YiKai Advisory

Frequently Asked Questions

About Employment Pass (EP)

• What do I need to submit to apply for an Employment Pass?
  
  When applying for an Employment Pass (EP) for yourself (as the business owner) or a potential employee, you will need to submit the following three standard documents in PDF format along with your Employment Pass form:
  
  1. Copy of your passport
  2. Company’s latest business profile registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA).
  3. Your educational certificates (diploma, degree certificate etc. must be translated by a certified translator).
     
     
• Can I start a sole-proprietorship and apply for an EP to operate my business?
  
  No. As an EP holder, MOM will only approve an EP for you to operate your business under a Private Limited Company structure.
  
  
• Can an EP holder be a shareholder of a Singapore-registered company?
  
  Yes, an Employment Pass holder is allowed to own shares in a Singapore-registered company.
  
  
• Can EP holders be registered as directors in another company apart from the company the EP is approved for?
  
  Yes, but only if the EP holder has obtained a Letter of Consent (LOC) from MOM. Typically, MOM will approve LOC requests for secondary directorship positions in related companies, such as a subsidiary that is critical to the EP holder’s job role. For secondary directorship positions in unrelated companies, such as fund entities, MOM may still grant the LOC if it is relevant to the EP holder’s primary occupation.
  
  
• Is there a quota or a limit on the number of EP holders my company can employ?
  
  No. There is no quota restrictions for Employment Pass (EP) holders in Singapore. However, firms who have a higher share of foreign Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) as compared to their industry peers, or a high concentration of a single foreign nationality source may be placed on the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) Watchlist. Firms who are placed on the watchlist will have their EP applications scrutinised by MOM and the processing time of their EP applications will be longer.
  
  
• If an EP holder changes jobs, is the existing pass automatically cancelled?
  
  No. If an EP holder changes jobs and the new pass is approved, MOM does not automatically cancel the existing work pass. This allows the current employer to provide a notice period.
  
  
• If I am an Employment Pass holder, can I apply to become a Singapore permanent resident?
  
  Yes. If you wish to become a Singapore permanent resident, you can apply through the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA). The application will be assessed based on ICA’s PR criteria, which generally include factors such as your family ties to Singaporeans, economic contributions, qualifications, age, family profile, and length of residency. These criteria help ICA assess your ability to contribute to Singapore, integrate into society, and your commitment to establishing roots in the country.
  
  
• Is a foreigner required to apply for an EP if he is registered as a director of a company in Singapore but not a resident of Singapore?
  
  Foreigners who are not residing in Singapore, e.g. Social Visit Pass holders, don’t need to apply for an EP to be a registered director of a company.
  
  
• What should I do if I can’t find my candidate’s qualification in the Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) or the work pass application form?
  
  If you cannot find your candidate’s qualification, you can select an equivalent level from the drop-down list. If prompted, please upload supporting documents (e.g., a school letter or diploma supplement) to demonstrate that the qualification is equivalent to the one chosen. Alternatively, you can choose not to indicate this particular qualification in the SAT or work pass application.