My Employment Pass

In addition to handling fresh Employment Pass applications, MISHU also assists employers who have tried applying themselves and had their applications rejected by Immigration, and we typically run through a few common checks to understand if the case can still be salvaged.

Sometimes it’s a no 🙁

If your Employment Pass application or renewal has just been turned down, this guide walks you through the key distinctions and next steps. Of course, all are welcome to get in touch directly with our resident EP expert Ariff.

Otherwise, let’s begin.

Otherwise, let’s begin.

Returned applications

A returned application is not a rejection. It usually means the submission contains minor technical, formatting, or documentation issues that prevent it from being processed in its current form.

The good news is that returned applications can be resubmitted as soon as the issue is fixed. However, each time an application is submitted, it is manually assessed by a different officer, and as a result, if it has multiple issues, can be returned again and again as the commenter above has experienced.

In our experience, the most common issues include:

• passport photo not meeting specifications (too small, blurry, or incorrectly cropped)
• name mismatch with the passport Machine-Readable Zone (MRZ)
• missing company stamps or document endorsements
• unsigned or incomplete supporting agreements
• unexplained gaps in employment history in the CV
• low-quality scans or incorrect file formatting
• missing documents or documents not certified true copy (CTC)

Immigration reviews applications strictly, and even minor inconsistencies can trigger a return.

Rather than just addressing the specific corrections requested, take the time to go over everything once more to ensure everything else is in order.

Rejected applications

A rejected application is more serious and typically indicates that the candidate or role does not meet Employment Pass requirements.

A lot of renewal applications have been rejected due to not meeting 2026 EP updates.

Common reasons include:

• insufficient or irrelevant work experience
• role not considered specialised or high value enough
• company not financially stable enough
• position deemed fillable by a local candidate, or
• misalignment between job scope, job title, and academic background

If the employer wishes to proceed, they have 14 days from the date of rejection to submit an appeal via their ESD account, and can refer to the official Immigration appeal guidance here: Immigration appeal requirements (PDF).

Once submitted, appeals typically take around 30 days to be processed, after which the outcome will be communicated to the employer.

That’s it from us – wishing you all the best with your appeal 😊

Let MISHU handle your EP rejections