Singapore is a center of business activities not only in the Southeast Asian region but also in the whole of Asia. It is recognized as a first-world country with a resilient economy which is many prefer to establish a business here. For those reasons, workers are always needed in Singapore. Although the country prioritizes Singaporeans when it comes to job hiring, they still need to hire foreigners. That is why these employers apply for a work visa to get foreigners permission to work in Singapore.
Applying for an employment visa is the task of an employer. This cannot be done by the applicant itself since the Ministry of Manpower also takes the hiring company into account before approving any pass like the employment pass Singapore visa. If you are thinking of bringing foreign workers to work in your company, here are 5 facts about the work visa in Singapore.
Fact #1 – Work visa allows foreigners to work on a specific job scope
An employment visa allows a foreigner to work in Singapore but it has limitations. One of the most common of these limitations is the job scope. For example, in the situation of an employment pass Singapore holder, they are tied to a single employer and a specific job scope. If they are a bank manager, they can only work in the bank in a managing position. They cannot be the manager of a restaurant or an ordinary bank teller. Thus, if you hire a foreigner, you are not allowed to switch his or her job position or scope of work without the approval of the Ministry of Manpower.
Fact #2 – Most employment visa transactions are done online
The Ministry of Manpower wants to make all work visa transactions as easy as possible. That is why most employment visa transactions can be done online. They have a portal called the myMOM portal. This is a consolidated portal for the EP Online and the WP Online. Through this portal, employers can apply, renew, and cancel the visa of an employment pass Singapore holder. The work visa holders can use this portal as well to regularly check for their employment visa status. Thus, as an employer, it is best that you know how to do employment transactions through this portal.
Fact #3 – The main employment visa requirements
All work passes have their set of eligibility qualifications that foreigners must meet in order to get approved. Like in the case of the employment pass Singapore applicant, they need to be a high-skilled worker and have a promised monthly salary of SG$4,500. However, there are general work visa requirements that all foreign workers must meet first.
It is a must that all employment visa applicants are of 18 years of age. In addition, they must be holding a valid passport that will not expire soon. They must also be in good condition to work and don’t have any grave illnesses. Thus, make sure that the foreigner you are hiring can meet these main visa qualifications.
Fact #4 – There are general work visa limitations
Aside from qualifications, all work passes in Singapore have limitations. Like the employment pass Singapore visa, most of these passes are tied to one employer and are not permitted to switch employers. Moreover, there are general work visa limitations that all foreigners must now.
One of them is that they should not take part in starting their own business unless they apply for the EntrePass. They also cannot marry a Singapore citizen or permanent resident in or outside Singapore unless approved by the Ministry of Manpower. Furthermore, they can only live at the address set by their employers at the beginning of the employment.
Fact #5 – You can apply for a work visa through employment visa services
As mentioned above, the employer is the one responsible to work on most of the employment visa transactions. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will have to do all the work. An employer can hire a work visa company that will do this for them. These employment visa agencies can help in the application, renewal, cancellation, and monitoring of all work passes including the employment pass Singapore permit. Thus, this work visa workload can be removed from your burden.
As you have read, there are plenty of things that you need to know about the employment visa issued in Singapore. This is especially if you want to hire foreign workers in your company. Aside from learning how to do certain work visa transactions, you must learn the regulations and conditions regarding each employment visa. This can be too much for an employer like you to handle.
