Overview: Singapore work Visa
As per Singapore laws, all foreign employees who are willing to work in Singapore must have a valid pass which is commonly known as a Singapore work visa, before they start working. So that they can work legally in Singapore. Therefore, it is required to apply for a valid pass for all the foreign employees after the incorporation of the company. If a company fails to do the same then it will lead to punitive penalties and prosecution for the company as well as employees. Generally, there are three types of working visas for all foreign employees.
- For laborers and domestic workers, there is a work permit.
- For mid-level skilled workers, s pass is used.
- For experienced PMEs, an Employment Pass is issued.
These working passes or visas are issued for both temporary works and permanent work in Singapore. There is a certain criterion that is required to be fulfilled for the issuance of a work visa. An employee who complies with all the conditions can get a Singapore work visa issued. This visa allows them to work legally in this country.
Application for issuance of Singapore work visa is applied by the employer who is responsible for foreign employees. After the incorporation of the company, if it wants to hire foreign employees then it is mandatory to apply for the required valid passes for all the foreign employees as per the law of Singapore.
We from Odint Consultancy provide you with information related to work visas in Singapore. In this article, we will see the meaning of work permits, types of work visas, eligibility and requirements for work visas and registration process for work visas, and much more essential information related to work visas. So, let’s start with the meaning of a work permit.
What is a work permit?
Work permits in Singapore are basically for basic skilled foreign workers of Singapore. The minimum age required for issuance of a work visa is 18 years whereas the upper limit of age for Malaysians is 58 years and for non-Malaysians is 50 years.
For this, there are two additional conditions needed to be kept in mind are-
- Payment of foreign worker levy for their work permit holders. This payment is given to the government of Singapore.
- Adherence to the dependency ratio ceiling by the employer. This ratio is of foreign workers to the total workforce in Singaporean companies.
Eligibility and requirements for a Singapore work visa
Three main conditions which are required to be fulfilled by foreign employees for applying for work visas are-
- The employee must hold a valid passport.
- The employee must be of at least 18 years.
- He must work within the scope mentioned in work permits.
Foreign workers are also needed to comply with some other conditions apart from the above-mentioned. These conditions are-
- Can not start its own business or take part in any other business.
- Work in the organization and for an employer who is specified in the work visa
- Not be able to marry a citizen or permanent resident of Singapore without the permission of the Ministry of Manpower.
- Allowed to reside only in the specified place in the work visa.
- Required to carry the original pass for the whole employment period.
Types of Singapore work visa
In Singapore, there are different types of work visas issued by the government of Singapore for different categories of employees according to their skills. It is required for every foreign employee to have a work visa to work in Singapore legally. There is a list of some Singapore work visas with the skills listed below.
- For Professionals-
- Employment pass
- Entrepass
- Personalized employment pass
- Skilled and semi-skilled workers-
- S pass
- Work permit for migrant workers
- Work permit for performing artists
- Work permit for confinement nanny
- Trainees and students
- Training employment pass
- Work holiday pass
- Training work permit
- Family members-
- Dependent’s pass
- Long term visits pass
- Pre-approved letter of consent
- Exemption and working while on the visit pass
- Miscellaneous work pass
- Work pass exempt activities
- Work pass exemption for foreign students
Fees payable for a Singapore work visa
For availing of a Singapore work visa/ work permit, it is required to pay 60US dollars as fees. While at the time of application submission 30 US dollars are needed to be paid. The remaining amount of 30 US dollars paid at the time of issuance of work visa/work pass to the government of Singapore. There is also a requirement to pay administrative fees according to the pass the employer is availing. Different passes required different administrative fees to be paid. On 1st April 2019, the Singaporean government revised the fees of application, issuance, and renewal of different types of work visas in Singapore.
Procedure to apply for a Singapore work visa
For availing of a Singapore Work visa, the following steps are to be followed-
- Submitting an application
- Preparing for the arrival of workers
- Get the permit issued
- Register with the photos and fingerprints
- Receive the permit
- Return the old card (If needed).
Steps to be followed for submission of application for work visa/work permit are mentioned below.
- Ask for written consent from the foreign employees/ workers for applying for a work permit
- Login to work permit online through CorpPass.
- Put in the necessary info while applying through the form.
- By using General Interbank Recurring Order, Visa, Master Card, or e nets debit, pay the fees of 30 US dollars as the application fees to the government of Singapore.
- After applying successfully, check the status of the application after 7 days.
Conclusion
In the end, we can see that Singapore has different types of work visas that are issued to different categories of foreign workers based on their skills. There is a very easy process to get these passes issued by the government of Singapore. There are very few fees required to pay for this process, and it is less time taking also. The steps for submission of application and issuance of work visa are stated above in the article. It is mandatory to have a valid work visa for foreign employees to work in Singapore without having any problems. Further, the application for these work visas is submitted by employers.
FAQ’s
For each issued pass employers are required to pay approximately US dollars in total. In General case, it takes 1 week to get the pass issued.
Issuance of a work permit is not that much difficult but taking approval for a Singapore work visa is more difficult and expensive also. It will take 15 days.
It is required to have at least a salary of $4500 for applying for a work visa in Singapore, in the general case.