Employment Pass (EP) is a type of work permit issued by the ministry of manpower (MOM) to foreign professionals, managers, and owners/directors of Singapore-based companies.

An EP enables you to work and live in Singapore, and travel in and out of the country freely without applying for Singapore entry visas. Possessing an EP is also the first step for potential Singapore permanent residence in due course. The Employment Pass (EP) is normally issued for 1-2 years which can be renewed.

The different categories of Employment Passes are:

P1 Pass: For a base salary above S$8,000 a month.
P2 Pass: For a base salary between S$4,500 and S$8,000 a month.
Q1 Pass: For a base salary between S$3,300 and S$4,500 a month.

All the EP work visas except Q1 pass allows you to bring your spouse and children if they are less than 21 years old.

As a rule of thumb, higher the pass category, the better are the chances of permanent residence approval.

Documents Required

• Employment Form 8 approved by the employing company.
• A copy of the applicant’s resume detailing the work experience
• Copies of educational certificates and past employment testimonials.
• A passport-size photograph taken within the past three months
• A copy of the personal particulars page of the applicant’s passport
• Detailed description of the job profile of the applicant
• Detailed description of activities and/or products of the company

Note: Any documents that are not in English must be officially translated into English.

Follow Up

Completed applications with the required documents have to be submitted to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) – the regulating body that reviews EP applications. The online application is generally quicker but does not allow for attachment of all the supporting documents.

The processing time of an online application varies between 1-10 working days depending on the credentials of the employing company and the qualifications of the applicant.

In case of a manual application, the processing time taken by the MOM can be anything from 3-6 weeks from the date of submission.

SOME NOTES

• The time taken for the overall application procedure can vary from a few days to a few weeks, depending on a range of factors (such as the availability of the applicant’s documents, whether the application is submitted online or manually, etc.).

• Along with the minimum salary, the applicant’s educational qualifications and work experience are also important factors for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in granting and determining the Employment Pass category.

• For Q1 pass holders, only those candidates who are qualified from reputed institutions will be considered. The minimum salary requirement of S$3,300 (w.e.f. 1 January 2014) is typically applicable to fresh graduates from quality educational institutions, whereas experienced applicants need to command higher salaries to qualify.

Contact us right now at 65 6338 9465 for all your employment pass related queries or you can also visit here for more information.