Singapore Employment Pass

Key Features of the Singapore Employment Pass:

Types of Roles

This pass is commonly extended to skilled professional, business owners, artists, and foreign employees in other specialized professions

Validity Period

Typically 1 to 3 years but renewable.

Option for Permanent Residency

Holders of Singapore Employment Pass can apply for Permanent Residency in Singapore after working for several years if they intend to build a long term career in Singapore.

FAQ

A Work Visa for foreign professional employees or business owners to work in Singapore is called a Singapore Employment Pass.

All application for Employment Pass requires an Employer to sponsor the application. This is a crucial point for all foreign job seekers to take note of before approaching employment pass application agency to process any application.

All foreigners with a job offer from a registered Singapore company can apply provided the salary offered meets the minimum requirements at the point of application adjusted for age.

Since 1 September 2023, employers must also consider whether they are eligible to hire foreigners on Employment Pass based on a new COMPASS framework where diversity of foreign nationals currently employed and proportion of local employees in the company are taken into account in the assessment process.

In general, the applicant’s passport copy, verified educational certificate, and employment contract are required to begin the process.

The employer must also provide an authorization letter, ACRA business profile, and data regarding the job posting results.

The application and assessment process can take between 3 to 4 weeks from the point of submission. However, prior to each application, certain employers may be required to put up a job advertisement at MyCareersFuture for 14 days to provide an opportunity for local job seekers to apply for the job.

Since 1 September 2023, if the education qualification of the applicant is to be submitted for consideration, education verification via an external accredited agency is required. If this has not been done, it may take 2 to 3 weeks for this process to take place first.

Our professional service includes the appeal process too. We will analyse the reasons the application is rejected and work with you to frame up an appeal letter justifying why your application should be reconsidered.

In addressing the reasons for rejection, we may require you to elaborate and provide more information and documentation relating to your business and hiring plan including candidate background, etc.

Yes. A foreign director can apply for a Singapore Employment Pass if the business owner/director is required to work or manage his company in Singapore.

However, not all foreigners or businesses are eligible or can be approved. It is advisable that prior to the incorporation of the company, the prospective business owner/ foreign director discuss the likelihood of obtaining approval with a work pass specialist.

In general, EP holder cannot work or become director of more than one local company in Singapore. However, if there is a valid reason, the EP holder can apply for an exemption or a Letter of Consent ( LOC ) from the Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to be a director of another local company if the EP holder is eligible and meets the criteria.

MOM recognises that secondary directorship positions in related companies, e.g. subsidiary, may be critical to the EP holders job role. As such, EP holders may be allowed to take up such secondary director roles through a LOC.

If the secondary directorship position is in an unrelated company, e.g. fund entities, MOM may still grant the LOC if it is relevant to the EP holder’s primary occupation.

It is important to pick the right consultant to support your application to have the highest chance of success. Our firm is licensed by Singapore Ministry of Manpower and we have been established since 2003. Our team of expert consultants possess expert in-depth knowledge and insights on the latest rules and criteria for approval.

Yes, we provide support in renewing the Employment Pass of your existing employees.

The renewal application process can start 6 months prior to expiry and employers are encouraged to start the renewal process as early as possible.

You can contact us for a free no obligation discussion and assessment before you decide whether to engage our professional service. Once you have decided to engage our service, we will provide you with a list of documents required and our fee quotation for your acceptance and confirmation.

Benefits of Engaging Human Resource Consultant

The following are some key advantages:

Expert Guidance & Advice : With the frequent changes in qualifying rules and criteria, expert guidance and advisory support would be useful to prepare each application to ensure successful outcome.
Free Consultation / Assessment : A good agency partner would be able to provide some form of preliminary assessment and consultation to assess the viability and chances of approval.
On-Going Support : A dedicated account manager can be a good interface with liaison and providing business consultancy support in navigating requirements of approving agency.
End-To-End Support : Agency can manage the end-to-end process to support clients in responding to approving agency queries, and handling additional requests.

Why Us?

Our professional HR team support business owners and businesses with the following scope of services:

Consultation on Eligibility & Strategy: We assess both the employer and prospective applicant profiles holistically and advise you on whether you can meet the minimum points required and when an application can be made.
Documentation Preparation Support: We support our clients in collating and checking all the necessary supporting documents and ensure all the needed documents are complete and application data are submitted accurately and adequately. This include advice and support on education verification process.
Monitoring of Application: We monitor the progress of each application, update you regularly and will take the necessary follow up actions when the application is delayed or requires appropriate action.
Appeal Support: Increasingly, more cases would require deeper and further evaluation due the COMPASS assessment. This will necessitate the provision of additional supporting documents or letters. If such situation arises, our team are well trained and equipped to advise and support you in liaising with the relevant agency to attend to all matters and issues including preparing and submitting unlimited appeal letters, if warranted.

Our firm has been established since 2003 as a Licensed Ministry of Manpower human resource agency. We have an almost perfect track record in consulting, supporting our clients with seamless EP processing. Each client is managed and treated with a personalised approach by our experienced team of dedicated professional members.

Don’t take any chances, work with a professional human resource firm support for a stress-free Singapore Employment Pass application process!