When considering Singapore immigration, many people’s first reaction is “it’s easier to find an agency.” Indeed, Singapore’s immigration, visa, work permit, and PR applications involve many policies and detailed procedures, making them seem complex. As a result, the agency market is very active. However, in reality, many people spend money only to find that the results are far from what was promised, or even miss the best application opportunity. The problem isn’t that “agencies are necessarily unreliable,” but rather that the market is uneven, with some agencies taking advantage of information asymmetry and applicants’ anxiety to set up traps. For many ordinary families, Singapore immigration is often linked to children’s education, career development, and asset planning, leading to high expectations. When agencies repeatedly emphasize “limited quotas,” “policy closures,” and “it’ll be too late if you don’t apply now,” it’s easy to be swayed by emotions. Only after entering the process do they discover that the so-called “insider channels” and “guaranteed success plans” don’t exist, and even the most basic services are severely reduced.
Promise Tricks
“100% success,” “guaranteed PR”—these are the most common and dangerous claims made by Singapore immigration agencies. Singapore’s immigration policy is essentially a government-approved system. Whether it’s an EP, S Pass, or PR, the final decision rests with the official departments, and agencies cannot interfere with the approval results. However, some unscrupulous agencies exploit clients’ lack of policy knowledge, using slogans like “guaranteed success,” “full refund if unsuccessful,” and “insider connections guarantee success,” creating a false sense of security. The problem is that such promises are baseless. Once an application is rejected, agencies often use excuses like “temporary policy tightening,” “changes in client qualifications,” or “inadequate cooperation” to shirk responsibility, and their refund policies are extremely stringent, resulting in very little money actually being returned. Be highly wary of any form of “guaranteed success promise.”
Deliberately Creating a Sense of Urgency
Many agencies are adept at creating anxiety, repeatedly emphasizing things like, “This immigration channel is about to close,” “The policy will be drastically changed next month,” and “If you don’t apply now, the threshold will double next year.” The core purpose of these statements is to pressure you into signing a contract and making payment as soon as possible. In reality, even if Singapore’s immigration policy is adjusted, it is usually announced in advance and has a transition period, rather than being a sudden, abrupt change. Agents exploit the fear of “you don’t understand the policy + you’re afraid of missing out,” creating an atmosphere of “if you don’t get on board now, you’ll never have a chance,” leaving no time for reflection, comparison, and verification. Once you calm down and check official information, you often find that the so-called “urgent policy changes” don’t exist, or aren’t as exaggerated as the agents describe.
“Low-Price Packages”
Another common tactic is to initially quote a seemingly cheap price, only to reveal after signing the contract that it’s just “basic services.” For example, they initially tell you the fee is low, only including “assessment + document preparation,” but once the application process begins, they start adding: expedited fees, program upgrade fees, policy consultant fees, government communication fees, and resubmission fees. If you don’t pay extra, they imply that “the success rate will be affected” or “it’s not recommended to apply this way.” Ultimately, the total cost often far exceeds the initial expectation. The essence of this approach is to force clients to passively invest more costs midway through by splitting services and obscuring contracts.
“Over-packaging Background”
Some agents, in order to increase their signing rate, will constantly tell you: “Your qualifications are actually fine; you just need to package them a little.” “It sounds considerate, but it actually hides risks. For example: suggesting false or exaggerated job responsibilities; encouraging frequent job changes to accumulate years of service; providing unstable ‘transitional positions.’ Singapore has very strict verification of the authenticity of documents. Once inconsistencies are discovered, it can lead to visa refusal at best, and affect subsequent applications for many years at worst. The agency bears very little risk in the process, but the consequences are borne by the applicant.
‘Disappearing’ After Signing
Another type of scam occurs during the service execution stage. Before signing, promises of ‘full follow-up,’ ‘one-on-one consultant,’ and ‘professional team service’; after signing, however, you find that: responses to inquiries become increasingly slow; contact persons change frequently; policy questions are only given vague answers; and you are left to research everything yourself. When you raise questions, the agency often emphasizes that ‘it’s clearly written in the contract,’ but clients are often not actually ‘disappeared’ when signing.” The service boundaries have been explained.
The tactics of Singapore immigration agents are not complicated, but they heavily rely on information asymmetry and emotional manipulation. Whether it’s a “guaranteed pass,” “policy scare tactics,” or low-price enticement followed by additional charges later, the essence is to exploit applicants’ unfamiliarity with policies and anxiety about the future to close the deal. The truly rational approach is not to reject agents outright, but to do the following three things:
First, do not easily believe any form of guarantee or promise;
Second, all statements must be grounded in publicly available policy logic;
Third, before signing a contract, you must understand the service content, fee structure, and risk boundaries.
Singapore immigration is a long-term planning process and is not suitable for hasty decisions. The calmer you are and the more willing you are to learn more, the less likely you are to be tricked. Treating agents as “assistant tools,” not “destiny-determiners,” is the most responsible attitude towards yourself.
