A very common question when a person is looking for a job in Singapore is what kind of passes/permits does the Singaporean government issue to foreigners.
Unfortunately there is no short answer to this question rather there are multiple types of work passes and permits that the Singaporean government can issue.
The most basic type of work pass/permit is the work permit which falls under Skilled and semi-skilled workers.
A work permit is a pass that is generally issued to semi-skilled foreign workers in the construction, manufacturing, marine shipyard, process or services sector. Do note that there are fees a company must pay the Ministry of Manpower Singapore (MoM) once a work permit has been approved.
Under each industry there is a monthly levy that must be paid to the Singapore government failure of the company to pay these levies will result in action by MoM and cancelation of the work permit. Refer to costing schedule up till 2018.
more information can be found via this link: http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-worker/key-facts
The most sought after pass in this category will the S Pass.
A S Pass is for mid-level skilled staff or fresh graduates from polytechnic schools or university's. Candidates need to earn at least $2,200 a month and meet the assessment criteria.
They S Pass has many criteria in order for a employee and company to qualify for one.
In terms of the employee they must have credible education qualification from reputable institution or have a strong work experience or both and be offered a minimum of SGD 2,200 monthly basic salary. If a company is offering you a job for less than SGD 2,200 and a S Pass then this is considered illegal under the law of Singapore as you must be paid the amount specified once your S Pass is approved and issued.
For a company applying for a S Pass the candidate must meet the requirements for the job and requirements specified by MoM whilst maintaining the companies quota of S Pass. Each industry is allocated its own quota of how many S Pass the company can attain. Take note to continuously check the levy rates as they change at least once a year. Refer to image blow on levy and quota figures.
Be warned that not all S Pass applications are approved. You may meet all the minimum criteria to qualify for a S Pass but still be rejected. Actual reasons of why your application for the pass is rejected is unknown as MoM will only respond with a one liner saying "Your application is unsuccessful". The best way for a successful application will be with the candidate having all documentation available both hard and soft copy (education certificate, passport, reference letters etc etc) and once submitted to your company applying for you that they can do a pre-verification check to see if the outcome of the application could be successful. If the pre verification check which the company does on MoM website (only they have access to) shows that it will be approved then there is a high chance the application will be favourable.
As a employee under S Pass it is not your obligation to pay the levy. The company that has hired you has to pay this levy to the government on a monthly basis till the end of your employment with them.
Note there are also other categories under work permit pass such as Work Permit for foreign domestic worker, Work Permit for confinement nanny and Work Permit for performing artiste. All these just like the normal work permit have their own specific terms and conditions in order to obtain and maintain one.
Further details on terms and conditions can be fond in the following link. http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-worker .
The next category of employment passes (E Pass, EP) fall under Professionals. this pass requires more qualifications and higher salary than Spass . ***To be updated soon in new blog entry***
Unfortunately there is no short answer to this question rather there are multiple types of work passes and permits that the Singaporean government can issue.
The most basic type of work pass/permit is the work permit which falls under Skilled and semi-skilled workers.
A work permit is a pass that is generally issued to semi-skilled foreign workers in the construction, manufacturing, marine shipyard, process or services sector. Do note that there are fees a company must pay the Ministry of Manpower Singapore (MoM) once a work permit has been approved.
Under each industry there is a monthly levy that must be paid to the Singapore government failure of the company to pay these levies will result in action by MoM and cancelation of the work permit. Refer to costing schedule up till 2018.
more information can be found via this link: http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-worker/key-facts
The most sought after pass in this category will the S Pass.
A S Pass is for mid-level skilled staff or fresh graduates from polytechnic schools or university's. Candidates need to earn at least $2,200 a month and meet the assessment criteria.
They S Pass has many criteria in order for a employee and company to qualify for one.
In terms of the employee they must have credible education qualification from reputable institution or have a strong work experience or both and be offered a minimum of SGD 2,200 monthly basic salary. If a company is offering you a job for less than SGD 2,200 and a S Pass then this is considered illegal under the law of Singapore as you must be paid the amount specified once your S Pass is approved and issued.
For a company applying for a S Pass the candidate must meet the requirements for the job and requirements specified by MoM whilst maintaining the companies quota of S Pass. Each industry is allocated its own quota of how many S Pass the company can attain. Take note to continuously check the levy rates as they change at least once a year. Refer to image blow on levy and quota figures.
Be warned that not all S Pass applications are approved. You may meet all the minimum criteria to qualify for a S Pass but still be rejected. Actual reasons of why your application for the pass is rejected is unknown as MoM will only respond with a one liner saying "Your application is unsuccessful". The best way for a successful application will be with the candidate having all documentation available both hard and soft copy (education certificate, passport, reference letters etc etc) and once submitted to your company applying for you that they can do a pre-verification check to see if the outcome of the application could be successful. If the pre verification check which the company does on MoM website (only they have access to) shows that it will be approved then there is a high chance the application will be favourable.
As a employee under S Pass it is not your obligation to pay the levy. The company that has hired you has to pay this levy to the government on a monthly basis till the end of your employment with them.
Further details on terms and conditions can be fond in the following link. http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-worker .
The next category of employment passes (E Pass, EP) fall under Professionals. this pass requires more qualifications and higher salary than Spass . ***To be updated soon in new blog entry***
I really appreciate your hard work on giving us on this blog and it's really inspiring others to know regarding different types of Singapore work passes and visas permits in Singapore. Thanks for sharing.
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