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Singapore Employment Pass Overview

Singapore Employment Pass (EP) is a type of Singapore work pass that allows foreign professionals, directors and business owners to legally work in Singapore. Overseas companies can use the Employment Pass to relocate their employees to Singapore. In this guide, you will learn everything you need to know about the Employment Pass Application Process, Qualifying Criteria and how you can overcome an Employment Pass Rejection.

What is an Employment Pass?

The Singapore Employment Pass (EP) is a type of Singapore work pass / visa granted by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to foreigners (professionals, managers, executives or directors), who wish to work legally in Singapore. This is the most versatile work pass that covers the biggest group of current foreign working professionals in Singapore (aside from work permit holders). Additionally, no work pass quota is required for this type of work pass but there are other new requirements implemented recently to ensure the fair consideration of locals before the hiring of foreigners on Employment Pass. Read further to learn more.

Key Features of Employment Pass(EP)

For those who wish to have more flexibility in their Employment so that their visa is independent of their Singapore company sponsor, they can explore the Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) option if they are a high-income earner. 
 
In case you are a business owner or entrepreneur with an innovative business idea, you may read further on how to secure the Singapore Entrepreneur Visa (Entrepass).

How to Qualify for Employment Pass?

Above all, MOM may also reject you based on other reasons as the application is assessed holistically. As long as you have no genuine reason for hiring a foreigner, they have the right to reject your application. Learn more about the Latest Employment Pass Changes in 2021
 

For those who do not have any company sponsor in Singapore, you can explore the Personalised Employment Pass. This is a self-sponsor work pass that does not need an employer but you must meet certain criteria to be eligible for the Personalised Employment Pass (PEP). 

The Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) is implemented as a standard requirement to ensure that all employers in Singapore consider candidates fairly for job opportunities without showing any discrimination based on non-job-related elements like gender, age, nationality or race.

Employers must now advertise their job under the national job portal, jobsbank, for at least 28 days before they can proceed with the application for an employment pass or S-Pass.

Who are exempted from Advertising

All locally registered companies in Singapore must practice fair hiring unless they are exempted from the requirements. You are exempted from advertising on MyCareersFuture if your company fulfills any of the following criteria:

** Under the WTO GATS, the overseas employee must have worked in an overseas related company for at least 1 year and they must hold certain roles to be eligible for ICT.

Only companies with less than 10 employees or when the offered salary is higher than 20,000 SGD is exempted.

What are the documents I need for the application of an Employment Pass?

Beside the above documents, you may have to provide supplementary documents as proof of business activities or detail explanation on why you need the applicant. 

Employment Pass Application & Processing time

To submit an Employment Pass application, you can either:

We would strongly recommend Online application as manual application can lead to delays to your application and further complication when submitting additional documents.

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Employment Pass Status

Typically, you can expect to get an update from MOM within 3 weeks upon your first submission of your application (except manual application). At this point of time, you may obtain a favourable outcome or MOM may send a request for additional support documents required further assess your case (In certain case, you may be rejected first). You will either receive an SMS or email notification on your application status depending on what you had declared to MOM on the mode of communication.

In case you do not receive your Singapore employment pass status within 3 weeks after submission, you may check your MOM EP status here.

MOM Additional Documents Request

MOM additional documents request typically happens when your company is new or does not have enough financial in their records to proof that you have the revenue to sponsor a work pass holder. However, there can also be other reasons that are linked to the applicant’s credential like the applicant does not have the experience or qualification required for the work.

The first step is to analyse carefully on the list of documents that MOM are requesting for you to furnish. The documents provide to MOM must be strong enough to justify the hiring of foreigner to work in the company.

Appeal for Employment Pass (EP) Rejection

At this stage, you had probably submitted an application or an appeal for your employment pass application but your application is still rejected. There can be many reasons of rejection for an EP application but you should not be worry if you have a strong case. You can always appeal against a rejection if you have a strong reason on why the application should not be rejected.

You can submit your appeal on the EPOL portal via the employer or authorised third party agency like One Visa. You must submit your appeal within 3 months from the date of rejection. Therefore, you are given more than enough time to review the rejection reason(s) or seeking someone professional for advice before you submit all your required documents or justification letters. Do remember that you are only given 2 chances to appeal for a rejection so without the understanding of what the MOM officer wants, there is not point to waste your chance on an appeal. Always seek professional help if you are unsure of how to proceed with your appeal.

Passes for the family members of Employment Pass holder

As an employment pass holder, you are only allowed to sponsor your spouse, children and parents. Additionally, you must earn a monthly income of at least 6,000 SGD per month to be able to sponsor your dependents. Additional income requirements to sponsor your parents.

Family Member Category

Type of Pass to apply for

Married Spouse & Unmarried Children (including those that are legally adopted)

Dependant's Pass
Common-law spouse, unmarried handicapped children above 21 year-old & unmarried step-children below 21 year-old

Long Term Visit Pass

Parents
(Employment Pass holders must earn a minimum income of 12,000 SGD per month)
Long Term Visit Pass
Check ltvp status or DP MOM Non Login portal

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Overseas Sponsorship case for Employment Pass

Overseas sponsorship Employment Pass is suitable for those overseas companies (with no local presence) who are planning to send their employee as a consultant for a 1-2 years project to be attached to a local client company in Singapore. The salary will still be remunerated from the overseas company but the client company is responsible for sponsoring the employment pass. You must clearly define the relationship between your overseas company and the local company as well as the nature of work for the overseas consultant.

 

For this type of employment pass, you are only allowed to apply manually and it will take at least 8 – 12 weeks. So you must prepare well in advance if you are looking to apply for this type of employment pass.

Employment Pass Vs. Entrepass

Typically, Employment Passes are granted to those who are salaried employees. However, for those business owners, directors, or shareholders who do not meet the innovative requirements of Entrepass, they can apply for Employment Pass instead. See below for a detailed comparison between Employment Pass and Entrepass.

EntrepassEmployment Pass (EP)
Company RequirementsMust be new company setup < 6 monthsNo requirement for how long the company has been established
Business ActivitiesA business plan is enough as proof of businessNeed concrete business activities as proof of ongoing business
Salary RequirementNo salary requiredNeed to be paid a minimum monthly salary
Main Evaluation CriteriaInnovative business idea and the applicant’s business track record. A 10-page business plan is required. Check out our full list of Entrepass criteria.Company sponsors business activities and applicant’s credentials (education, relevant working experience etc.). Check out our full list of criteria.
Renewal criteriaNeed to meet certain business milestones for your renewal to be granted.Your company must show proof of business activities for your renewal to be granted.
Processing Time8 – 12 weeks3 – 8 weeks
Dependant Pass EligibilityMust achieve the business milestones set by MOM before you can apply for Dependant Passes for your family.Must be making a minimum salary of 6,000 SGD per month before you can apply for Dependant Passes for your family. Check out our full list of Dependant's Pass Criteria.
Pass ValidityIssued for 12 months and can be renewed on a 12 month basisIssued for 12 – 24 months and can be renewed for 24 to 36 months.

Employment Pass Renewal

Typically, your employment pass is granted for 12 – 24 months and you are allowed to process your employment pass renewal 6 months prior to the expiry of your current work pass. However, the renewal of the EP is not guaranteed. The company sponsor will still be scrutinised on whether they have enough business activities to hire the existing EP holder. Therefore, it is always better to plan in advance on documentation required before you proceed with the renewal.

Important changes to notify MOM

There are certain changes that you should notify MOM. See below for details all the changes that you are required to update MOM:

Cancellation of Employment Pass

The employer is given 7 days from the last day of work to cancel the employment pass of an EP holder when he/she is no longer working in the company. In the situation when the EP expires, you are given 1 days to cancel the pass. Only the employer or an employment agency can assist in the cancellation online.

For any cancellation of employment pass, the work pass holder will be given 30 days short term visit pass to arrange for his/her departure. Before the departure, it is the responsibility of the applicant to seek tax clearance from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS). The employer must also settle all outstanding salary owed to EP holder.

Pathway to Singapore Permanent Residency

As an EP holder, you are eligible to apply for the Singapore PR but the Singapore Permanent Residency follows a different set of criteria. PR is assessed based on your contribution to Singapore as an individual, your family profile, and your ability to integrate into the Singapore culture. There is no fixed number of years that you have to stay to be eligible for SPR. If you are interested, you can view our Singapore PR Service.

Key Updates for Employment Pass 2022 / 2023

From September 2022, there will be some minor changes to the Employment Pass criteria. These changes are mainly focusing on the raising qualifying salary of the Employment Pass Application. Read more about the Employment Pass changes for 2022

From September 2023, there will be a major revamp of the Employment Pass criteria. This is when the new Employment Pass Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) kicks in. All applications will have to score 40 points to be eligible for the application for Employment Pass. Check out our Beginner’s guide to the New COMPASS Requirements here

How Can One Visa Help in your Employment Pass?

We are the leading MOM licensed agency (EA No.: 10C2994) with over 10 years of expertise in Immigration. Through the years, we have successfully assisted over 10,000 business owners, entrepreneurs, investors and executives to move to Singapore. Our customised solutions have helped them secure over 90% success rate in their applications. Let us help you to navigate the Singapore Immigration System.

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frequently asked questions

The employment pass usually takes 3 weeks to process upon submission. In certain cases like MOM additional document request or appeal submission, you need additional 3 – 5 weeks upon submission of the additional documents or appeal. For manual application, it can take up to 8 weeks to process.

No, quota only applies to S-Pass or Work Permit but you are required to justify substantially why there is a need for the applicant.
For new application, you are granted 12 – 24 months. For renewals, 12 – 36 months.
There is no official figure for the rejection rate but as long as you have a valid reason for hiring the applicant with fair hiring practice, you should be able to get approval.

From September 2022, the minimum salary for the new Employment Pass (EP) applicants will be raised from the current $4,500 to $5,000. As for those in the  financial services sector, the minimum salary bar will be increased from $5,000 to $5,500.

The EP is assessed based on a wide range of criteria. As long as your company has financial ability and genuine reason to hire the applicant and the applicant has the right credential, you are able to obtain the approval for an EP with the right set of documents the strengthen your case. However, when Foreign Manpower policies keep changing, it is always important to seek someone professional for you . Contact us today for free assessment.

Typically, you are only allowed to be the director of the company that sponsor your Employment Pass. If you want to a director of other company, you need to seek approval from the MOM and obtain a letter of consent.

Employment Pass is for salaried employee to work for a company while the entrepass is for business owner or entrepreneurs to run their business lawfully in Singapore..

Yes, you can apply for an Employment Pass only when your company is more than 6 month old. For newly incorporated company, you will need to apply for Singapore entrepass. Learn more about entrepass

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