Foreign students are not allowed to work in Singapore during term time or vacation time unless they are granted Work Pass exemption under the Employment of Foreign Manpower (Work Pass Exemptions) Notification. The details of the exemption notification are available below.
The Training Work Permit, the Training Employment Pass or the Work Holiday Programme must be applied for foreign students who wish to take up any work.
They will be prosecuted under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA) if they are found to be working in Singapore without a valid work pass.
A Work Pass is not required for a foreign student who is:
- 14 years of age or above;
- On vacation; and
- A full-time matriculated or registered student in one of the following schools or institutions:
1. National University of Singapore
2. Nanyang Technological University
3. Singapore Management University
4. SIM University
5. INSEAD, Singapore
6. University of Chicago Graduate School of Business in Singapore
7. S.P. Jain Center of Management Singapore
8. ESSEC Business School (Singapore)
9. Digipen
10. University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Singapore)
11. New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Asia
12. Singapore Polytechnic
13. Ngee Ann Polytechnic
14. Nanyang Polytechnic
15. Temasek Polytechnic
16. Republic Polytechnic
17. LaSalle-SIA College of the Arts
18. Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
19. Institute of Technical Education, Singapore
20. Government Secondary Schools
21. Government-aided Secondary Schools
22. The American College
23. Australian International School
24. International Community School
25. Canadian International School
26. Lycee Francais De Singapour
27. Chatsworth International School
28. German School
29. Hollandse School
30. ISS International School
31. Overseas Family School
32. Sekolah Indonesia
33. Waseda Shibuya Senior High School
34. Singapore American School
35. Swiss School
36. Japanese School (Secondary School)
37. United World College of South East Asia
38. Tanglin Trust School
39. Emaar International School
40. Government-aided Junior Colleges
41. Government Junior Colleges
Note: Foreign students from the above-listed schools/institutions who are waiting for their final examinations results or convocation are also granted work pass exemption. However, once they have completed their studies, and their student pass expires, they will no longer be exempted from work pass requirements.
Employers who wish to hire foreigners who have completed their studies with their respective schools/institutions, should apply for appropriate work passes on their behalf. Each application will be accessed on its merits, subject to the prevailing work pass criteria and approval by the Controller of Work Passes.
Student Pass holders studying in institutions other than those listed above are not allowed to work during vacation while holding Student Passes in Singapore.
A Work Pass is not required for a foreign student who:
- Works a maximum of 16 hours a week; and
- Is a full-time matriculated or registered student in one of the following institutions:
1. National University of Singapore
2. Nanyang Technological University
3. Singapore Management University
4. SIM University
5. INSEAD, Singapore
6. University of Chicago Graduate School of Business in Singapore
7. S.P. Jain Center of Management Singapore
8. ESSEC Business School (Singapore)
9. Digipen
10. University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Singapore)
11. New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Asia
12. Singapore Polytechnic
13. Ngee Ann Polytechnic
14. Temasek Polytechnic
15. Nanyang Polytechnic
16. Republic Polytechnic
17. LaSalle-SIA College of the Arts
18. Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
Student Pass holders studying in institutions other than those listed above are not allowed to work part-time while holding Student Passes in Singapore.
