Types of Work Passes

This category of pass is suitable for semi-skilled or junior to mid level skilled professional foreigners who would not qualify for Employment Pass. There is a minimum qualifying salary for this category which is SGD2,400 at the moment for entry level candidates. The qualifying salaries for more experienced candidates would be higher depending on the experience and qualification. A quota is also imposed for each company as to how many S Pass holders they can employ.

Dependent Pass(DP) is typically offered to children or spouses of employment pass or S Pass holders (if they qualify). Holders of this pass are allowed to work in Singapore subject to obtaining a letter of consent from the Ministry of Manpower. Only Employment Pass and S Pass holders earning in excess of SGD6,000 per month can sponsor and bring their dependents to live in Singapore. 

Work Permit (WP) is issued to lower skilled blue collar workers who want to work in Singapore’s in-demand sectors and are from approved source countries. Employers need to provide a Banker’s Guarantee against disappearance for workers from non-traditional source countries such as India, China and Bangladesh while workers from traditional source countries such as Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea and Macau are exempted from such requirement. The worker is only allowed to work for a direct employer and in the specified occupation. 

There is no minimum qualifying salary for this category of work pass but employers must pay a monthly levy to the Singapore government which can be prohibitive. 

Job Seekers cannot apply for work permit as an Employer Sponsor is required for every application. 

Personalised Employment Pass a unique and the only self-sponsored work pass category available for foreigners to work in Singapore. There is no requirement during the application for the applicant to have a job or an employer to sponsor the application. Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) is only issued once for each applicant and is valid for 3 years, and it is non-renewable. The requirements and approval criteria is strict and available mainly to highly talented, high income and uniquely skilled foreign professionals. 

Existing Employment Pass holders must earn at least SGD12,000 per month and new applicants must be currently earning not less than SGD18,000 per month.

Letter of Consent (LOC) allows eligible Dependant’s Pass or Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP) holders to work in Singapore if they find a job in Singapore. There is no quota requirements or levy imposed on the employer and there is no qualifying criteria for the candidates. Therefore, in an increasingly tight labour market, many employers do consider foreign candidates who are eligible to obtain a letter of consent favourably in the job application. The main disadvantage of this pass type is that it is tied to the validity of the Dependent Pass which in turn is dependent on the status of the employment pass holders. This is less predictability for the employers for hiring such candidates as the working relationship may just cease anytime.

An Entrepreneurial Pass (also known in brief by MOM as EntrePass) is a special and unique form of work visa aimed at foreigners with exceptional talent and business acumen to establish and grow their business presence in Singapore.

The key purpose of this visa to attract highly talented and skilled foreign individuals with an entrepreneurial background and track records to start an innovative and scalable and high value business in Singapore.