From 1 July 2025, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will make a number of important changes to the Work Permit (WP) policy, including an age limit and an expanded range of countries of origin and occupations.

The main changes include:

The upper age limit for all non-domestic foreign workers has been raised to 61 years old, regardless of nationality (previously 58 years old for Malaysian nationals and 50 years old for other countries).

Extended upper age limit for employment: WP holders can work until the age of 63, in line with Singapore's local statutory retirement age (previously 60).

Elimination of work experience restrictions: Previously, the work experience of workers from China and non-traditional source countries (NTS) was 14 years and 22 years, respectively. Now, the restrictions have been removed, and qualified WP holders are allowed to work indefinitely.

The implementation of these policies will provide greater flexibility for Singaporean companies to cope with the challenge of labour shortages, while also providing more job opportunities for foreign workers.

一. Employment Pass (EP) —For Professionals, Managers and Senior Executives

Applicable to: Foreign professionals, managers and senior executives.

 Application Requirement ：

• Salary Requirement: From 1 January 2025, the minimum monthly salary for new EP applicants is  S$5,600 and S$6,200 for the financial services industry.

• Age Requirement: Salary requirements increase with age. Applicants aged 45 and above will receive a minimum monthly salary of  S$10,700 in the non-financial sector and  S$11,800 in the financial services sector.

• Academic Rrequirements: Usually, a bachelor's degree or equivalent from an accredited university is required.

• COMPASS Assessment: Applicants must pass the "Complementary Assessment Framework" (COMPASS) unless they meet the exemption conditions. The framework is scored from salary, education, company diversity, local employment support, and other aspects, with a total score of 40 points, which must be met to pass.

• Recruitment Advertisement Requirements: Employers are required to post recruitment advertisements on the Singapore government recruitment platform MyCareersFuture for at least 14 days to meet the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) requirements.

• Validity: The validity period of the first approval is up to 2 years, and the renewal can be up to 3 years.

• Additional Benefits: EP holders can apply for family permits for their spouses and children or long-term visiting permits (LTVP) for other relatives.

二. S Pass—— Suitable for Technicians with Intermediate Skills

Applicable to: Foreign technical personnel with intermediate skills.

 Application Requirement ：

• Minimum Monthly Salary Requirements (from 2025):

• Non-financial sector: The minimum monthly salary for applicants aged 23 and below is   S$3,300 and  S$4,800 for those aged 45 and above.

• Financial services industry:  S$3,800 for those aged 23 and below and  S$5,650 for those aged 45 and above.

• Academic Requirements: A Diploma or equivalent from an accredited institution is required.

• Quota Limit: The service sector quota is capped at 10% of the total number of employees, and the construction, manufacturing, maritime, and other industries are capped at 15%.

• Taxation Requirements: Employers are required to pay the Levy for foreign workers for S Pass holders, which is determined according to the industry and the size of the employer.

• Validity: The maximum validity period for the first issuance and renewal is 2 years.

三. Work Permit (WP) —Suitable for Low-Skilled Workers

Applicable to: Low-skilled foreign workers in construction, manufacturing, maritime, shipbuilding and other industries.

 Application Requirement ：

• Age Limit: From July 1, 2025, the upper age limit for applicants will be raised from 50 to 61, and workers in certain countries can apply up to 63.

• Educational Background: Usually required to have a junior high school degree or above.

• Quota Restrictions: There are quota restrictions for different industries and source countries, and employers need to apply according to specific quota regulations.

• Tax Requirements: Employers are required to pay foreign worker tax for WP holders according to industry standards.

• Validity: Each approval is valid for up to 2 years, depending on the industry, nationality, and health examination results.

• Family Members: WP holders are usually not allowed to apply for a permit to go to New Zealand for their spouses or children.

四. Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) —Suitable for Highly Paid Professionals

Target: High-income foreign professionals seeking greater freedom in their careers.

 Application Requirement ：

Salary Requirements:

• Overseas Applicants: A fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500 in the last month.

• Current EP Holder: The average monthly salary for the past six months must also reach S$22,500.

• Employer Binding: There is no need to bind to a specific employer. You can change jobs freely in Singapore without having to reapply for a permit.

• Validity: PEP is issued once and is valid for 3 years, and does not support renewal.

• Residence Requirement: You must live in Singapore for at least 183 days per year, otherwise your permit may be cancelled.

• Family Members: You can apply for a family permit for your spouse and children, and you can also apply for a long-term visit permit for your parents.

• Industry Rrestrictions: Do not engage in regulated industries such as journalism, law, religion, and medicine.

In addition, Singapore offers various work visa types tailored to specific groups. For instance, the Entrepreneur Pass is designed for foreign entrepreneurs aiming to establish innovative businesses in Singapore. The Training and Employment Pass is suitable for foreign professionals in short-term training positions. The Overseas ICT Pass is used by multinational companies to transfer employees to Singapore. Each type of visa has its own application requirements and scope of use. It is recommended to select the most appropriate type based on your business needs and talent background.

to the skills of the position and the background of the applicant.

Online Application: Submit your application and supporting materials through the MOM website.

Approval and Supplementary Documents: MOM usually gives the approval result within 3 weeks, if the materials are not complete, it may be supplemented.

Obtain IPA (in principle approval): You can enter the country to work after passing.

Official Permit: Exchange the official work permit after submitting the biometric information.

Although the application process for a Singapore work permit is relatively clear, employers and expatriate employees often face the following specific challenges in practice:

一. Quota Restrictions and Tax Requirements:

Singapore has set up a dual restriction system of "foreign worker quota" (Dependency Ratio Ceiling, DRC) and "foreign worker levy" for employers of different industries to employ foreign workers:

Singapore's WP Permit and S Pass have specific regulations regarding quotas and foreign worker levy (FWL). The WP Permit is designed for low-skilled foreign workers, with quotas of up to 83.3% for construction, 60% for manufacturing, and 35% for services. The foreign worker tax ranges from S$550 to S$650 per month, depending on the worker's level. The S Pass is intended for mid-skilled workers, with a quota of up to 15% for construction, 10% for services, and a monthly tax of S$650. Employers must plan quotas and taxes based on the type of work and industry to ensure compliance.

二. Although the age and working years restrictions are relaxed, the compliance threshold is still high

Although from July 2025:

• The upper age limit for WP applicants has been uniformly relaxed to 61.

• The upper limit of employment years has been completely abolished (previously, Chinese workers could work for up to 14 years).

• The working period can be extended to 63 years old (in line with the legal retirement age);

However, employers should still pay attention to the following compliance points:

• Health Check: The older you are, the more rigorous the review of your physical condition;

• Skill Matching: Some positions have hard requirements on technology or language;

• Industry Restrictions: Some high-risk industries have a hidden preference for middle-aged and older employees to apply.

三. The Application Threshold has been Raised Year by Year (EP/S Pass/WP are affected)

Take Employment Pass (EP) as an example. The minimum monthly salary standard will be S$5,600 (S$6,200 for finance) from 2025, up nearly 10% from 2023, and is expected to be adjusted annually in the future.

The minimum monthly salary of S Pass has also risen from  S$2,500 all the way to  S$3,150 (manufacturing) / S$3,650 (other industries) in 2025, further increasing the employment pressure on small and medium-sized enterprises.

Although there is no salary threshold for WP, it is subject to industry control indicators (such as skill certificates and work experience), and the new policy tends to give priority to more experienced applicants, so the actual competition is fierce.

四. Document Preparation and Compliance Risk

• The requirements are diverse: including employment contract, academic certificate, passport front page scan, health examination report, etc., some industries also need to provide skill certification (such as SEC/K certificate for construction);

• Strict Time Requirements: Most documents need to be issued within 3 months; once expired, you need to reapply;

• High Risk of False Information: MOM will strengthen the verification, and any false reporting or forged documents will lead to serious consequences such as blacklisting and revocation of permits.

These challenges show that while Singapore is relaxing some policies, it is also improving the overall quality of foreign workers through institutionalisation and standardisation, and reducing the "low-skilled, short-term employment" path,  to encourage employers to pay attention to compliance, reasonable employment and long-term employment planning.

YeeGoo Global Tech is committed to providing efficient and compliant global human resources solutions for enterprises, especially in the area of Singapore work permit processing, with the following advantages:

Professional Consultation: Provide the latest interpretation of work permit policies and application strategies to help enterprises develop the best employment plan.

• Process Management: Assist enterprises in completing the whole process management from application to issuance, and ensure that each step meets the requirements of MOM.

• Compliance Guarantee: Through systematic management, the compliance risk of enterprises in the application of work visas can be reduced, and the uncertainty caused by policy changes can be avoided.

• Continuous Support: Continue to provide support services to companies and employees after the work permit is issued to ensure a smooth working and living experience in Singapore.

Through cooperation with YeeGoo Global Tech, enterprises can focus more on the development of their core business, and entrust the complex work permit processing affairs to professional teams to achieve the optimisation and upgrading of human resource management.

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