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Eligibility for Employment Pass

Only eligible candidates will be considered for an Employment Pass. Criteria include earning a salary of at least $5,000, which is benchmarked against the top one-third of the local professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMET) salaries by age. 

Use the Self-Assessment Tool to check a candidate’s eligibility before you apply.

Who is eligible

The Employment Pass is for foreign professionals across all nationalities or citizenships who:

  • Have a job offer in Singapore.
  • Work in a managerial, executive, or specialised job.
  • Have acceptable qualifications, usually a good university degree, professional qualifications, or specialised skills.
  • Earn a fixed monthly salary comparable to the top one-third of the local PMET workforce by age, as shown below:
Sector

Current minimum qualifying salary for new applications, and for renewals from 1 September 2023

Minimum qualifying salary for renewals before 1 September 2023
All
(except financial services)
At least $5,000
(increases progressively with age from age 23, up to $10,500 at age 45 and above)
$4,500
(increases progressively with age from age 23, up to $8,400 at age 45 and above)
Financial services At least $5,500
(increases progressively with age from age 23, up to $11,500 at age 45 and above)
$5,000
(increases progressively with age from age 23, up to $9,300 at age 45 and above)

If you are a fast-growing tech company that is newly expanding to Singapore and the region, you may be eligible for the Tech@SG Programme.

Upcoming changes to the EP eligibility criteria

From 1 September 2023, in addition to meeting the qualifying salary, EP candidates must also pass a points-based Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS).

Qualifications

We do not accept qualifications from unaccredited institutions.

To check if an institution is accredited, you can approach one of the background screening companies

From 1 September 2023, qualifications declared to MOM in new EP applications will have to be supported with a verification proof such as those from background screening companies listed on the MOM website.

This is to ensure that qualifications used to score points under COMPASS are authentic.

Self­-Assessment Tool (SAT)

Use the Self-Assessment Tool to check a candidate's eligibility before you apply.

If the SAT shows that the candidate is not eligible, you shouldn't apply for the Employment Pass because it will be rejected.

If the SAT shows that the candidate is eligible, there is around a 90% chance that the candidate will get a pass.