Migrant domestic workers (MDWs) need to meet the age, nationality/citizenship and education requirements to get a Work Permit.
Who is eligible
Helpers must meet these requirements to be eligible for a Work Permit:
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Gender
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Female |
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Age
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- From 23 to below 50 years old during the Work Permit application.
- Helpers aged 50 and above can only renew their Work Permits until they are 60 years old.
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| Source country or region |
From an approved source country or region, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand.
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Education
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Minimum 8 years of formal education with a recognised certificate.
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In addition, helpers must:
- Work at employers' NRIC-registered addresses.
- Attend the Settling-in Programme (SIP) if they are first-time helpers. We will inform employers if their helpers need to attend the SIP in the Work Permit in-principle approval (IPA) letter.
- Not be related to their employers.
- Not be in Singapore during the Work Permit application. Employers can only bring helpers into Singapore after they have received an IPA letter and bought a $5,000 security bond.
Note: This does not apply to Malaysian workers.
Criteria for first-time helpers
A first-time helper is one who has never worked in Singapore as a helper before. This includes a helper who:
- Doesn’t have an employment record as a helper with MOM’s Work Pass Division.
- Has an employment record as a helper with MOM but eventually did not work in Singapore.