What Is Singapore S Pass?

The S Pass is a special work visa that allows Singaporean companies to employ medium-skilled overseas technicians with advanced expertise in such key developing industries as chemicals, electronics, aerospace engineering, marine, pharmaceuticals and others. The minimum monthly salary offered to such technicians must be above 2,200 SGD, and the employer has to meet some key requirements such as quota and levies. Except technicians, the S Pass also fits foreign manpower whose salary isn’t sufficient for pursuing the classic EP.

 

Eligibility Criteria and Requirements for S Pass

Demands for the technicians:

1. Overseas employees are required to land jobs in SG with minimum monthly salaries of 2,200 SGD. However, this is merely a minimum salary benchmark. In a real situation, the wages must match with the expat’s experience, job position, skills, and age. Older technicians should command higher wages and showcase better expertise.

2. Overseas candidate is required to hold diploma or degrees issued by recognized institutions, as well as certificates obtained for full-time study related to the occupation.

3. Expat is expected to boast a rich employment background and years of prominent expertise. This demand is age-dependent: the experience of older candidates ought to increase with age.

4. Government insists that the candidate’s passport validity must be 7 months minimum.

 

As the government sets skill and qualification demands at the medium level for the S Pass holders, this indulgence is compensated with tougher demands to the hiring firm:

 

1. Company that hires a foreign technician must have a strong reputation at the authorities. If the employer has never applied for a work visa before, the firm’s activity ought to be fully represented for the govt.

2. Firm is obliged to have a CPF account.

3. SG-based firm that hires the S Pass holder will be a subject to the quota criterion: a number of S Pass holders employed shouldn’t be more than 15% of the firm’s staff if the firm operates in the service niche or 20% for all other sectors of SG economy.

4. Employer must be willing to pay a levy for an expat hired on the S Pass every month and cover their need for healthcare.

 

If you aren’t certain you would meet the above-mentioned demands or you have issues in calculating quota and prospected levy for the chosen foreign candidate, please, bring your case to our skilled visa agents. Order our FREE assessment to get our help in sorting these things out.

​

Features and Benefits of S Pass

1. Only the hiring firm or a certified visa agent is authorized to apply for this visa.

2. The lowest salary that makes S Pass application possible is 2,200 SGD.

3. Maximum visa term is 2 years, but in your particular case, this term will be defined by the expat’s passport validity: it will be 1 month shorter than the passport validity. The latter ought to be 7 months minimum.

4. Visa is extendable for 3 years under certain conditions. Nevertheless, the extension will be 1 month shorter than the passport validity.

5. Firms hiring overseas manpower on the S Pass must meet the quota demand, pay monthly levies for this manpower and cover its healthcare expenses (buy insurance).

6. Privilege of taking a spouse and children younger than 21 YO along is given to S Pass holders whose wages are above 5,000 SGD. This benchmark was increased recently which made a reunion with family impossible for most of the S Pass holders due to a salary insufficiency.

7. Foreigners working in SG on the S Pass aren’t eligible for registering their own firms.

8. Expats holding the S Pass can get married in SG, but bringing up children (dependents) is regulated by the salary criterion: in SG, it must be at least 5,000 SGD.

9. S Pass holders are eligible for the SG permanent residence; however, it may take a foreigner long years to get it.

​

​

​