Work Pass & Visas

Employment Pass

For Foreigners who wish to actively run their business OR Foreign professionals and executives who wish to work in Singapore may apply for an Employment Pass (EP).

Eligibility

The EP is for foreign professionals who:

  • Have a job offer in Singapore;
  • Work in a managerial, executive or specialised job;
  • Earn a fixed monthly salary of at least $4,500 (older, more experienced candidates need higher salaries); and
  • Have acceptable qualifications, usually a good university degree, professional qualifications or specialised skills.

Salaries for younger or older candidates

Young graduates from good institutions can qualify if they earn at least $4,500.

Older, more experienced candidates need higher salaries to qualify.

Information and Documents required

Employment History – detailed CV

  • Including dates of employment (dd/mm/yyyy)
  • Name of companies
  • Occupation
  • Country of employment
  • Last drawn salary in SGD
  • Brief description of duties and responsibilities of each employment history
  • Total period of relevant working experience with the post of your EP application

Note: If you are applying for an EP under a newly setup Singapore company, the company should be at least 6 months old and is active before you can submit your application.

Education

  • 2 of your highest qualifications (include dates dd/mm/yyyy, “from” and “to”)
  • Qualification (eg. Bachelor, Honours, Diploma, Advance Dip)
  • Awarding body/institute/university of the qualifications (country/state/province and name)
  • Mode of study (distance learning/full time/part time)
  • Faculty (eg. engineering)
  • Specialisation (eg. civil engineering)
  • Membership with society/organisation (if any) and position held (eg. chairman, treasurer, president)

Others

  • 1 copy of your passport photo
  • Race and religion
  • any other documents that may support your applications such as testimonial from previous employers
  • please also provide a personal particulars page which include marital status
  • if married please provide name, NRIC/FIN no. and date of birth of spouse

Processing Time

  • Online Application – within 3 weeks for most cases

Pass Types

P Pass/Q Pass

There are three categories of Employment Pass: P1, P2 and Q Pass. The P Pass is for foreigners seeking professional, managerial or executive and specialist jobs.

  • P1 Pass – for applicants earning a fixed monthly salary of more than $8,000.
  • P2 Pass – for applicants earning a fixed monthly salary of more than $5,000 and up to $7,000 and he/she possesses recognised qualifications.
  • Q Pass – for applicants earning a fixed monthly salary of more than $3,900 and he/she possesses recognised qualifications.

Compensatory factors such as skills and years of experience may be taken into consideration for Q1 applications.

There is no dependency ceiling or levy payable for Employment Pass.

Illustration: Employment Pass Eligibility Summary Table

Pass Type Factor One Factor Two Factor Three
P1 Fixed monthly salary > $8,000 and Professional, Managerial, Executive, Specialist jobs
P2 Fixed monthly salary > $5,000 and Professional, Managerial, Executive, Specialist jobs and recognised qualifications
Q1 Fixed monthly salary > $4,500 and recognised qualifications In lieu of recognised qualifications, we may also consider compensatory factors such as skills and years of experience (we recommend a minimum of five years relevant work experience)

 

Passes for Family Members

Employment Pass holders can apply for the Dependant`s Pass and/or Long-Term Visit Pass for their family members.

Who is eligible

To be eligible, you need to:

  • Earn at least $6,000 a month; and
  • Hold an Employment Pass.

Dependant`s Pass

Both P and Q Pass holders can apply for a Dependant`s Pass for their:

  • Legally married spouse
  • Unmarried or legally adopted children under 21 years of age, including newborns

Long-Term Visit Pass

P Pass holders can also apply for a Long-Term Visit Pass for their:

  • Common law spouse
  • Unmarried handicapped children above 21 years of age
  • Unmarried step-children under 21 years of age
  • Parents – only for those earning a fixed monthly salary of at least $12,000

Summary

EntrePass type Dependant`s Pass Long-Term Visit Pass
P Yes Yes
Q1 Yes No