owners, having their employees sign an airtight non-disclosure or non-compete agreement can be very important in keeping company secrets confidential. These contracts are particularly important when dealing with senior-level management, and any other employees who are privy to very sensitive or confidential company information. Companies that require employees to sign non-disclosure agreements can prohibit these employees from sharing any information that a person outside of the company would not ordinarily be aware of, and having these provisions in place can be key from the employers point of view.

Especially for companies in the health and fitness industries, having these agreements in place is the only way to protect secret client lists and keep sensitive information out of the hands of competing organizations. When a company hires a new personal trainer, it would never want him or her to tell people who the companys famous celebrity clients are. And in addition to that, the company would need to prevent that new trainer from using its client list if he or she were to create a new personal training business in the future.

Besides client lists, in the case of health and fitness companies, non-disclose agreements can also prevent employees from taking their companys techniques or training methods if they leave in the future. In fact, provisions in these agreements can be written to prevent employees from exposing any and all confidential trade secrets to outsiders once employment with the company has been terminated.

From the Employees Perspective
On the other hand, these agreements can take a much different turn for the employees themselves. Rather than protecting them, many employees feel like the contracts they are being asked to sign could actually be prohibiting them from seeking employment with other companies in the future. I have worked with people who said they didnt know what they were getting into when they signed a non-disclosure agreement, and later found out that the agreement they signed essentially prevented them from earning a living in the future.

Very often, when people sign these non-compete contracts, they are not sure whether it does or does not apply to potential future positions. Unfortunately, the contracts that are signed during employment are valid once that employment is over, and certain provisions can in fact prevent people from working in the same field or industry for a period of time once their employment with the company has been terminated. While every contract is different, some non-compete agreements specify that employees may not work in any industry within a certain geographic area once their employment has ended. From the employees standpoint, these types of contracts can be litigated and negotiated. In New York, hiring a commercial litigator to argue the case is a common next step after receiving notice of termination.

What a Lawyer Can Help
Any employees who feel that the contracts they signed were unfair should certainly consult with a commercial litigator for help. If the client feels that the non-compete contract he signed should not be valid, the lawyer would attempt to get rid of any temporary restraining orders that prevent the client from earning a living or feeding his family. By arguing that the non-compete provisions of the agreement should be interpreted in a different way, the attorney will help a lot.

In New York especially, these types of agreements are not always valid, depending on the facts of the case. The only way to determine whether a particular non-disclosure agreement is, in fact, valid is to have a professional attorney give it a close look. Our law firm has actually litigated some of these issues pretty extensively in the Supreme Court in New York, and we have had quite a bit of success in advising employees of what they can and cannot do.

This article is for informational purposes only. You should not rely on this article as a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances, and you should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel. Publication of this article and your receipt of this article does not create an attorney-client relationship.

How To Spot employment Gaps Lies

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Defining questionable “employment gaps”

Questionable employment gaps are periods on a resume or job application that can’t be verified. Some of the most popular false claims used to cover employment gaps are:

– Freelancing
– Business Owner
– Fictitious Out Of Business Company

A clever and sneaky employee can get these lies past an employer who is not conducting a careful and thorough employee background screening. Most employers do not have the in-house resources to verify these claims. When an employer conducts a background check on their own they will usually only get information on the position held, dates of employment and if the candidate is eligible for rehire.

Fortunately, even for freelance and closed businesses, there is a paper trail. Genuine freelancers and business owners must apply for a fictitious business name and a business license. This is a requirement for most cities regardless of where the work will be performed. For a freelancer, a business license is required even if he or she works from home.

Unfortunately, tracking this information can be confusing and time consuming for most personnel departments and small business owners. Getting the most accurate information is usually best left to a professional pre-employment screening firm, such as Accu-Screen, Inc. They have the resources and experience to readily search and provide the most up to date and accurate information.

Questionable “employment gaps”

Employers need to be careful not to jump to conclusions because freelance and business information may not be readily verified. When this occurs, the employer should request clarification from the job applicant. An employer should ask for references from past clients, projects worked on and milestones. Most freelancers and business owners should be able to give you business references, detailed information on projects and accomplishments.

Similarly, for a situation where a business is no longer operating, a job seeker should be able to provide verification of employment. Verification can include paystubs, tax return, offer of employment letter or proof of any type of recognition received, while employed at the company.

A red flag should be raised if the job seeker can’t provide additional information to verify claims of freelancing, owning a business or a company that is no longer open for business.

Problems with employees who lie about “employment gaps”

When an “employment gap” is discovered, an employer needs to be concerned about the reasons for it. Periods of employment gaps that can’t be verified may be associated with:

– Incarceration
– Involuntary termination

Some job seekers are unlucky while others are just plain deceitful. A professional employment background screening firm, such as Accu-Screen, Inc., can help get to the bottom of these issues by obtaining the most appropriate and accurate information.

When an applicant has these issues in their past or fails to report them, an employer should proceed with caution. These issues need to be handled confidentially and with diplomacy. The issue should be addressed and clarification should be reached before a job offer is made.