How does the Employment Pass work, and how do you qualify?
The Employment Pass is the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) work pass for foreign professionals, managers and executives with a job offer in Singapore. The employer applies, not the candidate. To qualify, the candidate must earn at least the qualifying salary, S$5,600 a month today and rising with age and sector, and, unless exempted, the application must score at least 40 points under COMPASS, MOM's points framework. The fee is S$105 to apply and S$225 to issue, an online application is processed or given an update within ten business days, and a first pass runs for up to two years.
Who it is for, and who applies
MOM's key facts describe the pass as being for foreign professionals, managers and executives with a job offer in Singapore who meet the eligibility criteria. An employer or an appointed employment agent applies on the candidate's behalf, and an employer can also authorise an outsourced service provider for its work pass transactions on a form MOM provides; an overseas company with no Singapore-registered office applies through a local sponsor. Before applying, unless the job is exempt, the employer must advertise it on MyCareersFuture and consider all candidates fairly, under the Fair Consideration Framework. The candidate need not be in Singapore when the application is made.
Stage one: the qualifying salary
MOM benchmarks the qualifying salary to the top third of local salaries for professionals, managers, executives and technicians, by age. For new applications today it is S$5,600 a month at age 23 or below, rising progressively to S$10,700 at 45 and above; in financial services it is S$6,200 rising to S$11,800. For new applications from 1 January 2027, and renewals of passes expiring from 1 January 2028, the bar rises to S$6,000 rising to S$11,500, and S$6,600 rising to S$12,700 in financial services. MOM publishes the figure for every age on its eligibility page. A candidate below the bar is not eligible, whatever the points scored at stage two.
Stage two: 40 points under COMPASS
COMPASS scores an application on four foundational criteria, each worth 0, 10 or 20 points: the candidate's salary against local salaries in the sector (20 at the 90th percentile or above, 10 from the 65th, 0 below); the candidate's qualifications (20 for a degree from a top-100 university, a Singapore autonomous university or an institution endorsed for its field, 10 for other degree-equivalent qualifications, 0 without one); the diversity of the firm's workforce, by the share of the candidate's nationality among its professionals, managers, executives and technicians (20 below 5 per cent, 10 from 5 per cent to below 25, 0 at 25 per cent or more); and the firm's share of local employees in those roles relative to its sector (20 at the median or above, 10 from the 20th percentile, 0 below, except that a firm whose local share is at least 70 per cent scores at least 10 whatever its place in its sector). A firm with fewer than 25 such employees scores 10 by default on each of the last two.
Two bonuses can add points: 20 or 10 for a job on MOM's Shortage Occupation List, and 10 where the firm takes part in a strategic economic programme with a government agency. MOM gives worked examples on its page: a candidate with a degree, a salary between the 65th and 90th percentile, at a firm in the middle of its sector on both firm criteria, scores exactly 40. Candidates are exempt from COMPASS with a fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500, as an overseas intra-corporate transferee, or for a role of one month or less. Employers can test a candidate with MOM's Self-Assessment Tool before applying.
What it costs and how long it takes
MOM's application page gives the fees and times: S$105 when the application is submitted; an online application processed or given an update within ten business days, and within six weeks for most applications made through a local sponsor; an in-principle approval letter that is a pre-approved single-entry visa and gives the candidate six months to enter Singapore and have the pass issued; S$225 when the pass is issued, plus S$30 for a multiple-journey visa where one applies; and the pass card delivered within five working days after the candidate registers their fingerprints and photo, where required. A first pass runs for up to two years and a renewal for up to three; experienced technology professionals in shortage occupations may get five.
What the pass gives, and what comes after
MOM lists the pass's features: passes for eligible family members, no foreign worker levy or quota, and income tax where it applies; employers may choose whether to provide medical insurance. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) names the holder of an Employment Pass or S Pass among those who may apply for permanent residence, weighing economic contributions, qualifications, age, family profile and length of residency among other factors; the guide on permanent residence on this site has the detail.
A consultant can handle the application only once the employer has given it that role: as an appointed employment agent, or as an outsourced service provider the employer authorises on MOM's form, which the employer must submit itself. MOM decides either way. A consultant can also test the candidate against the two stages before the employer applies, prepare the documents and the employer's side of the application, and plan what follows. The ranked list of immigration consultants says, for each provider, what it handles and which registrations it holds.