How an Employment Pass application works

Before the application

1. 1

   Check the candidate qualifies

   Stage 1 (the qualifying salary for the candidate's age) and Stage 2 (COMPASS, unless exempt). MOM says an employer should not apply if its Self-Assessment Tool shows the candidate does not qualify. The COMPASS calculator runs the same published tables without an eService account.

2. 2

   Advertise the job fairly

   Under the Fair Consideration Framework the employer must advertise on MyCareersFuture and consider all candidates fairly. MOM: the advertisement “must be open for at least 14 consecutive days”, the maximum salary “cannot exceed two times of the minimum salary”, and an advert that expired or closed more than 3 months earlier cannot be used. No job offer should be made during the 14 days.

3. 3

   Get the candidate's written consent

   MOM requires written consent to apply from the candidate, who also fills in the candidate's form. The candidate does not need to be in Singapore.

Documents MOM asks for

• The personal particulars page of the candidate's passport, with an explanation letter and evidence (for example a deed poll) if the name differs across documents.
• The company's latest business profile or instant information registered with ACRA.
• Verification proof of the candidate's qualifications, if prompted. MOM accepts proof only from selected background-screening companies (with an MOM verification reference number), official English-language verification portals, OpenCerts digital certificates, or professional bodies — not the certificate itself, a notarised copy or a school letter. A qualification verified once need not be verified again.
• Documents from the professional body for listed healthcare roles, lawyers, and football players or coaches; food-shop licence evidence for food establishments.
• Non-English documents with an English translation, uploaded together as one file.

MOM may ask for more, for example proof that the declared salary will be paid. Inconsistency between the qualification declared and the verification proof is one of the issues MOM names in its appeal guidance, so it is worth getting right the first time.

Submission to issue

• The IPA works as a pre-approved single-entry visa. MOM advises bringing the candidate in only after approval, because it cannot extend a visit pass.
• If the application is still pending after 10 business days, MOM says to check your e-mail for its request for more documents; processing then takes longer.
• Family passes can be applied for with the EP, but MOM warns the family-pass fees are lost if the EP is rejected — see the Dependant's Pass.
• The first pass lasts up to 2 years; renewal can be up to 3.

If the application is rejected

MOM's rejection advisory in EP eService gives the reasons. The employer has 3 months to appeal, and MOM says to appeal only with new information that addresses them — see Employment Pass appeal.

Where professional help fits

Many employers file EP applications themselves. Help is most likely to be worth paying for when the case has a complication: a borderline COMPASS score, a qualification that is hard to verify, a sponsored application for an overseas company, a previous rejection, or family passes to line up. Candidates who expect to apply for permanent residence later often want the EP history set up cleanly from the start.