Singapore PR Application Rejected? Here's What to Do Next
A PR rejection is not the end. Learn why applications get rejected, how to strengthen your profile, and how our PR application agency can help you succeed on your next attempt.
Common Reasons for PR Rejection
While ICA does not disclose specific rejection reasons, our experience with 3,500+ applications has identified the most common factors. Understanding these helps you build a stronger re-application.
1Insufficient Salary or Career Progression
Your salary may not be competitive for your age, experience level, and industry. ICA expects to see consistent salary growth that demonstrates your increasing value to Singapore’s economy.
2Weak or Missing Cover Letter
A generic or absent cover letter fails to differentiate your application. Without a compelling narrative, ICA officers have only raw data to evaluate your case.
3Incomplete Documentation
Missing documents, expired certificates, or untranslated foreign documents can lead to rejection. ICA may not always request missing documents — they may simply reject incomplete applications.
4Limited Time in Singapore
Applicants with less than 2 years in Singapore have lower approval rates. ICA prefers applicants who have demonstrated sustained commitment to living and working in Singapore.
5Lack of Community Integration
No evidence of community involvement, volunteering, or social integration signals that you may not be committed to becoming part of Singapore’s social fabric.
6Sector Oversaturation
If your industry sector has an oversupply of foreign workers, ICA may be more selective. This particularly affects sectors not aligned with Singapore’s economic priorities.
7Frequent Job Changes
Changing employers every 1–2 years without clear career progression can signal instability. ICA prefers applicants with stable employment histories.
8Age-Related Factors
Older applicants (above 45) may face higher scrutiny, particularly if their salary has plateaued. ICA considers the long-term economic contribution potential.
Our Re-Application Process
We take a systematic approach to turning PR rejections into approvals. Here is how our appeal and re-application service works.
Receive and Analyse Rejection
ICA sends rejection notifications via the e-PR portal. While ICA does not provide specific reasons, we can analyse your original application and profile to identify likely factors that led to the rejection.
Waiting Period Assessment
There is no mandatory waiting period to re-apply after rejection. However, submitting the same application without changes is pointless. We recommend waiting 6–12 months to strengthen your profile before reapplying.
Profile Strengthening Strategy
Based on our analysis, we create a specific action plan: salary negotiation, community involvement initiatives, additional certifications, or strategic job changes that strengthen your case.
Build a Stronger Application
We rebuild your application from scratch with a new cover letter that addresses the likely rejection factors, updated documents reflecting your strengthened profile, and strategic positioning.
Re-Submission
We submit your strengthened re-application through the ICA e-PR portal. Second-time applications that address the original weaknesses have significantly higher approval rates.
Appeal & Re-Application FAQs
No, ICA does not provide specific reasons for PR rejection. The rejection letter is a standard template that states your application was “not successful”. This is why working with an experienced agency is valuable — we can analyse your profile against known ICA criteria to identify the most likely reasons and address them in your re-application.
There is no mandatory waiting period, and you can technically re-apply immediately. However, we strongly recommend waiting 6–12 months. Use this time to strengthen your profile: increase your salary, get involved in community activities, obtain additional qualifications, or extend your tenure in Singapore. Submitting the same application without improvements will likely result in another rejection.
Re-application success rates vary widely depending on the changes made. Applicants who simply resubmit the same application have very low success rates (estimated 10–15%). However, applicants who work with an agency to identify weaknesses, strengthen their profile, and submit a strategically improved re-application achieve success rates of 70–80% on their second attempt.
There is no formal “appeal” process for PR rejections in the legal sense. ICA’s decision is final for that specific application. Your recourse is to submit a new, improved application. Some applicants write to ICA requesting reconsideration, but this rarely changes the outcome. A fresh, stronger application is always more effective than an appeal letter.
There is no limit on the number of times you can re-apply. Some successful PRs applied 2–3 times before approval. The key is that each subsequent application must be meaningfully stronger than the previous one. Our Premium package supports multiple application rounds and includes a money-back guarantee.
Rejected? Let\u2019s Build a Stronger Case
Our appeal specialists have helped hundreds of previously rejected applicants achieve PR approval. Book a free analysis of your rejected application.