An Employment Pass application is submitted by the employer or an appointed employment agent, and the candidate does not need to be in Singapore when it is made. The application has to clear two stages: the candidate must earn at least the Employment Pass qualifying salary, which is graded by age rather than being one flat figure, and must then pass the points-based Complementarity Assessment Framework, which needs 40 points unless the candidate is exempt. The job must be advertised on MyCareersFuture before the application can be made, and MOM states that an application is processed or given an update within 10 business days.
2 official sources, dated below
The employer applies, or an employment agent appointed to act for the employer applies. The candidate does not need to be in Singapore when the application is made, which is what makes it possible to hire someone before they have moved.
An employer that does not have a Singapore-registered company needs a local sponsor to submit the application, and will need a Corppass account. That account is how the employer or its agent reaches the application in MOM’s system.
One step comes before the application itself. The job must be advertised on MyCareersFuture before an Employment Pass can be applied for.
Eligibility is assessed in two stages. Stage 1 is salary: the candidate must earn at least the Employment Pass qualifying salary, which is benchmarked to the top third of local professional, managerial, executive and technical salaries and is graded by age. At the youngest band it is S$5,600 at age 23 and below (from 1 January 2027: S$6,000 for new applications), and at the oldest it is S$10,700 at age 45 and above (from 1 January 2027: S$11,500 for new applications). For financial services roles the bands are higher: S$6,200 at age 23 and below, financial services (from 1 January 2027: S$6,600 for new applications) at the youngest and S$11,800 at age 45 and above, financial services (from 1 January 2027: S$12,700 for new applications) at the oldest. MOM has already published the next step: at the youngest band S$6,000 for new applications, and at the oldest S$11,500 for new applications. It has published the financial services next step on the same dates, and those amounts are already shown above.
Stage 2 is the points-based Complementarity Assessment Framework, known as COMPASS, which a candidate must pass unless exempted. The two stages are not alternatives. A candidate who does not meet Stage 1 is not eligible for an Employment Pass regardless of the points they would have scored under COMPASS.
COMPASS needs 40 points. The published criteria are: salary against the sector benchmark, where the 90th percentile and above scores 20, the 65th percentile to below the 90th scores 10, and below the 65th scores 0; qualifications, where unverified or non-degree-equivalent qualifications score 0 and the lists are updated once a year; diversity of the firm’s workforce, where fewer than 25 PMETs scores 10 by default; support for local employment, where fewer than 25 PMETs scores 10 by default; a skills bonus for a job on the Shortage Occupation List, where the job title must be one of the eligible titles selected in the application; and a bonus for strategic economic priorities.
A candidate is exempt from COMPASS in three published cases: earning at least S$22,500 fixed monthly, being an overseas intra-corporate transferee, or taking a role of one month or less.
The documents are: the personal particulars page of the candidate’s passport; the company’s latest business profile or instant information registered with ACRA; verification proof of the candidate’s qualifications where that applies; and occupation-specific professional body documents for roles such as healthcare, legal and football. A document that is not in English must be uploaded as the original together with an English translation, as one file.
Before submitting, the employer needs written consent from the candidate to apply. The employer must also make sure the organisation’s turnover information for the past three years has been updated.
If the application is approved, the In-Principle Approval is a pre-approved single-entry visa. It gives the candidate 6 months to enter Singapore and get the pass issued.
The pass is then issued for up to 2 years for a first-time candidate, and a renewal is for up to 3 years. Experienced technology professionals in shortage roles may be issued a pass for five years. MOM has also published a salary increase that applies to renewals of passes expiring from 1 January 2028.
MOM states that an application is processed or given an update within 10 business days, or within 6 weeks for most cases where the employer is an overseas company without a Singapore-registered entity, and that the status can be checked after 10 business days.
The employer submits it, or an employment agent appointed to act for the employer. A candidate cannot submit their own Employment Pass application. An employer without a Singapore-registered company needs a local sponsor to submit it and will need a Corppass account.
No. The application is made by the employer or by an employment agent appointed to act for the employer. The candidate does not need to be in Singapore when the application is made, and the employer needs the candidate’s written consent to apply.
The qualifying salary is benchmarked to the top third of local PMET salaries and graded by age. At the youngest band, age 23 and below, it is S$5,600 at age 23 and below (from 1 January 2027: S$6,000 for new applications); at age 45 and above it is S$10,700 at age 45 and above (from 1 January 2027: S$11,500 for new applications). For financial services roles it is S$6,200 at age 23 and below, financial services (from 1 January 2027: S$6,600 for new applications) at the youngest band and S$11,800 at age 45 and above, financial services (from 1 January 2027: S$12,700 for new applications) at the oldest. MOM has published the next step: S$6,000 for new applications at the youngest band and S$11,500 for new applications at the oldest. It has published the financial services next step on the same dates, and the amounts are shown above. Meeting the salary is Stage 1 only; the application must also pass COMPASS unless the candidate is exempt.
COMPASS is the Complementarity Assessment Framework, MOM’s points-based system for Employment Pass applications. It needs 40 points. The assessment draws on salary against the sector benchmark, the candidate’s qualifications, the diversity of the firm’s workforce, the firm’s support for local employment, a skills bonus where the job is on the Shortage Occupation List, and a bonus for strategic economic priorities. A candidate earning at least S$22,500 fixed monthly, an overseas intra-corporate transferee, or a role of one month or less is exempt.
Yes, unless one of the published exemptions applies. The job must be advertised on MyCareersFuture before an Employment Pass can be applied for, and MOM states it as a requirement of applying. Where advertising applies, the advertisement must be open for at least 14 consecutive days before you apply, and the corresponding MyCareersFuture advertisement ID must be declared when the application is submitted. MOM publishes the exemptions as a narrow and specific list: you are not required to advertise on MyCareersFuture if your company has fewer than 10 employees; if the role pays a fixed monthly salary of S$22,500 and above; if the role is short-term, meaning not more than 1 month; if the role is to be filled by a local transferee; or if the role is to be filled by a candidate applying as an overseas intra-corporate transferee.
The personal particulars page of the candidate’s passport; the company’s latest business profile or instant information registered with ACRA; verification proof of the candidate’s qualifications where applicable; and occupation-specific professional body documents for roles such as healthcare, legal and football. A document that is not in English must be uploaded as the original together with an English translation, as one file. Before submitting, the employer needs the candidate’s written consent to apply and must have updated the organisation’s turnover information for the past three years.
MOM states that an application is processed or given an update within 10 business days, or within 6 weeks for most cases for an overseas company without a Singapore-registered entity, and that the application status can be checked after 10 business days.
A first-time candidate is issued a pass for up to 2 years. A renewal is for up to 3 years. Experienced technology professionals in shortage roles may receive five years. If the application is approved, the In-Principle Approval is a pre-approved single-entry visa that gives the candidate 6 months to enter Singapore and get the pass issued.
Every fact on this page is drawn from the sources below. The date given for each one is the date printed on the source itself, not the date we read it.
This chat is an automated helper that answers from the information published on this website. No live agent is available here.
Common questions
Not covered here? Send an enquiry to a consultant.
