Employment Pass
The standard work pass for professionals, managers and executives, applied for by a Singapore employer and tied to that employer for as long as it lasts.
Almost everyone who moves to Singapore for a career does it on this pass, and almost everyone misunderstands where the test sits. The Employment Pass is scored twice: once on your age and salary, and once on your employer’s profile under the COMPASS framework. You can be an excellent candidate and still fail because your employer hires too many people of your nationality.
Programme snapshot
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Main audience | Professionals, managers and executives with a Singapore job offer |
| Route family | Skilled work |
| Validity | 2 years on first issue, 3 years on renewal, 5 years for shortage-list tech roles |
| Stay per entry | Continuous while employed by the sponsor |
| Threshold | S$5,600 rising with age to S$10,700 at 45 and over, about USD 4,300 to USD 8,200, 2026 |
| Threshold formula | Top one-third of local PMET salaries by age, plus 40 points on COMPASS |
| Renewal | Yes, against the salary and COMPASS tests in force at renewal |
| Settlement | Discretionary |
| PR clock | None published |
| Citizenship clock | 2 years as a PR, then discretionary |
| Family | Partial. Spouse and children under 21 on a Dependant Pass at S$6,000 and above; parents on a Long-Term Visit Pass at S$12,000 and above |
| Local employment | Sponsor only. The employer applies and the pass ends with the job |
| Tax headline | Resident 0 to 24 per cent at 183 days or more; non-resident employment income at 15 per cent or resident rates, whichever is higher |
| Processing | About 10 business days for most applications |
COMPASS at a glance
Two stages. Stage 1 is the age-based qualifying salary; fail it and the score is irrelevant. Stage 2 is COMPASS, pass mark 40 points out of a maximum 110.
| Criterion | 20 points | 10 points | 0 points |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 Salary against sector benchmark | 90th percentile and above | 65th to below 90th | Below 65th |
| C2 Qualifications | Top-tier degree | Degree-equivalent, UK ENIC assessed | No degree-equivalent |
| C3 Nationality diversity | Under 5 per cent of your nationality among PMETs | 5 to under 25 per cent | 25 per cent or more |
| C4 Support for local employment | Local PMET share at 50th percentile or above | 20th to below 50th | Below 20th |
| C5 Skills bonus | 20 with Shortage Occupation List role and extra requirements met | 10 for the listed occupation alone | 0 |
| C6 Strategic economic priorities | Not applicable | 10 for approved SEP programme firms | 0 |
Firms with fewer than 25 PMETs receive 10 points by default on C3 and C4.
Application flow
- Secure a written offer from a Singapore employer at or above the age-based floor.
- The employer advertises the role on MyCareersFuture under the Fair Consideration Framework.
- The employer runs the COMPASS self-assessment before filing, since a low C3 or C4 score is decided before you are involved.
- The employer submits the application to MOM with your qualifications and salary evidence.
- MOM issues an In-Principle Approval, typically in about 10 business days.
- You enter Singapore, complete formalities and receive the pass card.
- The employer files the Dependant Pass applications if your salary clears S$6,000.
Good fit
A mid-career professional with a real offer from a company that has a healthy local headcount and a mixed nationality profile. The pass works best where the employer has done this before, knows the MyCareersFuture requirement, and can show a local PMET share above the median. Two to three renewals on this pass is the normal, unglamorous path to a PR application.
Poor fit
Anyone without a degree and without a scarce skill, since C2 scores zero and the salary floor still applies. Anyone whose employer is dominated by one nationality, because C3 will score zero through no fault of yours. And anyone who wants to consult, freelance or run a side company: the pass authorises one employer’s work only.
Watchpoints
- The floor rises in 2027 and it will catch existing holders. New applications need S$6,000, and S$11,500 at 45 and over, from 1 January 2027. Renewals expiring from 1 January 2028 need the same. A pass granted at S$5,600 in 2026 will not renew at that level.
- Financial services runs a different table. S$6,200 to S$11,800 now, S$6,600 to S$12,700 from 2027. Using the general table for a bank or fund produces a wrong plan.
- COMPASS is scored on the employer, not on you. A firm with 25 per cent or more of your nationality among its PMETs scores zero on C3 and can fail a strong candidate. Ask for the self-assessment before you resign anything.
- The Fair Consideration Framework is a real gate. The role must be advertised on MyCareersFuture for the required period before filing. A role that cannot be advertised honestly will not get through.
- The COMPASS exemption is narrow. It applies at S$22,500 fixed monthly, to intra-corporate transferees, and to roles of one month or less. It does not exempt you from the age-based salary floor.
- The pass dies with the job. A redundancy gives you a short visit pass to wind up, not a grace period to find a new sponsor. Changing employer means a new application.
- The Shortage Occupation List moves. It is revised annually and reviewed in full every three years, so a C5 bonus that carries an application today may be gone at renewal.
Sources
- Ministry of Manpower, Employment Pass eligibility, https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/employment-pass/eligibility, checked 2026-10-22
- Ministry of Manpower, COMPASS scoring framework and Shortage Occupation List, checked 2026-10-22
- Ministry of Manpower, Fair Consideration Framework and MyCareersFuture requirements, checked 2026-10-22