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Overcome Barriers to Hiring Foreign Talent
Are you a foreign business looking to expand your footprint to Singapore, or a local firm looking to hire from abroad? Visa applications and renewals can be complex and time-consuming, especially for those who are new to these processes. By leaving your visa applications to us, you would be able to focus on revenue-generating activities and enjoy peace of mind.

Our team of experienced Employment Pass Specialists can help your business to plan and track the progress of applications, prepare the proper documentation, liaise with the Ministry of Manpower, and file for appeals if necessary.

All our Employment Pass Specialists are licensed by the Ministry of Manpower (EA License no.: 06C5809) and adhere to high standards of professional conduct as part of a leading accounting and business advisory group. They also regularly keep up to date on the latest relevant regulations, and are familiar with various types of employment passes and visa processes.

 

FAQ


 Pass TypeWho It Is For Qualifying Salary
Quota and InsurancePasses for Family
Source Country Other Notes 
Employment Pass (EP) 
  •  Foreign professionals
  • Foreign Managers
  • Foreign Executives
 X 

For pass holders earning a minimum fixed monthly salary of:
1. SGD 6,000
• legally-married spouse
• unmarried children under 21 years old
2. SGD 12,000
• parents


MOM-issued Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP) may be applied for:
• common-law spouse
• unmarried handicapped children aged 21 above
• unmarried step-children under 21 years old.

 N.A.

A points-based Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) will be introduced w.e.f. 01 Sep 2023. This will apply to all new EP applications w.e.f. 01 Sep 2023, and to all EP renewals w.e.f. 01 Sep 2024.

The COMPASS consists of two functional criteria and two bonus critera:

Functional

Bonus

C1

Applicant’s Salary

C5

C5. Skills

(Shortage Occupation List)

C2

Applicant’s Qualifications

C6

Strategic Economic Priorities

C3

Employer’s Diversity



C4

Employer’s support for local employment




Other than the qualifying salary, applicants must pass the COMPASS with a score of at least 40 points.

An applicant is exempted from COMPASS if they fulfil ANY of these conditions:
1. Earning at least SGD 22,500 fixed monthly salary (similar to the prevailing Fair Consideration Framework job advertising exemption from 1 Sep 2023).
2. Applying as an overseas intra-corporate transferee under the World Trade Organisation’s General Agreement on Trade in Services or an applicable Free Trade Agreement that Singapore is party to.
Filling a role on a short-term basis, i.e. 1 month or less.


 All Sectors (except financial services)
≥SGD 5,000 
(increases progressively with age from age 23, up to SGD 10,500 at age 45 and above)		 Financial Services Sector
  ≥SGD 5,500 
  (increases progressively with age from age   
  23, up to SGD 11,500 at age 45 and above)

S Pass (SP)Mid-level skilled workers For renewals from 1 Sep 2023 for renewals ✓ N.A.Foreign Worker Levy; commonly known as ‘levy’, must be paid by the employer for all its S-Pass holders. This liability starts from the day the S-Pass is issued and ends when the pass is cancelled or expires. 
 All Sectors (except financial services): 
≥SGD 3,000 
(increases progressively with age from age 23, up to SGD 4,500 at age 45 and above)		 Financial Services sector: 
≥SGD 3,500 
(increases progressively with age from age 23, up to SGD 5,500 at age 45 and above)
 For new applications from 1 Sep 2023 and renewals from 1 Sep 2024
 All Sectors (except financial services): 
≥SGD 3,150 
(increases progressively with age from age 23, up to SGD 4,650 at age 45 and above)		 Financial Services sector: 
≥SGD 3,650 
(increases progressively with age from age 23, up to SGD 5,650 at age 45 and above)
Work Permit for Migrant Worker (WP)Semi-skilled workers
 N.A. N.A.Workers must be from sector-specific approved source countries
Subjected to other business sector-specific requirements
Letter of Consent (LOC)* 
For eligible DP holders who wish to operate a business in Singapore. N.A.XN.A.
N.A.
Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass 
(ONE Pass) 		Allows holder to concurrently start, operate and work for multiple companies in Singapore at any one time.

Either one of the salary criteria below:
• Earn a fixed monthly salary of at least SGD 30,000, or its equivalent in foreign currency for the last year.
• Will earn a fixed monthly salary of at least SGD 30,000 under their prospective employer based in Singapore.

  X• Legally-married spouse
• Unmarried children under 21 years old
• Unmarried, legally adopted children under 21 years old
 
• Individuals who have outstanding achievements in the arts and culture, sports, as well as academia and research to qualify for the ONE Pass without meeting the salary criterion.
• The fixed monthly salary of at least S$30,000 should come from one employer. MOM may consider other sources of income on a case-by-case basis. In addition to meeting the salary criteria above, the candidates also need to fulfil other conditions as required by MOM.
 

For all other types of work passes (eg.  EntrePass, Personalised Employment Pass and etc), please feel free to contact us for further information.

*There are also other types of LOC:
• Pre-approved LOC
• LOC for ICA-issued LTVP / LTVP+ holders
Please feel free to contact us for further information.

The standard processing time for an EP application is ten (10) business days and a S-Pass application is three (3) weeks. 
If the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) requests for more documents, the processing time may take an additional three six (3-6) weeks. 
Examples of documents that the MOM may request for; but not limited to, include the local corporate bank account records / statements, client contracts issued and business plans.
Hence, please be prepared that the total processing time may take up to seven to eight (7-8) weeks.

The validity of an EP at first application is up to two (2) years, subsequent renewals may be up to three (3) years.

Before you submit an EP or S-Pass application, you must advertise the job vacancy on MyCareersFuture.sg administered by Workforce Singapore (“WSG”). 
This includes EP or S-Pass applications for change of employers. 

The advertisement must meet the following requirements:
- Be open to Singaporeans.
- Adhere with the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP).
- Run for at least 14 calendar days before you apply for the pass.
- If you have made any changes to the job advertisement, the job must be advertised for another 14 calendar days (from the date changes was made) before a pass application may be lodged.

Companies are exempted from the Job Posting requirements if any of the following requirements are met:
- Your company has fewer than 10 employees.
- The fixed monthly salary for the vacancy is SGD 22,500 and above
- The role is short-term, i.e. not more than 1 month.
- The role is to be filled by a local transferee.
- The role is to be filled by a candidate choosing to apply as an overseas intra-corporate transferee.

W.E.F. 1 Sep 2023, educational qualifications declared to MOM in EP applications will have to be supported with verification proof (awarding institution and/or academic certificate) from MOM-approved background-screening companies. This is to ensure that the qualifications declared are authentic.

Education certificates certified by a notary public are not accepted as a form of verification proof.

A Fixed Monthly Salary consists of Basic Monthly Salary and Fixed Monthly Allowances.

Please note that Fixed Monthly Salary does not include:
• Variable allowances
• Overtime payment, bonus, commission, or annual wage supplements
• Benefit-in-kind payments
• Any form of reimbursements, including expenses incurred by an employee during his or her employment
• Productivity incentive payments
• Contributions paid to any pension or provident fund, including any contributions made on the employee's behalf
• Gratuity payable on discharge, retrenchment, or retirement of the foreign employee

Yes, all documents in a language other than English must be translated by a translation service provider. The original document and its English-translated version must be submitted to MOM during the application in a single (1) file.

If your company has been registered for less than 6 months and:
- You hold / plan to hold more than 30% of shares, you should apply for EntrePass instead.
- You hold / plan to hold less than 30% of shares, you may apply for EP.

If your company has been registered for more than 6 months, you can only apply for EP.

An employer or appointed employment agent (EA) needs to apply on behalf of the candidate. 

In cases where an overseas company does not have a Singapore-registered office, the EP will be applied through a local sponsor. 

An application can be rejected for varied reasons. Some of the common causes are as follow:

  1. The company did not meet the quota required
  2. The company turnover did not seem to generate enough revenue to pay employee salaries.
  3. The candidate failed the medical examination
  4. The candidate did not meet the minimum salary requirement.
  5. The candidate’s qualifications were not from accredited institutions.

Some of the above reasons might be due to the company’s poor understanding of the application process for such work passes. Hence it is useful to get help from us as our EP Specialists will work closely with you to maximise your chances in obtaining the work passes. In the event that the application gets rejected, we will be able to advise you on how best to proceed.

Should MOM require the candidate to undergo a medical examination, it will be indicated in the In-Principal Approval (IPA) letter once the work pass application is approved.

Employers are required to make CPF contributions for their employees who are Singapore citizens or Singapore permanent residents. Hence, work pass holders are not required to contribute to CPF.

The EP renewal process can be kick-started 6 months (180 days) before the pass expiry date.

However, considering the time required for processing, the application for renewal should not be submitted less than 2 months before the pass expiry date.

An EP can be renewed for a period up to three (3) years.

If the EP is not renewed before it expires, a new EP application would have to be made.

EP or S-Pass holders earning a minimum fixed monthly salary of $6,000 can bring their spouse and unmarried children under 21 to Singapore on Dependent Pass (“DP”) or bring their common law spouse on Long Term Visit Pass (“LTVP”).

EP or S-Pass holders earning a minimum fixed monthly salary of $12,000 can bring their parents to Singapore on MOM-issued LTVP.

This verification is required for foreign children born overseas who meet the following conditions:-

- Aged 12 years old and below.

- Applying for a new DP – this includes those whose DPs have expired or been cancelled for more than 30 days.

No. However, DP holders can apply for EP, S-Pass or Work Permit if they wish to work in Singapore. The prospective employer must submit an application on their behalf, and the relevant qualifying salaries, quotas and levies of the respective work passes will apply.

Eligible DP holders who wish to operate a business can apply for a Letter of Consent for DP holders who are business owners.

To be eligible to apply for an LOC, you need to be one of the following types of business owner:
• The sole proprietor of an ACRA-registered business.
• A partner of an ACRA-registered business.
• A company director with at least 30% shareholding in an ACRA-registered business.

To be eligible for a renewal of the LOC, you will also need to hire at least one Singaporean / Permanent Resident who earns at least the prevailing Local Qualifying Salary and receives CPF contributions for at least 3 months.

W.E.F. 01 Sep 2023, EP candidates must pass a two-stage eligibility framework (ie. qualifying salary and COMPASS framework). Also, there are changes to S-Pass qualifying salaries, levy rates, and quota. We are available if you need help with them – let us know. Also, we have revised our fees w.e.f. 01 Sep 2023 – let us know if you wish to know more.

Interested to Know More?

Contact our EPS Specialists at:

Priscillia Lim
+65 6705 7010
PriscilliaLimLK@stoneforest.com.sg

Josephine Loh
+65 6705 7180
JosephineLohYY@stoneforest.com.sg

Jia Yi Liew
+65 6705 7177
LiewJiaYi@stoneforest.com.sg

Employment Pass Services

Our Services covers the following key functions:

  • Employment Pass
  • S pass
  • Renewals
  • Work Permits

Interested to know more?

 

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