What Is Work Permit In Singapore?

 

The Work Permit is a lower-class employment visa that allows foreign unskilled labor force from approved Asian countries to pursue employment in Singapore’s booming and promising niches such as services, construction, manufacturing, marine, process and so on. Due to this visa’s low qualification criterion for foreigners, it implies higher demands and certain restrictions for hiring firms such as levies, quotas, a bond, and appropriate health coverage for every WP holder.

 

Eligibility Criteria and Requirements for Singapore Work Permit

 

Working visa demands for expats:

 

1. Foreigners must come from certain government-approved countries such as Malaysia, China, India, Bangladesh, Hong Kong – just to name a few. Please find out your country’s eligibility in our online consulting room.

2. Expats seeking the WP have to be at least 18 YO; the upper age limit is 58 YO for the Malaysians and 50 for other nationalities.

3. Expat’s passport must be valid.

4. Holders of WP can work only according to the specifications of their working visa. Getting involved in another employment or personal business is illegal and leads to the visa’s cancelation.

 

Work visa demands for the hiring firm:

 

1. Employer is obliged to pay an employee the declared wages.

2. Contract on WP is subject to such restrictions as a security bond of 5,000 SGD (for non-Malaysian expats), quota, and levy. Quota means that the firm isn’t allowed to hire more foreigners on WP than 20% of the firm’s staff (15% if the firm operates in the service sector). Levies are monthly payments for a hired unskilled worker. This amount of money is skill-dependent: the lower the worker’s skills are, the higher this levy would be.

3. Hiring firm covers the worker’s needs for healthcare: buying insurance (15,000 SGD) for the WP holder, paying compensations in case of getting work related injuries, and covering the employee’s medical expenses.

4. Employer is responsible for catering for the WP holder’s housing, social and recreational needs.

5. Hiring firm bears all costs of worker’s repatriation (buying tickets and so on).

 

Features and Benefits of Working Permit

1. Foreign worker isn’t allowed to apply for the WP; this option is only for the hiring firm (or a visa agency that acts on the employer’s behalf). Therefore, this work pass implies getting a job in Singapore first.

2. Only certain nationalities are eligible for the Work Permit. Please check your nationality’s eligibility for the chosen sector of SG economy in our online consulting room or on the website of the MOM.

3. Processing of this visa takes only 1 working day.

4. There are no salary demands for the WP; however, these salaries are lower than those of S Pass holders (below 2,200 SGD).

5. Maximum term of WP is 2 years, but in your particular situation, this term can be shorter depending on the expat’s passport validity, employment term, security bond, and other factors.

6. Hiring firm must pay a levy for unskilled staff employed on WP and watch over staying within the quota of 20% (15% for services).

7. Unless the expat comes from Malaysia, a security bond of 5,000 SGD must be paid for this worker.

8. Work visa can be extended if both the expat and the hiring firm meet the renewal criteria.

9. Foreigners working on WP aren’t allowed to have their families join them in SG.

10. Foreigners holding WP cannot run their own companies in SG.

11. WP holders aren’t eligible for getting the status of the permanent resident.

12. Only Malaysian Work Permit holders can swap employers without resigning from the old job first. WP holders of all other nationalities must get their visa canceled before processing a new WP for a new job.

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