An unconventional guide to employment visas issued in Singapore

All foreigners who plan to work in Singapore must apply for an employment visa to be allowed to work. Only those who have a work visa can get a job in Singapore and live there to work. The Ministry of Manpower carefully regulates these passes to ensure that all foreigners are abiding by what their specific work visa constitutes. Thus, if you wish to work in Singapore, you must be eligible for an employment visa.

Getting a work visa in Singapore is not easy and the reason is that there are stringent qualifications each employment visa applicant must meet. Like the S Pass Singapore visa, for example, you need to be a mid-skilled worker that will get a salary of SG$2,500. However, if one is well-informed about the S pass Singapore application and the process for the other work visa, this will not be that difficult. That is why in this article, we are giving you a conventional guide about the employment visa issued in Singapore.

Almost all employment visa applications require a job offer

In Singapore, you can’t get a work visa if you don’t have an expected job in Singapore. This is required in all employment visa applications including the S pass Singapore application. The only work visa that does not require a job during the application process is the personalised employment pass and the EntrePass. That is why it is a must that you look for a job in Singapore online before you apply for any of the employment visa in Singapore.

Usually, a job post in Singapore is offered first to Singaporeans for 28 days. If no Singaporean applied for the job post after that period, only then it will be offered to foreigners. You can find these job posts in the MyCareers and Jobs Bank listing portals.

The employer controls the work visa

The reason why you need to get a job first in Singapore before undergoing the S Pass Singapore application process or any work visa applications is that you need the help of your employer. The employer holds control on most of the employment visa in Singapore. They are the ones that can apply for the work visa on behalf of the applicant. They are in control of the decision whether they will renew an employment visa or not. That is why if you wish to remain working in Singapore for a long time, you need to please the employer that hired you.

Each employment visa has its eligibility criteria

It is important to note that each work visa has a set of eligibility criteria that applicants must meet. For the S Pass Singapore visa, applicants must be at least a middle-skilled worker that has a salary limit of SG$2,500. As for the E Pass, the candidate must be earning at least SG$4,500 and has a managerial position or an equivalent of that.

For the PEP application, you are eligible for this if you are a professional earning more than SG$18,000 or an E Pass holder earning more than SG$12,000. There are more eligibility criteria that you need to know before you pick an employment visa to apply for. This is important because the Ministry of Manpower will reject any work visa application that does not meet the eligibility criteria set for that particular pass.

Each work visa has its corresponding conditions

Aside from the eligibility criteria, each employment visa has conditions that employers must follow. The most stringent in terms of work visa conditions is the S pass Singapore visa. That is because there are levies and quotas employers have to meet to be able to employ an S Pass holder. This is also the case with the other work permits issued by the Ministry of Manpower.

In the scenario of the E Pass and the PEP, the employer must be seen putting effort in prioritizing local employment to be allowed to apply for these passes. This means that the company must have a favorable ratio of the workforce for the locals. A company that has more foreign employees will not be eligible to hire another foreigner since the employment visa application for this will not get approved. Thus, it is vital that the employer is abiding by these work visa conditions.

Have a professional manage the employment visa transactions

The employment visa in Singapore is not easy to apply for especially if you are not knowledgeable of the process. That is why it is important for you to read unconventional guides like this regarding the work visa in Singapore. However, if you don’t have the time to learn everything about the S Pass Singapore visa or any other pass, that is alright. That is because you can always hire an employment visa company to manage this for you.