The Employment Pass is the principal route for foreign professionals to work in Singapore. It sits above the S Pass in the pass hierarchy and is aimed at managerial, executive and specialised roles.
What is required
Applicants must earn at least the qualifying salary, which rises with age to reflect the local benchmark for experienced professionals, and is set higher for the financial services sector. Meeting the salary alone is not sufficient; the application must also pass COMPASS. Employers apply on the candidate's behalf.
- No foreign worker levy is payable for Employment Pass holders
- Holders sit outside the dependency ratio ceiling
- Eligible holders may sponsor dependants, subject to a higher salary threshold
- Roles must generally be advertised locally first under the Fair Consideration Framework
Why it matters when hiring internationally
Because Employment Pass holders are exempt from both the levy and the quota, the cost and feasibility profile differs sharply from the S Pass. That makes the pass type a meaningful planning decision rather than an administrative detail, and the qualifying salary thresholds have been raised repeatedly, so figures from even a couple of years ago are unreliable.