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Employment Pass

SingaporeWork

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Get your free results Read the five questions ↓

What type of worker, employment situation, occupation or professional activity is this pathway actually designed for?

The Employment Pass is for foreign professionals, managers and executives who have a job offer in Singapore and meet the eligibility criteria; MOM also names technicians among those the pass allows to work in Singapore.

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Does the applicant need a job offer, employer, sponsor, transfer relationship or other employer involvement? What is important about that employer relationship?

A job offer in Singapore is required. Employers must meet the Fair Consideration Framework job-advertising requirement before submitting new EP applications. COMPASS also assesses the employer's contribution to complementary local and foreign teams.

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Limits of the record
  • The complete application responsibility and all employer conditions are not established by these passages.
  • Who is eligible
    Unless exempted, pass the points-based Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS). Note: Candidates who do not meet stage 1 will not be eligible for an EP, regardless of the points they would have scored under COMPASS. Employers and employment agents can use the enhanced Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) to check a candidate’s eligibility before they apply. Employers must continue to meet the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) job advertising requirement before submitting new EP applications. EP qualifying salary (Stage 1) The following EP qualifying salary requirements apply to new applications and renewals: Sector Current minimum qualifying salary Minimum qualifying salary for new applications from 1 Jan 2027, and for renewal of passes expiring from 1 Jan 2028 All (except financial services) $5,600 (increases progressively with age from ag
  • C4. Support for local employment
    chmarks your candidate’s salary against the local PMET salaries in your sector. C2. Qualifications This criterion awards points to candidates based on their qualifications. C3. Diversity This criterion awards more points to applications where the candidate’s nationality forms a small share of the firm’s PMET employees. C4. Support for local employment This criterion recognises organisations that create opportunities for the local workforce and build complementary teams comprising both local and foreign professionals. C5. Skills bonus (Shortage Occupation List) This bonus recognises jobs that require highly specialised skills, which are in shortage in the local workforce. C6. Strategic Economic Priorities bonus This bonus recognises organisations that are either undertaking ambitious investment, innovation and internationalisation activities in partnership with econo
  • https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/employment-pass/key-facts
    Foreign professionals, managers and executives with a job offer in Singapore who meet the eligibility criteria .
  • https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/employment-pass
    The Employment Pass allows foreign professionals, managers, executives and technicians to work in Singapore.

What are the few decisive professional characteristics of the pathway: occupation, qualifications, experience, salary, skill level, shortage status, labour-market condition or equivalent?

Two stages: first, earn at least the EP qualifying salary, benchmarked to the top one-third of local PMET salaries by age; second, unless exempted, score at least 40 points under COMPASS. Candidates are exempt from COMPASS if they earn a fixed monthly salary of at least $22,500, apply as an overseas intra-corporate transferee, or fill the role for 1 month or less.

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Limits of the record
  • The exact qualifying-salary amounts by age and sector (table on the page) are not cited in this answer.

What work does the permission allow? Is the holder tied to an employer, occupation or sector? Can family accompany where clearly established?

The EP is tied to employment with the employer: the employer must apply to cancel the EP when the employment ceases. Family can accompany: an EP holder earning at least $6,000 a month can bring a legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21 (Dependant's Pass), and a common-law spouse, unmarried handicapped children aged 21+ and unmarried step-children under 21 (Long-Term Visit Pass); parents only if the EP holder earns at least $12,000 (Long-Term Visit Pass). The employer submits a separate application for each family member.

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Limits of the record
  • The employer-tie rule comes from MOM's conditions-of-work-pass PDF marked "Informal Consolidation – version in force from 1/10/2020"; a later version was not checked.
  • No MOM page captured states whether the EP restricts the holder to a particular occupation or sector.

How long is the permission normally granted for, how is it renewed, and what longer-term residence direction exists if officially stated?

First-time EPs are granted for up to 2 years and renewals for up to 3 years; experienced tech professionals with skills in shortage may get a 5-year EP. The EP is renewable: the employer or appointed employment agent applies up to 6 months before expiry, and the candidate must still earn at least the EP qualifying salary, work for the same employer in a managerial, executive or specialised job and pass COMPASS (unless earning at least $22,500); renewals are not guaranteed. An EP holder can apply to ICA for Singapore permanent residence, assessed on ICA's PR criteria.

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These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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