MOM's Fair Consideration Framework 2026: What Employers Must Do Before Hiring Foreign Talent Every year, Singapore employers apply for Employment Passes and S Passes to bring in foreign talent, and every one of those applications is shaped by the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF). Administered by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the FCF requires employers to [...]
A compliance guide for Singapore employers on whether foreign interns and trainees need a work pass, covering the Student's Pass exemption, Training Employment Pass, Training Work Permit and Work Holiday Pass.
Most employer obligations around work passes deal with predictable events, hiring, renewal, or a planned resignation. Far harder to manage is the situation where a Work Permit, S Pass, or Employment Pass holder simply stops turning up and cannot be contacted. Absconding is rare, but when it happens, Singapore employers have specific and time-sensitive obligations [...]
From September 2026, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is widening the Non-Traditional Source Occupation List (NTS-OL) to include eight additional occupations across the food services, social services, and air transportation sectors. For employers who have struggled to find local hires for roles such as waiters, kitchen assistants, infant caregivers, and cabin crew, this is the [...]
For many expatriates living in Singapore on a Dependant's Pass (DP) — typically the spouses and unmarried children of Employment Pass (EP) or S Pass holders — the question of whether they can work in Singapore is a common one. The answer depends on whether the Dependant's Pass holder has obtained a Letter of Consent [...]
Obtaining Singapore Permanent Residency (PR) is a significant milestone for many foreign professionals, investors and their families. PR status provides the right of long-term residence, access to subsidised education and healthcare, and a pathway to citizenship. However, Singapore’s PR process is discretionary — the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) does not publish a fixed points [...]
Singapore’s Employment Pass (EP) application process underwent a fundamental transformation with the introduction of the COMPASS (Complementarity Assessment Framework) scoring system on 1 September 2023. Before COMPASS, EP decisions were largely qualitative — an officer assessed salary, employer profile and candidate qualifications holistically. Since COMPASS, every EP application is now assigned a numerical score, and [...]
If you are a high-earning foreign professional working in Singapore, the Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) is one of the most flexible work passes available to you. Unlike the standard Employment Pass, which ties you to a single employer, the PEP gives you the freedom to switch jobs, explore new opportunities, and even take a break [...]
If you hold an Employment Pass, S Pass, or EntrePass in Singapore and want to bring your family with you, the Dependant's Pass (DP) is the primary immigration option available to you. Understanding who qualifies, what the salary thresholds are, how to apply, and what rights a DP holder has in Singapore will help you [...]
If you hold an Employment Pass (EP) or S Pass in Singapore and want your spouse and children to live with you, the Dependant's Pass (DP) is the primary route. Singapore's DP framework gives eligible family members legal status to reside in the country and, subject to conditions, to work and study. This guide covers [...]