Singapore Employment Pass Application The Facts And Procedure

Singapores advancing economic structure attracts a great number of individuals who wish to experience its business potential. Any foreigner who wishes to do business in Singapore, either by seeking employment or putting up his own company, must first obtain a Singapore Employment Pass before he can legally transact his business in the country. A Singapore Employment Pass is a work visa issued by the Ministry of Manpower to foreign business people who are already employed in Singapore or to any business person still seeking for employment or who either owns a Singapore company or is a shareholder or director of such company.

The Singapore Employment Pass has three types, depending on the purpose:

P1 Pass for a minimum monthly income of S$7,000 and holds a managerial, executive or specialist position
P2 Pass for a minimum monthly income of S$3,500
Q1 Pass for a minimum monthly income of S$2,500

Applications for a Singapore Employment Pass are submitted to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). The MOM is the sole authority that reviews, evaluates and approves EP Applications. To be eligible for a Singapore EP, the applicant must possess specialist skills and professional qualifications. In this case, an applicants educational attainment and background are added considerations, so it is important that a hard copy of the Original Transcript of Records and other relevant certificates pertaining to education is attached to the application. Although, educational attainment is vital, its absence could still be compensated by presenting the following documents: resume or curriculum vitae indicating in details the educational and employment history, testimonials or certificates of employment from previous employers, and a copy of passport. An applicant who has not earned a college degree is not immediately denied by the Ministry of Manpower as long as his application is sufficient in form and substance and his supporting credentials are excellent.

There are three steps in applying for a Singapore EP with the Ministry of Manpower:

First Step: For newly incorporated companies, an authorization code must first be obtained from the MOM before submitting the application. The authorization code is issued within 1-2 weeks.

Second Step: Submit your EP application. An application may be submitted personally to the MOM or online. The approval of the application takes at least 2 weeks.

Third Step: Once an application is approved, the MOM sends through email, an In-Principle Approval (IPA). The IPA must then be presented personally to the Work Pass Division of the MOM upon claiming the EP. The IPA is valid for 6 months from the time of notification of approval. Aside from the IPA, the applicant must also bring a medical exam report (which may be issued by the applicants country of origin or by in Singapore), original passport with entry embarkation cards, recent passport-size photos, and other documents specified in the IPA. Documents which are not in the English language must be translated into English by any Singaporean accredited official translation service.

An EP issued for the first time is valid for 2 years and can be renewed thereafter. The renewed EP is valid for 3 years. Once an Employment Pass (EP) has been issued, the foreign holder may now apply for a Dependent Pass or Long-Term Visit Pass for his/her family members.

Requirements For Singapore Employment Pass Eligibility

There are three categories of Employment Passes in Singapore: the P1 Employment Pass, P2 Employment Pass and Q1 Employment Pass. Before considering to apply for a particular employment pass, it is important that you possess all the required criteria to be eligible for the employment pass you are applying for.
The basic requirements to be eligible for a Singapore Employment Pass is that the foreigner applicant must have a fixed monthly salary of at least S$2,500 and must possess the recognized qualifications which includes acceptable degrees, professional qualifications or specialist skills. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is the authority that evaluates each EP application and qualification, based on a criteria that includes the following: global and country institution rankings by independent accreditation boards, hiring history by top companies in Singapore, validation by HR consultants in listed countries, employment outcome of the institution’s graduates, and the institution’s enrollment standards.
In addition to the foregoing basic requirements of monthly salary and recognized qualifications for a Singapore EP, each of the three categories of EPs have specific eligibility requirements and this article will discuss each of these categories briefly:
P1 Employment Pass
A P1 Employment Pass can be given to an applicant who performs a Professional, Managerial, Executive or Specialist job and has a fixed monthly salary of at least S$7,000.
P2 Employment Pass
A P2 Employment Pass can be given to an applicant who performs a Professional, Managerial, Executive or Specialist job and has a fixed monthly salary of at least S$3,500 and not more than S$7,000.
Q1 Employment Pass
A Q1 Employment Pass can be given to an applicant who performs a Professional, Managerial, Executive or Specialist job and has a fixed monthly salary of at least S$2,500 and not more than S$3,500. An applicant who does not possess the recognized qualifications as discussed in the first part of this article can still be eligible for a Q1 EP provided he possesses compensatory factors such as skills and years of experience, depending on the discretion of the MOM. A minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience is a plus factor.
A fixed monthly salary, as discussed above, refers to the total regular income of a foreign employee earned from his job, including his basic salary, and this income must be paid to the employee on a fixed monthly basis, regardless of his performance.
A fixed monthly salary and/or basic salary does not include the following: additional payment by way of overtime, bonus or commission; any form of reimbursements or in-kind payments; any sum paid to an employee or contract worker to defray special expenses incurred by him owing to the special, unusual or hazardous nature of the employment; any productivity incentive payments and any allowances which are variable in nature; any contributions paid by the employer or employee to any pension or provident fund; or any gratuity payable on discharge or retirement.

Singapore Employment Pass Application Process

Foreign entrepreneurs, shareholders, managing directors, high-ranking employees, and professionals in Singapore are required to apply for Employment Pass if they want to work, setup a business, and relocate in the country.

This visa has a more stringent qualification compared to other types of work pass in the country. With this, applicants should meet these criteria in order to receive this visa.

At least a fixed monthly salary of S$2,500. According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), a fixed monthly salary does not include allowance, payment for overtime, bonus and commission, productivity incentives, and contributions of employers to a workers pension.

Work-related experience. MOM recommends at least five years of relevant work experience which can show that a foreign individual has already earned extensive skills and knowledge from his profession.

A college degree from a reputable university. Meanwhile, it is important to note that this requirement is not the sole determining factor that will make an applicant eligible for Singapore Employment Pass.

Specialize skills and professional qualifications for foreign employees and entrepreneurial skills and business background for foreign businessmen.

Aside from the criteria stated above, MOM also considers a professionals role and responsibility in a company, reputation of his company, and his age and current citizenship. For an entrepreneur, the agency usually considers his company paid-up capital and potential contributions to the economy.

Meanwhile, the Employment Pass is categorized in to three types which are primarily based on the fixed monthly salary rate of an applicant:

P1 Employment Pass must have a fixed monthly salary of at least S$7,000

P2 Employment Pass must have a fixed monthly salary of at least S$3,500

Q1 Employment Pass must have a fixed monthly salary of at least S$2,500

One of the main advantages of being a holder of Employment Pass is that direct family members can relocate, work, and study in Singapore as long as they will apply for Dependant Pass. MOM defines direct family members as spouses and unmarried children aged under 21 years old.

Both Employment Pass holders and their direct family members are eligible for permanent residence status in due time.

In addition, Employment Pass holders, except foreign individuals who fall under the category of Q1, are allowed to bring their relatives and family members in Singapore through a visa called Long-Term Visit Pass which is issued to unmarried daughters above 21 years old, stepchildren and handicapped children at any age, parents, and parents-in-law.

Singapore Employment Pass How To Get Approved

The Ministry of Manpower grants Singapore Employment Pass that is usually valid for one to two years to eligible applicants. Employment Pass provides comfort to foreigners in terms of travelling in and out of the country. The work visa is renewable as long as the pass holder remains employed in a Singapore company. It also provides chance to pass holder to apply for a permanent residence status.

Employment Pass is required for any entrepreneur who has just incorporated a Singapore company and desires to move to Singapore. Moreover, the work visa is also required for corporation looking to relocate their staff such as managing directors and management staff of the company.

We have provided basic considerations on how to be qualified, eligible and how to get approved for a Singapore Employment Pass. Please read on and take note of these details:

Eligibility Requirements:
Recognized educational diploma/degree
Professional qualifications
Specialist skills

Basic Considerations Assessed by The Ministry of Manpower:
Salary
Age
Roles & responsibility
Related work experience
Companys background
Companys paid up capital
Current citizenship

Basic Documents to Furnish:

The above qualifications should be satisfied first before securing the following documents: resume or CV stating your educational and employment history, copies of educational certificates and past employment testimonials, and a copy of your passport details. However, any documents that are not in English must be translated into English by an official translation service. In addition, there are three Employment Pass groups, P! for applicants earning a salary of more than S$7,000, P2 for salary of more than S$3,500 up to S$7,000 and Q1 for salary of more than S$2,500.

Service of a Professional Firm:

For processing of your application, you need to hire the services of a professional firm who will apply in your account for your Employment Pass. They will be the one to apply online to The Ministry of Manpower, as the application method is shorter. It normally takes 1 to 15 days to issue an approval. Once approved, the Ministry of Manpower will issue an In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter via email. The IPA letter must be produced upon collection of the EP at the Work Pass Division at Ministry of Manpower. An IPA letter is valid for Six months from the date of notification of approval.

Singapore Employment Pass Explained In Detail

Acquiring Singapore Employment Pass is what non-Singaporean citizens, or even residents desired in an effort of seeking Singapore’s business capabilities. The Singapore Employment Pass is considered as the main working visa to any entrepreneurs, managers, skilled workers, professionals, and business owners may he/she be a director or shareholder of a registered company in Singapore. The said Employment Pass is issued by Minister of Manpower in Singapore.

Being the world’s favorite investment hub, the Minister of Manpower finds it necessary to grant eligibility among foreigners to live and work in Singapore, thereby, eradicating all legal hindrances commonly associated in doing business offshore.

Traveling in and out of Singapore has never been easy and minimal hassle with a Singapore Employment Pass. Being able to acquire a Permanent Residence in Singapore is one step closer to be able to actually acquire a Permanent Residence in Singapore.Of course, this is subject to a few requirements and considerations. At any rate, an EP in Singapore is issued to the following individuals:

– All foreign individuals whose desire is to relocate to Singapore for matters related to business.
– All entrepreneurs who have already established business in Singapore and who wish to employ foreign individuals.
– All foreign individuals who receive an employment offer in Singapore.To make this work, the individual needs the employing company to process the application for EP on his or her behalf.

For first-timers, the Singapore Employment Pass is considered valid for 2 years but for the next renewal the validity would be for 3 years. In applying for an EP, the Minister of Memorandum provides a 3-step procedure described as follow:

Step 1
Before the application is submitted online, a newly incorporated company must obtain an authorization code from Minister of Manpower. Usually, the authorization code is released within a span one week or 2.
Step 2
After obtaining the authorization code, the EP application will then be submitted online and which will take 2 weeks for its approval.
Step 3
Upon approval, a letter known as In-Principle Approval or IPA is sent via e-mail from the Minister of Manpower.In claiming the EP, IPA will then be given to the Work Pass Division of Ministry of Manpower.The validity of IPA will hold 6 months, from the date when it is notified as approved.

Other requirements that applicants should prepare besides the IPA are medical exam which can also be done from ones country, a copy of present passport size photo, original passport with the entry embarkation cards, and other requirements given by IPA.

It is the sole decision of the Ministry of Manpower to evaluate applications for EP. The ministry takes into consideration pertinent aspects in evaluation such as present status of citizenship, salary of the applicant, age, pertinent work and experience, the company’s paid-up capital and background, and expected roles and responsibility.

The following are qualifications that a foreigner or applicant must possess to be eligible:

– An educational Diploma and or degree from a reputable college or university:
– Expert’s skills
– Professional qualifications
– Nonetheless, though an education is among the primary factors, it may be compensated by other factors in its absence.The Ministry of Manpower does not immediately discard applications by foreign individuals who have not completed a college degree or earned a diploma Either way, the following documents must be presented:
– Related certificates and a printed copy of Original Transcript of Records
– Detailed Resume or Curriculum Vitae indicating the employment and education history
– Testimonials or Certificate of Employment from previous employers
– A copy of Passport details

Should the documents expressed in foreign languages, the same must be translated into English by an official translation service accredited by Singaporean authorities.

Relative to the purpose, the Employment of Pass are in 3 types namely P1 Pass, P2 Pass, and Q1 Pass.
In order to attain P1 EP, one must earn a fixed monthly income not below S$7,000. The position kept must either be an executive, specialist or managerial.

The P2 EP is issued among individuals having a fixed monthly salary of more than S$3,500 and who possess satisfactory qualifications.

For a Q1 EP to be obtained the applicants must have a fixed monthly earning of more than S$2,500 and who should also have impressive qualifications.

Family members may then have a chance to visit or even stay for a considerable period of time since upon issuance of EP, the applicant can apply for a Long-Term Visit Pass or Dependent Pass.