EP - From Chengdu to Singapore
This was my first time leaving China, my first time going to a foreign country.
Preparing EP Materials
On August 21, 2020, the LTA process was officially kicked off. Then we began collecting feedback, after which colleagues in the Singapore office prepared a new offer.
I started gathering materials for the Employment Pass (EP) visa application:
- Degree certificate
- Scanned copy of the original
- Translated copy (since English is the official language of Singapore, a translation is required)
- English verification from the China Credentials Verification website (https://www.chinadegrees.cn/cqva/gateway.html)
- Graduation certificate
- Scanned copy of the original
- Translated copy
- Online Verification Report of Higher Education Qualification Certificate from the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (https://www.chsi.com.cn/)
- Passport
- Scanned copy of the personal details page
Generally speaking, translated copies of both the degree certificate and graduation certificate need to be obtained from your university.
On September 4, 2020, I received the offer from the Singapore office.
On September 8, 2020, colleagues in the Singapore office officially submitted the EP application.
Waiting for the EP Application Result
How to check your EP application status?
- The Singapore government provides an online inquiry portal: https://eponline.mom.gov.sg/epol/PEPOLENQM007DisplayAction.do
Under normal circumstances, an EP application is processed within 3 weeks. Keep in mind — this is under normal circumstances!!!
September 15, 2020 — EP application status: pending.
September 22, 2020 — EP application status: pending.
September 29, 2020 — Three weeks had passed, and the EP application status was still pending.
……
October 27, 2020 — EP application status still pending. I started mentally preparing myself: if it didn’t go through, what would I do next back home? I also began stockpiling for the Double 11 shopping festival.
November 1, 2020 — I had fully come to terms with it. China is great, why bother going abroad? I bought a pile of books on JD.com, such as Jerusalem: The Biography and A History of the West. From that moment on, I actually started hoping the EP application would be rejected.
Monday, November 23, 2020 — After the morning standup, I checked the EP status. When I saw the result, I was devastated. Genuinely devastated. It passed? Why did it pass? Why didn’t it get rejected? That afternoon, I received a congratulations email from my Singapore colleagues.
Then followed a week of despair and indecision — whether to go or not was a question worth seriously considering.
November 30, 2020 — I finally decided to go, to experience life abroad.
The entire EP application took more than 10 weeks. I wonder if any colleague will ever beat my record. A colleague who applied after me got their EP approved in just two weeks.
Preparing for Departure
November 30, 2020 — I officially notified the company that my EP had been approved and confirmed my departure date.
December 1, 2020 — Due to the pandemic, there were no direct flights to Singapore available through the corporate travel platform, so I booked a flight for December 21, 2020 directly through the Air China app.
December 2, 2020 — A colleague in Singapore sent over an approval letter from MOM.
December 9, 2020 — A Singapore colleague helped book a COVID-19 swab test.
December 19, 2020 — I submitted the SG Arrival Card (https://eservices.ica.gov.sg/sgarrivalcard/). Note: make sure to select “Foreign visitors.” I initially selected the wrong option and had to fill it out again after landing.
December 19, 2020 — Printed relevant documents: the IPA letter, the MOM approval letter, and the health declaration notification email (SG Arrival Card).
December 20, 2020 — Checked in online via the Air China app.
Packing list:
- Short-sleeved shirts, shorts, and similar light clothing. I strongly recommend bringing a few thin jackets — public transport, shopping malls, and offices in Singapore are kept extremely cold. I caught a mild cold on my very first day in the office.
- Swimming trunks. A colleague already in Singapore told me the apartment has a pool. After 25 years of not knowing how to swim, I finally had a chance to get in the water.
- Some common medicines: cold relief granules, stomach relief granules, isatis root granules, throat cooling gel.
- Power adapters: 3× Philips travel adapters, 2× power strips.
- 15.6-inch Skyworth 4K portable monitor: This thing was a bit of a disappointment. The included charging head didn’t provide enough power — connecting it to a laptop caused the screen to repeatedly go black (happened on two different laptops). When powered directly via the laptop’s Type-C port, maximum brightness was around 50%, and going beyond that triggered constant flickering. I was already abroad, so I had to make do.
- Laptop: Although the company-issued MacBook Pro could handle most things, it’s more convenient and secure to have your own.
- Masks: 10 N95 masks and 50 surgical masks. The mask situation here is comparable to China. Before departure, check Amazon or Lazada to decide whether you need to bring more.
- Xiaomi selfie stick: Quality is average (the previous one lasted less than three months before breaking), but it’s cheap.
- ASUS router: To help maintain a stable connection back to China.
- 2TB Seagate portable hard drive: I considered bringing a NAS, but ultimately decided against it — too conspicuous.
- Electronics organizer bag: Very practical for holding cables and small accessories like USB drives, Type-C cables, electric toothbrush charging cables, etc.
- Sunscreen. Brought it, but hadn’t opened it in nearly two weeks.
- Luggage: 28-inch suitcase + 18-inch suitcase
Departure Day
December 21, 2020 — Departure
6:00 AM — Woke up. Did a final check to make sure nothing was missing and that all appliances at home were switched off.
6:40 AM — Headed out with the 28-inch suitcase, the 18-inch suitcase, and a small backpack. The Didi driver had actually arrived at 6:00 AM, even though I had booked for 7:00 AM.
7:00 AM — Arrived at Chengdu Shuangliu Airport Terminal 1. Entry required a QR code scan — either the Tianfu Tong health code or the national government service platform health code was accepted.
Began the baggage check-in process, which took about an hour in total.
7:21 AM — Received an SMS from Air China: due to weather conditions, the departure time had been adjusted to 12:00 PM.
7:30 AM — Finally reached the front of the queue, then was pulled aside by a staff member to verify my documents. She asked for my COVID-19 swab test appointment confirmation, which I had no idea about. I scrambled to connect to a VPN and dig through my emails.
The bulk of the wait was spent in line while staff checked that your documents were complete, that you had booked the swab test, and that you had filled out the SG Arrival Card — it’s strongly recommended to have all these ready in advance. After the document check, staff issued a form with a signature that needed to be handed to the counter at baggage drop-off.
8:00 AM — At baggage check-in, found that my luggage was 1 kg overweight. The staff member said to pack lighter next time, but let it slide this time.
8:10 AM — Filled out the customs health declaration form. I recommend completing this via the WeChat Mini Program “Customs Traveler Fingertip Service.”
8:30 AM — Went through customs. There was a brief security check before customs, which did not require opening bags. The customs officer asked a few questions, but nothing significant.
My passport received its first stamp at customs. My first time clearing customs — and it was over just like that, with a single stamp.
Then came the second airport security check, which was more thorough. I had to take out my laptop, iPad, Surface, camera, and everything else, then pack it all back in.
After that, a long wait at the gate. When boredom set in, reading was a good way to pass the time.
11:20 AM — Boarding began.
The flight felt endless. I tried to sleep but couldn’t. I went back to reading — at least it was worthwhile; I got through a good chunk of Continuous Delivery 2.0.
Shortly after the plane leveled off, the crew started serving meals, which were fairly decent.
Before landing, the crew changed into protective gear, and some passengers gradually did the same.
4:41 PM — Arrived at Singapore Changi Airport.
After landing, I followed the signs toward immigration. The line moved slowly, even in the EP holder lane. The officer checking my documents spoke to me in Chinese the whole time, requesting each document in Mandarin.
6:00 PM — Queued for the COVID-19 swab test.
After clearing immigration, I headed to baggage claim. By the time I arrived at the carousel, all the bags had already been placed on the floor. I quickly located my suitcases.
Dedicated staff then directed us to a specific area for the swab test. It was my first time getting a swab test — quite an experience. First a throat swab, then both nostrils. Afterward, I kept feeling like my nose was bleeding.
6:30 PM — Exited the airport and searched for a long time for someone holding a sign with my name. There was no one. I reluctantly called the hotel to arrange a car pickup.
3:40 AM the next morning — I dreamed that my swab test had come back negative, then woke up and checked my phone. Sure enough, it had. Based on colleagues’ previous experiences, it was expected to take one or two days.
Follow-up Matters
December 22, 2020 — Arrived at the office. Started a series of onboarding sessions. In the afternoon, went to MOM to have my photo taken and fingerprints recorded.
December 29, 2020 — Received my EP card.