Singapore work permit: Employment Pass
Sponsoring a Employment Pass in Singapore: salary threshold, licence, processing 10 business days online and right-to-work duties.
Employer facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Route | Employment Pass |
| Salary threshold | SGD 5,600 minimum, higher with age and in finance |
| Licence | COMPASS points framework (40 points needed) |
| Processing | 10 business days online |
| Right to work | Check pass validity in MOM portal; notify changes within 7 days. |
- Application SGD 105
- Issuance SGD 225
- Fair Consideration Framework job ad, 14 days
Sponsoring a hire in Singapore, step by step
- Check the role. Confirm the occupation is eligible and the salary meets SGD 5,600 minimum, higher with age and in finance before the offer is made.
- Employer standing. COMPASS points framework (40 points needed). Gather the registration, financial and HR evidence the authority asks for.
- Petition and documents. The candidate's passport, qualifications, experience letters and police or medical checks are validated against the published list.
- Filing and biometrics. The petition is lodged, biometrics are booked and the decision window of 10 business days online starts; the guaranteed date is quoted to HR and the candidate.
- Start date and compliance. Check pass validity in MOM portal; notify changes within 7 days.. Reporting duties, address changes and expiry dates are tracked for the life of the permit.
Questions, answered
What salary must an employer pay for a Employment Pass in Singapore?
The current threshold is SGD 5,600 minimum, higher with age and in finance. Offers below it are refused or need an exemption, so check the figure against the role before the offer letter is issued.
Does the employer need a licence to sponsor in Singapore?
COMPASS points framework (40 points needed). Vistolane checks the employer's standing before a petition is started and records the evidence on the case file.
How long does a Singapore work permit take?
Typically 10 business days online from a complete filing. Vistolane quotes a guaranteed filing date from the published window and the earliest biometrics slot.
What right-to-work evidence must be kept?
Check pass validity in MOM portal; notify changes within 7 days.. Expiry dates and renewals are tracked on the employee record so the sponsor's duties are met.
Hiring on an Employment Pass in Singapore
The Employment Pass is Singapore's work pass for professionals, managers and executives. The candidate must earn at least SGD 5,600 a month, rising with age so that a candidate in their mid-forties needs roughly double, and SGD 6,200 in the financial services sector. Since 2023 the application must also score 40 points on the COMPASS framework, which awards points for salary relative to local peers, qualifications, the diversity of nationalities in the firm and the share of local employees, with bonus points for shortage occupations and strategic economic priorities.
Before applying, most employers must advertise the role on the MyCareersFuture portal for fourteen days under the Fair Consideration Framework. The application is made online for SGD 105, decisions usually arrive within ten business days, and the pass is issued for SGD 225 once the candidate is in Singapore. Dependant's Passes for family members require the holder to earn at least SGD 6,000 a month. Passes are issued for up to two years at first and renewable for three.
Employers check pass validity in the Ministry of Manpower portal before the start date, notify changes of role, salary or address within seven days and cancel the pass when employment ends. Vistolane records the job advertisement dates, the COMPASS assessment, the pass and its renewal on the employee's record.