Employment Pass & S Pass for foreign talents and skilled workers

P Pass - for foreigners with acceptable degrees, professional qualifications or specialist skills and are seeking professional, administrative, executive or managerial jobs. 

	A P1 Pass will be issued if the applicant's monthly basic salary is more than S$7,000.
	A P2 Pass will be issued if the applicant's monthly basic salary is more than S$3,500 and up to S$7,000.

Q1 Pass - for foreigners with monthly basic salary of S$2,501 and above and possess acceptable degrees, professional qualifications or specialist skills.

S Pass (is a new category of Work Pass which replaces the Q2 Pass with effect from 1 July 2004)
- For foreigners whose monthly basic salary is at least S$1,800. S Pass applicants will be assessed on a points system, taking into account multiple criteria including salary, education qualifications, skills, job type and work experience. A levy of S$50 per month will apply and there will be a 5% cap on the number of S Pass holders in each company based on the company's number of local workers and Work Permit holders. The company must have at least 2 CPF contributing employees to qualify for 1 S Pass holder.

With effect from 3 October 2005, an administrative fee of $10 is charged for every Employment / S Pass application submitted.  

The processing time for Employment / S Pass application / renewal is about three weeks from the date of receipt of the application. It may be slightly longer during peak periods or when the case requires inputs from various economic agencies. The outcome will be mailed to the employer. Until an Employment / S Pass is issued, the applicant must ensure that he / she has a valid social visit pass to remain in Singapore. It is a serious offence to remain in Singapore without a valid social visit pass.

The Approval Letter for an Employment Pass is valid for six months from the date of the letter. The successful applicant is allowed temporary employment for one month from the date of the letter pending collection of the Employment Pass.

For S Pass, the In-Principle Approval Letter is valid for three months from the date of the letter. Successful S Pass applicants are not allowed temporary employment before the Pass is issued as levy must be charged when the applicant starts working.

Validity Period: A first-time applicant may be issued Employment / S Pass of up to two years. The Employment / S Pass may be renewed for a period up to three years.

The following documents must be submitted at the Work Pass Division, Ministry of Manpower

For Employment Pass

	Applicant's Travel Document (with at least two blank visa pages);
	Completed Medical Documents, together with Chest X-Ray and Blood Test Reports if applicable;
	In-Principle Approval Letter; and
	Either the Disembarkation / Embarkation Card (Green Card) for renewal, or the Immigration White Card (IMM27) for new application.

For S Pass

	original In-Principle Approval Letter;
	Foreigner's original Passport / Travel Document valid for at least seven months;
	Foreigner's original Identity Card (if he / she is a Malaysian); and
	Completed Medical Documents, together with Chest X-Ray and Blood Test Reports if applicable.

The successful applicant must be in Singapore at the time of the Pass collection. The Employment / S Pass must be collected first before the Dependant's Pass and / or the Long-Term Social Visit Pass can be collected.

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Advantageous

	Work 8 - 12 hours without overtime (unless manual worker)
	Housing, meals and transport allowances not compulsory
	No government levy for EP but levy of S$50 for S Pass
	No security bond of S$5000 per worker
	No nationality restrictions. Applicants age be above 16 but below 50 years.
	No apparent quota. Government is presently attracting foreign talents to work here
	Does not job hop, usually stay put for at least the whole duration of the contract
	No need to pay cpf contribution (wef 1/1/99)
	Worker is usually a professional, university graduate or qualified and skilled personnel
	Worker usually have 3 - 5 years relevant work experiences
	13th month and bonuses are optional payments
	Can speak and write in English
	Fill vacancies which Singaporeans may not be qualified, experienced or interested in
	Provides competition to Singaporean workers.
	Supplement the local workforce and give employers a wider choice of available talents

	Minimum salary of S$2501 (wef 01-12-01) per month is a reasonably high pay but there is little or no hidden costs
	Must be a University Graduate or a Professional. Employer may be charged for false declaration of Employment Pass application if the employee used forged qualification documents.
	About 1 month is required by Singapore Immigrations to process and approve an Employment Application.
	Problem of cultural shock and inability to adjust to local working and living conditions
	Worker may not continue to work in Singapore on a long term basis PRIVILEGES    Depending on the Pass type issued, the following Employment / S Pass holders will be permitted to apply for the following Passes: Pass Type Granted to Employment Pass Holders Dependant's Passes Long-Term Social Visit Passes P Yes Yes Q1 Yes No S Yes (if monthly basic salary is equal or more than S$2,500) No Filmo Communications Pte Ltd Tel: 65-98365486 Fax: 65-63388981 email: filmo@filmo.com  updated 01/01/2008