When you are an experienced professional with a specific expertise, there are no limits on who you can work for or where you can work. You can even take employment opportunities outside of your country. One of the countries with a reputation of hiring expats in Singapore. The country has a booming economy, which raises the demand for skilled professionals to work in various industries.
Singapore does not bar foreign expats from working in the country as long as they meet the minimum requirements. That is why every year, thousands of skilled foreign expats move into Singapore. Most employers in Singapore offer good remuneration, which is another reason why many professionals are enticed to moving there.
If you are a skilled professional, you can also move to Singapore, but you need to have a work visa to be legally allowed to work there. The various visa options available are dependent on your experience and skill level. In this article, we look at ways you can obtain a Singapore work visa.
If you are a top level manager or executive
Most of the work visas in Singapore are tied to your employer. This means that you cannot take another job once in Singapore unless you change your visa. To get a work visa, you need to secure employment first, and then your employer applies for the visa on your behalf. Top level managers or executives are usually granted an Employment pass (EP) or the S pass.
To be awarded a Singapore visa, there are requirements that you first have to fulfill. For the Employment pass, you must have accumulated a lot of experience and your monthly salary should not be less than $3,600 SGD. You must possess a degree, specialist skills, and professional qualifications. For the S pass, your minimum monthly salary should be $2,200 SGD and you must have a sound educational background.
Subject matter experts
The second way that a professional can obtain a Singapore work visa is if you are a subject matter expert. You can then apply for the Personalized Employment Pass (PEP). The advantage the PEP holds over other visas is that you are not barred from pursuing other opportunities.
You qualify for this pass if you are a valid holder of an EP or an overseas applicant out of employment for a period over six months. The previous monthly salary for an overseas applicant should not be less than $18,000 SGD and $12,000 for those upgrading their EP to a PEP. You must also possess a degree from a well-known institution and have a work experience of more than three years.
A dependent to a valid work visa holder
If your parents or spouse have secured employment in Singapore and possess a valid EP or PEP, you can apply for a Defendant’s pass to move in with them. Once in possession of this pass, you are allowed to legally work in Singapore without applying for a work visa. All you need is a Letter of Consent applied by the employer on your behalf to enable you to legally work in Singapore.
