Foreign Company Staff Relocation

You will need to apply for the Singapore Employment Pass for each of your foreign professional staff whom who you want to relocate to Singapore.

• The minimum statutory requirements for applicants under the Singapore Employment Pass are as follows:
  • Good educational qualifications. At least a degree from a reputed University is required.
  • Sound professional experience.
  • A minimum monthly salary of S$2,800.
• The Employment Pass will be issued for a one or two-year period and can be renewed thereafter, subject to certain criteria.
• The good news is that there is no quota system for the Employment Pass and you are free to bring in any number of foreign professional staff for meeting your staffing requirements.
• Employment Pass holders can bring in their spouse and children under 21 years of age on a family visa called the Dependant Pass.
• Employment Pass holders can apply for Singapore Residence in due course, if they wish to do so.

Normally, Employment Pass applications are processed within 4-5 weeks.

No. You can apply for the Singapore Employment Pass only after registering a Singapore corporation.

There is no limit on the number of foreign staff a Singapore subsidiary or Singapore Branch Office can employ. However, a Singapore Representative Office can appoint only limited foreign and local staff. The Singapore authorities have stipulated that you can hire only a maximum of five employees for your Representative Office in Singapore.

If you are hiring mid-skilled employees such as technicians or specialists with a minimum monthly salary of S$1,800, under the S Pass type of Singapore work permit or unskilled workers such as construction workers under the R  Pass type of work permit then limitations apply. S Pass holders cannot exceed 25% of the company's total workforce, while for R Pass holders, the limitations vary across industries. There is no limitation on the number of Employment Pass holders you can hire.