Monday, January 9, 2012

The predicament of non-PR residence

PAP under LKY never failed to formulate policies without the slightest concern for plight of people. Below is by Lianhe Zaobao of the distresses faced by recent batch of graduating students.

2010年初,政府收紧移民政策,移民与关卡局(ICA)停止了多年的一贯做法,不再向理工学院和公立大学的应届外国留学生,发放申请永久居民(PR)邀请信......

由于留学生可通过PR邀请信,向雇主证明自己有资格申请永久居民,因此不少本地公司在聘请外籍员工时,会优先考虑收到PR邀请信的求职者。少了PR邀请信,留学生似乎也少了一块强而有力的职场敲门砖......

这个转变,让当年那些即将毕业的留学生措手不及,甚至是无所适从。两年过去了,这批留学生中有不少人,不管需不需要履行奖学金合约,已陆续回到自己的国家。

Since early 2010 when government tighten the immigration, ICA ceased to send PR invitations to foreign students.

The PR invitation letter serves a proof to the employee of PR eligibility, and hence, company here often considered somebody with such letter. Otherwise, the students would lose considerable advantage in job market.

Many found difficulties in adapting to changes. 2 years have passed and many have returned without serving their bonds......

他说:“我身边的那批同学,有一半在毕业一年后就陆续回国......”

One student said "Half of my batch of students have gone home one year later......"
So as to say many of those on scholarship never serve a single day of 3 years bond. Nevertheless, PAP will look the other way at the same time going after Singaporeans in NS matters full force.

来自中国湖北的董志鸿(24岁)2009年毕业于沈阳师范大学国际经济法学系,同年来新加坡继续深造,在南洋理工大学修读为期一年的信息研究硕士课程。

PRC Hubei's Dong Zhihong (24 years old), graduated 2009 Shenyang Normal University in International economics law, came to Singapore the same year for 1 year IT masters degree in NTU. What the hell is PAP doing by giving scholarship to someone from the most obscure provincial "teachers college", depriving our own students. With a masters from NTU, this very ordinary person is going to have unfair advantage against Singaporeans first degree graduate.

“没有PR邀请信,找工作不自由。就业准证的最低门槛最近从2800元提高到3000元,一般本科或硕士毕业生的起薪不一定有3000元,如果申请不到就业准证的工作,又不愿申请技能水平较低的S准证,留学生就只得回国。”

Without PR invitation, there will be limitations in job market. Minimum salary to qualify for EP was raised from S$2800 to S$3000, while first degree and master degree may not reach S$3000 starting pay ( I thought PAP say now starting pay for graduate is above 3k). Without EP, FT students need to go back if they do not want to settle for S permit.

MOE the biggest culprit
Over the years, MOE have dished out scholarship to the undeserving foreign students, in almost all levels of our institutions. Locals incur crushing debt while PAP crank up school fees. Monies were then used to support foreigners. I used to teach in a secondary schools whereby local students having the same grade as foreigners scholar need to pay, while foreigner scholars get everything free.

Unfair advantages give foreigners a big edge against Singaporeans
Many FT came from the dumb university in their home countries and got master degree in local college funded by PAP. Hardworking Singaporeans students crush under debt load, and often academic path ruined by low grades from teachers, have to work after first degree. If there is a matriculation exam, I believe many local students will out perform those FT scholars.

With many FT having master degrees, Singaporeans lose out.

Singapore need to extend humanitarian policies to landed aliens
My opinions is we give PR to most of those (probably 80%) who have received scholarship from universities before 2011. Next we need to cut back wasteful scholarship scheme to foreigners.

Being a particular brainless and foolish organization, I believe MOE is still throwing out scholarship to dumb foreigners freely even though the PR window is somewhat being tighten. This should be stopped immediately. I believe we need foreign students but most importantly, but scholarship must be for the best.

For the non scholars we set the cut-off date as 2010. For these folks who landed before 2010, we consider them case by case on humanitarian grounds if they apply PR. Those came after 2010 must be subjected to harsher immigration rules.

Singapore's own H1-B
Other than MOE, Singapore should cut back substantially intake of foreigner workers from overseas. We need to implement something like the USA H1-B visa, not just on technical field but across all spectrum. Inflow of foreign workers are subjected to yearly quotas, slowly reducing the intake to zero. Singapore is just a tiny red dot.

However, top talent such as Nobel Laureates....etc are always welcome.

Singaporeans need to show magnanimous and graciousness even to racist foreigners
I have worked in quite a few engineering companies. It is fair to conclude that once certain groups of foreigners (Indian PRC Malaysian Pinoys) become the managers, they hire their own kind. This is especially true to FT Indians and you can testify it by going to Citibank CBP tomorrow morning.

I used to worked with a PRC manager from other department. He hires ZERO Singaporeans but welcome some of the unqualified and incompetent PRC. Singaporeans have enough. Despite of the ugly racism suffered by Singaporeans, we must still offer help to foreigners on humanitarian grounds.

Above all, we must reduce the intake of foreigners other than the top talent, targeting close to zero intake. We are too small. But for those who got in, we treat them nicely.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

just for the record, 信息研究硕士 is masters of information studies, which is not an IT course (it is a social science). many singaporeans are admitted to NTU's info studies course without a IT undergrad too.