If you have decided to register a company in Singapore, if you just want to work in Singapore or if you are simply considering where in the world to work and live, the legal documentation that supports your employment is often a factor that gets overlooked. Which employment pass is available to you or which employment pass you choose to apply for can have important implications to you and your family while living and working in a foreign country. For Singapore employment pass options, salary and education play a major role. The industry of your employment is also relevant, as well as less obvious factors such as work experience, age and even nationality. Given that most people are sure of at least ONE factor of their employment criteria, employment pass options will be presented around key individual criterion to facilitate identification of the employment options available to you. Following are some of the key variables and their influence on corresponding work pass options.
Salary As of 1 July, 2011: If your monthly salary is below < S$2,000: Foreign Worker Pass If your monthly salary is above >S$2,000: S Pass If your monthly salary is below < S$2,800: Training Work Permit If your monthly salary is between S$2,800 and S$4,000: Employment Pass Type Q1 If your monthly salary is between S$4,000 and S$8,000: Employment Pass Type P2 If your monthly salary is above >S$8,000: Employment Pass Type P1, Personalized EP Note that the above passes are not solely dependent on salary. Other work permits not dependent on salary include: EntrePass, EP Eligibility Certificate, Miscellaneous Work Pass, Work Holiday Program and Foreign Student Employment Pass.
Education If you have University qualifications: EP Eligibility Certificate, S Pass, Work Holiday Program, Employment Pass If you have a Diploma: S Pass, Training Work Permit, Work Holiday Program If you have a Technical Certificate: S Pass, Foreign Worker Pass, Training Work Permit If you have an SPM Qualification/NTC-3 Practical Trade Certificate: Foreign Worker Pass If you have minimum 8 years formal education: Training Work Permit It is also important to note that Education and Salary are highly correlated factors and can have an important effect on the actual job options you face, which in turn affect your work permit options. Other work permits not directly dependent on education include: Personalized EP, EntrePass and Miscellaneous Work Pass.
Industry If you are in a skilled industry: Foreign Worker Pass, Training Work Permit If you are in a Specialist/Technical/Professional job: S Pass Other work permits not directly dependent on industry experience include: Personalized EP, EntrePass, Miscellaneous Work Pass, EP Eligibility Certificate, Work Holiday Program, Foreign Student Employment Pass After identifying the various passes that are more relevant to you, the following brief outline of the main work passes should provide a better understanding of which one applies to your overall characteristics. Evidently, the best solution is to approach a knowledgeable professional servicesfirm that handles expatriates and company incorporation, to ensure you choose the best pass available to you.
The Regular Employment Pass This pass is split into 3 different categories (P1, P2, Q1) and is largely dependent on salary requirements. Exemptions as |
