singapore
employment pass

Singapore’s Employment Pass (EP) is for foreign professionals across all nationalities or citizenships who: 

• Have a job offer in Singapore. 
• Work in a managerial, executive, or specialised job. 
• Have acceptable qualifications, usually a good university degree, professional qualifications, or specialised skills. 
• Earn a fixed monthly salary comparable to the top one-third of the local PMET workforce by age. 

Employment Pass qualifying salary (Stage 1):

Applicants must earn at least the EP qualifying salary, which is benchmarked to the top third of local PMET salaries by age. 

The following EP qualifying salary requirements apply to new applications and renewals: 

• At least $5,000 for all sectors except financial services (increases progressively with age from age 23, up to $10,500 at age 45 and above).
• At least $5,500 for the financial services sector (increases progressively with age from age 23, up to $11,500 at age 45 and above).
• For EPs expiring from 1 September 2024, in addition to meeting the EP qualifying salary, they will also need to pass COMPASS to get their pass renewed. 
• From 1 January 2025, the EP qualifying salary for new applications will be revised to at least $5,600, and at least $6,200 for the financial services sector. 
  This revised EP qualifying salary will also apply to the renewal of EPs that are expiring from 1 January 2026. 

To promote fair employment practices and improve labour market transparency, employers making EP applications for potential employees with a salary of less than SGD 20,000 per month must first advertise on MyCareersFuture and fairly consider all candidates.

note:

From 1 Sep 2023, the salary threshold for exemption from FCF job advertising requirement will be raised to $22,500. This is benchmarked to the top 10% of EP holders. Find out more about the advertising requirements. 

COMPASS (Stage 2) 

Unless exempted, applicants must pass the points-based Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS). 

COMPASS is a transparent points-based system that gives businesses greater clarity and certainty for manpower planning. It enables employers to select high-quality foreign professionals, while improving workforce diversity and building a strong local core. For more information on Compass, please refer to the Ministry of Manpower homepage here. 

note:

• Candidates who do not meet stage 1 will not be eligible for an Employment Pass, regardless of the points they would have scored under COMPASS. 
• The 2-stage eligibility framework applies to new Employment Pass applications from 1 September 2023, and renewals of Employment Passes expiring from 1 September 2024. 

The government fee to apply for a Singapore Employment Pass is currently SGD 105. Please note, government fees are subject to change with short notice. 

You can apply for an Employment Pass online as an employer or appointed employment agent. Employers are required to advertise job openings on MyCareersFuture to consider all applicants fairly, before applying for an Employment Pass.

Please see the pass map for an overview of what you need to do before, during and after you apply for an Employment Pass.

You are advised to apply for any family passes after the main pass is approved. Although you can apply for family passes at the same time as the Employment Pass, you will lose the application fees for each family pass if the Employment Pas application gets rejected.

Application for a Singapore Employment Pass can take up to 10 working days. For overseas companies without a Singapore-registered company, it can take up to 8 weeks for most cases. Please note, the actual processing time remains at the discretion of local authorities and may vary. 

First time candidates can usually stay in Singapore on an Employment Pass for up to 2 years. For renewals, the time period granted is up to 3 years. 

note:

This page is intended for informational purposes only. Immigration rules are subject to change and may vary based on your individual circumstances. For up-to-date advice and guidance, please contact Smith Stone Walters.