The chances of an Employment Pass application depend on the credentials of
the company and the credentials of the individual applicant. We will be
able to advice you further once we are in touch with you.
If your company is less than 6 months old
If you hold more than 30% shares, the
authorities may ask that you apply for Entrepreneur Pass (EntrePass)
instead of Employment Pass (EP). However if you prefer to apply for
Employment Pass, it is still possible. In this case, authorities will
review your EP application and may approve your EP or advise you to
apply for EntrePass instead if they determine that the EntrePass is more
appropriate in your situation. If you hold less than 30% shares, you
can apply for the Employment Pass.
If your company is older than 6 months
You can only apply for Employment Pass
When the Employment Pass application is filed online, it takes anywhere
between 1 to 10 working days to receive the outcome notification from
authorities. It may take longer during peak periods or when additional
information is required from the various economic agencies.
When the Employment Pass
application is filed manually, it takes anywhere between 3 to 6 weeks
to receive the outcome notification from authorities. It may take longer
during peak periods or when additional information is required from the
various economic agenciesSo why would anybody file an application
manually?
When filing an application online, only very minimal information can
be entered into the system and no supporting documents can be uploaded.
This may not be a good idea for cases where the supporting documents can
significantly enhance the chances of a positive outcome. We make the
decision to file online or manually after carefully reviewing the
client’s application and situation, and in consultation with the client.
When thinking about the timeline, keep in mind the following:
- The company must be incorporated first before Employment Pass can be
applied for. This can take anywhere from couple of days to couple of
weeks depending on whether you are present in Singapore or overseas. - If you intend to submit the application online, and if the company
is newly incorporated, the MOM will need to be prompted of the company’s
particulars in order to activate the EP-Online system. This process can
take up to 14 days from the day of notification to the MOM. - It may take certain amount of time for you to provide us with the
completed application and supporting documents before we can file the
application. - After the pass is approved, there are still certain formalities that
will need to be taken care of such as the medical examination, the
appointment for fingerprinting registration, collection of the pass,
etc, which may take few more days.
This situation applies to foreign individuals or companies who intend to
incorporate a Singapore company and relocate to Singapore. As per
Singapore Companies Law, each company must have at least one director
who is ordinarily resident in Singapore. Therefore you will need to use a
nominee local director service on a temporary basis until your
Employment pass is approved. Once your Employment Pass is approved and
you have relocated to Singapore, you can replace the nominee director
with yourself as the local director in the company.
No, unfortunately that’s not possible. Your company must be incorporated first before you can apply for Employment Pass.
Renewals
Approximately 3 months before the expiry of EP, authorities will send
a Renewal Notice to the Employer’s registered address. The renewal
application should be completed and submitted to MOM at least 4 weeks
before the pass expires. After the renewal application is approved, the
employer will receive an approval letter. Normally there shouldn’t be
any issues with the renewal as long as you are still employed with the
company and haven’t violated any conditions of the EP. You should
specially take note of the following:
- The EP-holder should not engage in any other employment. Nor you
should act as the director of any other company (unless you have secured
approval from the MOM). - If there are any changes in the employment particulars and personal
particulars (such as duties performed, salary revisions, change of
designation, change of residential address, marital status, nationality,
name, etc.), you or your employer is required to notify the authorities
accordingly.
Cancellation
The employer has to cancel the Employment Pass within 7 days upon
termination of employment. The EP holder will typically be given a 1
month social visit pass upon cancellation of the EP.
When your Singapore work visa or permanent residence application is
approved, authorities may require you to undergo a medical test. You
will receive an approval letter that will indicate whether or not you
are required to go through the medical test. Typically, the medical test
includes a physical examination and some blood tests (to rule out
serious diseases) and would usually require you to undergo an HIV Test
and a Chest X-Ray. The physician would need to sign a form that will be
attached to the approval letter.
For getting the medical tests done, we encourage you to come to
Singapore and go to any clinic or hospital where they can give you the
report on the same day. Wherever you go for your medical examination,
if time is of the essence to you, make sure you confirm when the report
will be ready before you proceed with the exam. Also, make sure to check
the approval letter on the latest government policies regarding the
medical test.
If you would like to get your medical test done in your home country,
you can do so through a reputable clinic/hospital and bring the report
with you when you arrive in Singapore. Please be mindful that the
medical report must be in English.