Getting a work visa in Singapore

Upon completion of company registration in Singapore, all foreign employees are required to gain a work visa in order to work in the country. There are three main types of Singapore work visas that a foreigner can apply for, however, they are dependent on the employee’s skill set, experience, and the salary being offered by the newly incorporated company. Here, the following passes are described in detail:

• Employment Pass (EP)
• Dependent’s Pass (DP) / Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP)
• Work Permit (WP)
• EntrePass for Entrepreneuers

The Application Process for Singapore Work Visas

The requirements and the process of applying for the various types of work visas in Singapore may vary, therefore, they will be discussed below.

Singapore Employment Pass (EP)

The MOM usually issues an EP for the duration of 3 years. They take into consideration applicants from top tier regions. The nature of professional master of education (PME) roles is assessed even if the applicant has high qualifications and a salary equal to or higher than $3,900, for inexperienced applicants.

Dependent Pass (DP) / Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP)

Families of employees that have a salary higher than $6,000 are allowed to accompany the employee on the move to Singapore. There are two types of passes that the family members can apply for Dependant Pass (DP) and the Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP). With both the Dependent Pass and the Long Term Visit Pass, the pass holders can work after obtaining a Letter of Consent from the MOM. The validity of the passes, however, is contingent on the Employment Pass holder’s validity.

Work Permit (WP)

Work Permit holders in Singapore, are mostly labourers and foreign domestic workers. The minimum age for application is 18 and is capped at 58 for Malaysians and 50 for non-Malaysians. Apart from the age guidelines, the Singapore Government has set out two other guidelines, for applicants- which are:

• The Foreign Worker Levy (FWL) must be paid by the employer for their work permit holders, in order to determine the sector the worker will work in and his/her qualifications and skills involved.
• The Dependency Ratio Ceiling (DRC) which is the ratio of foreign workers in Singapore to the total workforce should be adhered to by the employer.

S Pass

Like the Work Permit, employers must consider the guidelines in regard to the FWL and DRC. An S Pass is issued to mid-level skilled foreign employees. The FWL includes an initial payment of $300 and then subsequent payments of $450 per worker, per month, however, the MOM has mandated a sub-Dependency Ceiling (sub-DC) for S Pass holders to 15%.

EntrePass

An EntrePass Visa is for entrepreneurs that are looking to incorporate a company in Singapore. Along with SPRING Singapore, the MOM is responsible for the EntrePass. Applicants that are planning to bring advanced technologies and/or biotech initiatives are applicable for applying for the EntrePass.

How can InCorp help?

Upon incorporating a company in Singapore, the next best step is to move business operations in Singapore. InCorp has helped thousands of businesses like yours through the immigration process in Singapore.

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