Singapore Government Press Release

Media Division, Ministry of Information and The Arts

36th Storey, PSA Building, 460 Alexandra Road, Singapore 119963.

Tel: 3757794/5

___________________________________________________

There will be a new work pass framework encompassing the existing Work Permit (WP) and EP schemes.

There will be 3 types of work passes under the new framework:

1. P passes for those who hold administrative, professional and managerial jobs, entrepreneurs and investors, as well as specialist talent such as world-class artistes and musicians;
2. Q passes for skilled workers and technicians; and
3. R passes for semi-skilled and unskilled workers (today’s 2-year WP holders) whose employment shall continue to be subject to the full range of controls in place today for WP holders.

The detailed criteria for the work passes are at Annex A.

P and Q passes will be processed at MOM’s Employment Pass Department (existing EP Section) at 5^th floor, SIR Building, 10 Kallang Road, Singapore 208718. The current procedures for application of EP will apply to P and Q passes.

R passes will be processed at MOM’s Work Permit Department at the Ministry of Manpower, 18 Havelock Road, Singapore 059764. The current procedures for application of WP will apply to R passes.

Existing EPs and WPs will continue to be valid. Holders of these passes will be informed by post to convert their passes to P, Q, or R passes as and when their EPs or WPs are due for renewal. Annex B shows how the current WP and EP schemes will fit into the new work pass framework.

Privileges granted earlier to EP and WP holders will also be retained on a personal-to-holder basis as long as they continue to work for the same employer. When they change employer, they will have to submit a fresh application for a P, Q or R work pass.

With effect from 1 Sep 98, R pass applications will be available via the LabourNet. For P and Q pass, submission of applications via the LabourNet will not be available for the time being.

For further enquiries, the public can call the Work Permit Department at 5383033 or the Singapore Immigration and Registration at 3916100.

P passes will be issued to foreigners who hold professional qualifications and seeking to work in a professional, managerial, or administrative capacity. They will also be issued on a case-by-case basis to investors and entrepreneurs who can contribute to the economy of Singapore as well as to persons of exceptional ability in the arts, sciences, and businesses. The P pass category will essentially comprise today’s better qualified EP-calibre foreigners. There will be 2 categories of P passes:

1. P1 pass

P1 passes will be issued to those earning a basic monthly income of more than S$7,000.

2. P2 pass

P2 passes are meant for persons earning a basic monthly income of more than S$3,500 and up to S$7,000.

Applicants who qualify for P passes will be granted renewable work passes of 2 years in the first instance and 3 years upon subsequent renewals, or as per request, whichever is shorter. Exceptional P pass holders may be granted renewable work passes of up to 5 years. A P pass holder will be allowed to bring his/her spouse and children on Dependant’s Passes (DP) as well as parents and parents-in-law on Long Term Social Visit Passes (LTSVP). A P pass holder can work in all sectors of the economy. There will also be no levy or restriction on the number of P pass holders a company can employ.

Q passes will be issued to skilled workers and technicians as well as those with specialised skills needed by the economy. The Q pass category will comprise the lower EP calibre foreigners and most of today’s 3-year WP holders. There will be 2 categories of Q passes:

1. Q1 pass

Q1 pass will be issued to those earning a basic monthly income of more than $2,000 and possess an education qualification of at least 5 ’O’ level passes or a full National Technical Certificate-2 (NTC-2)

2. Q2 pass

Q2 pass will be issued to foreigners who do not satisfy either the basic monthly income or education criterion required for Q1 pass. Such applications will be considered on a case by case basis taking into account the merits of each application. Q2 pass will only be issued on exceptional grounds.

Applicants who qualify for Q passes will be granted renewable work passes of 2 years in the first instance and 3 years upon subsequent renewals, or as per request, whichever is shorter and will be allowed to work up to the prevailing retirement age. A Q1 pass holder will be allowed to bring his/her spouse and children on DP. Q2 pass holders will however not be given such privileges. A Q pass holder can work in all sectors of the economy. There will be no levy or restriction on the number of Q pass holders a company can employ.

R passes will be issued to semi-skilled and unskilled foreign workers. These are essentially of the calibre of today’s 2-year WP holders. Their employment shall continue to be subject to the current controls in place for 2-year WP holders, i.e. sectoral restriction, levy, company’s dependency ceiling, etc. Within this category, there are 2 sub-groups:

1. R1 pass

R1 pass will be issued to semi-skilled foreign workers who hold a NTC-3 (practical) or other suitable qualifications. Their employers will have to pay a levy of $100 per month per worker.

2. R2 pass

R2 pass will be issued to unskilled foreign workers. Their employers will be subject to the full levy rates currently in place for unskilled 2-year WP holders.

R pass holders will not be allowed to bring in their immediate family members. They will also be subject to security bond and medical examination requirements as in the case of existing 2-year WP holders.

A pictorial summary of how the existing EP and WP passes fit into the new system is shown in the figure below. Generally, higher end EP holders will fit into the P category while some lower end EP holders and 3-year WP holders will fit into the Q category. 2-year WP holders will fit into the R category.