FAQs on essential errands for migrant workers

Yes, passport renewal is considered an essential errand.

Once you have secured an appointment for passport application or collection, you can screenshot the confirmed appointment and upload when you submit the essential request online.

Yes, this would fall under medical appointments if access to specialised treatment or medication where generic or substitute medications are not available at primary care medical post.

Employers should try to assist the migrant worker if the errand can be performed electronically.

As part of our efforts to allow our migrant workers to carry out their essential errands safely, and at the same time mitigate the risks of COVID-19 transmissions, we have limited the list of errands to those deemed to be essential due to the urgency to resolve the matter in order to:

• Be repatriated.
• Effect a change of employer.
• Receive salaries electronically.
• Seek medical or dental treatment.
• Assist in investigations.
• Attend to ongoing court matters.

To balance the needs of the workers and employers, as well as ensure that the risk of any community transmission is mitigated, MOM will progressively review the easing of workers’ movement.

Examples of documentary proofs that can be uploaded

No, you don’t need to request if your workers are visiting the Recreation Centre as part of their staggered rest days.

Visits to the Recreation Centre will be via Exit Pass.

Yes, you need to upload your worker’s flight details as document of their impending departure.

Yes, this will be considered as an essential errand.

Refer to Annex A for details on the courses.

There is no approval required. The online form is intended to notify MOM of the request.

Once you submit the online request, your worker is allowed to proceed with the specified activity.

When completing the online request, you will need to input your email.

A PDF copy of the completed request will be sent to that email.

Since a PDF copy of the form will be sent to the email provided by the employer during submission of the form, the employer can provide a screenshot to the worker as documentation when exiting the dormitory.

We urge dormitory operators to verify that the worker has:

• Access Code Green or Access Code Red (not approved to start work) and not on SHN or Quarantine Order.
  AND
• PDF copy of the submitted request form.

Upon the worker’s return, we urge dormitory operators to check that the worker has kept to their 3-hour block.

Dorm operators can assist MOM by taking down the migrant workers’ particulars, the time they returned and any other relevant details and highlight to MOM. MOM will assess on whether enforcement action should be taken.

After submitting the online request, workers can leave any time in a 3-hour block, between 10am – 5pm.

The exceptions are:

For a start, as part of our efforts to allow our migrant workers to carry out their essential errands safely, and at the same time mitigate the risks of COVID-19 transmissions, migrant workers should only carry out their essential errands during non-peak periods.

You should avoid indicating inaccurate timing to avoid any misunderstanding and confusion when the migrant worker exits for their essential errand.

Employers should try to reschedule your worker’s medical appointment after 10am.

Only migrant workers residing in decant sites require employer-provided point-to-point transport.

In addition to providing transport, employers with migrant workers residing in decant sites need to submit the essential errands request 3 days in advance to facilitate exit clearance.

Employers are strongly encouraged to provide transport for their migrant workers as they are accountable for their workers when their workers carry out the specified essential errand.

Migrant workers are allowed to walk or cycle to run their essential errand if the places of errand are nearby, e.g. within 1KM of the dormitory.

For migrant workers residing in decant sites, they will be allowed to walk or cycle to the location of the essential errand if:

• It is situated nearby (within 1KM of the decant site).
  AND
• There is little chance of the worker making detours into other community areas and places.