Path for mid-skilled, unskilled workers to gain Singapore work visa

Then there is S Pass, another Work Visa of Singapore, which is issued to foreign technicians who seek employment in this island nation’s flourishing industries, which include engineering, electronics, chemicals, marine or construction. In other words, this has been devised by mid-skilled workers.

  

Under S Pass, there are, however, caps on the number of workers who can be hired, but there is a levy on them. This move has been initiated by the ministry in charge to keep a check on the number of mid-skilled foreigners who enter the country and remain in Singapore only those who add value to the country.

Visa for S Pass is linked to a specific employer of Singapore. Only the employers are allowed to initiate the application process. Although with the S Pass, a foreign employer can stay for only up to two years, the precise time period would be decided on a case to case basis, which is subject to the passport validity of the foreign worker. For instance, the passport must be valid for a minimum of seven months and the visa needs to expire a month prior to the validity of the passport. 

   

Duration of S Pass can be extended for up to a maximum of three years as long as the foreigner is still working and if both the employees and the employers satisfy the initial visa requirements. The extension will be applicable for one month prior to the validity of the passport. Employers who recruit foreigners on this Pass must also buy insurance for them.

Only some holders of this Pass can take their family members along with them to Singapore because it would difficult to tend to them with their salaries. 

Even the S Pass holders are eligible to apply for permanent residence in Singapore, though qualification time for the same will be much longer than it would be for EP and PEP holders.

The S Pass holder must earn at least SG$2,200. It may, however, be commensurate with the age of the Pass holder, the position held and skills possessed.

Educational qualifications that the Pass holder must hold are a degree/diploma/certificate which must be related to the employment. 

Foreign workers must have rich work experience in the jobs they would be joining in and skills that are not easily available in Singapore.

These Pass holders can belong to any country, but just like in other employment classes, additional documentation is needed for nationals of certain countries. 

The employers of S Pass holders must have an account in the CPF.

The number of S Pass holders each employer can recruit must not exceed 15 percent (for niche sectors) and 20 percent (for other sectors) of the total staff. 

Under the fourth subclass comes the Work Permit, a Singapore work visa, which is issued to unskilled foreign workers who have to belong to certain countries of Asia. They can work in sectors such as manufacturing, construction, services, process, marine and so on. 

Work Permit visas are issued purely for employments purposes and residence options are not provided. This pass will be issued only after one gets a job in Singapore and only the employer or a visa agent can process the application.

An employer recruiting WPs need to pay security bond,  a monthly levy, purchase insurance for workers and also make sure that the hired people meet the sector’s ceiling of workers.

Although WP holders get visas for only up to two years, the decision on the precise time period would depend on the validity of the foreign workers’ passports, the security bond’s size paid by the employer, the duration of employment, et al. 

The employer can extend this visa if they satisfy certain criteria. 

Foreigner holders of the WP cannot bring their families along to Singapore, they cannot do personal business in Singapore, they are ineligible to file for permanent residence, only WPs from Malaysia can change jobs after getting a WP and must reapply for a new WP, until which time they cannot resign from the first job. 

Holders of WPs can seek a new job in Singapore provided they resign from their previous employment and there is no minimum salary requirement for WP holders.

Only nationals of countries such as Malaysia, China, India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and few others are eligible to apply for this visa. Applicants for this visa must be in the age group 18-50. For Malaysians, however,  58 years is the higher limit.

If WP holders are highly skilled, they are at an advantage as their employers would need to pay a lower levy for them. Although the levy for WPs varies from one sector to another, the average is around SG$300 for the high skilled among them and SG$550 for people who are relatively less skilled. Employers must pay a security bond of SG$5,000 for every non-Malaysian worker. This amount is refunded after the employers leave the country or their employment ends. 

The ceiling for recruiting WP holders is 15 percent (for companies in the service sector) and 20 percent (in others) of the total staff. Employers need to buy health care insurance of WP holders by paying SG$15,000.

The processing time for WP applications is just one day, but the employers need to provide the government of Singapore enough information about their firms and prove that they abide by legal employment practices. 

If you are looking to seek Employment Visa for Singapore, contact Y-Axis, a renowned immigration consultancy firm, to apply for a visa from one of its several global offices.