As countries grow in transparency, they raise the bar of distinction. With a unique approach to things, their entire model could become a system worth emulating. You are wondering if you need a work permit to work in Singapore or if there are jobs that you can do in the country without a work permit.
Well, countries mature as they become less corrupt and more prosperous; when that happens it is either they are doing things differently or they are doing similar things exceptionally, or a combination of distinction and exceptional approaches and that’s what we can make of Singapore.
Since you are interested in working in the country without a work permit, the other question is, are you also hoping to work without a visa? We ask if you intend to enter the country without a visa because any aspirant of international travel should first understand the concept of a visa. As a foreigner, unless you are exempted from using a visa to enter Singapore, any other means save for special situations like emergencies could be an illegal entry.
While some countries’ citizens may not require a visa to enter Singapore, those who do and are willing to obtain such a visa, don’t need to worry about a work permit. This is because the Singapore working visa includes a work permit called a work pass.
If you acknowledge that you must subscribe to a visa unless exempted from using a visa while entering Singapore, let’s guide you on obtaining a work visa that doubles as a work permit or work pass. After the visa, migrants don’t need to be issued a distinct work permit as obtainable in several other countries.
Singapore Work Visa also referred to as Work Pass or Permit Explained.
Migrating different types of foreigners means different work passes given the Singapore employment and immigration system. Each visa is a form of permit. When any form of work visa or pass is granted, it includes a privilege for the holder to live and work in Singapore for the duration of such visa’s validity.
Predetermining the ideal Singapore work visa for you will be complicated as it is unknown at this point what firm you will be working for and at what capacity or even the associated income level. These things impact the class of Singapore Work visa a potential migrant should aspire for. You may need to consult experts in Singapore travels, or immigration lawyers familiar with the Singapore system.
Common Work Pass That May Interest You
There are several Singapore Wok passes. We are only examining a handful. We recommend further expert consultations to find a suitable Singapore work visa.
The Singapore Work Visa may be examined from four segments. Each segment has collections of work permits. These segments include:
- Professional Pass Category: This is a collection of different work permits that enable professionals, high-earning individuals, business leaders, and talented and successful individuals to migrate to, work, and live in Singapore.
Common visas in this category include: EntrePass, Overseas Network Enterprise Pass, Employment Pass, and Personalized Employment Pass.
- Skilled and semi-skilled pass: Companies in Singapore sometimes run a shortage of local supply of skilled and semi-skilled workers. In such cases, the workforce has to be sourced overseas.
Work pass in this category seeks to recruit a regular workforce for industries, homes, individuals, businesses, or organizations. Visas or work passes in this category include: Work Pass or permits for migrant domestic workers, S Pass, Work Pass or permits for performing artists, etc.
- Trainee Student pass: Studentship may sometimes include the practical application of learned values. This can be in the form of working. In Singapore, this model has some dedicated visas. These include: Training Employment Pass, Work Holiday Pass, Training Work Permit, etc.
- Working while visiting and exemption pass: Some individuals migrating on a special ground that enables them to work briefly while on a visit may utilize these visas. It also accommodates those with some forms of exemption like religious leaders, foreign journalists, and more. Visas in this category include: Work Pass Exempt Activities, Work Pass exemption for foreign students, Miscellaneous Work Pass, etc.
Securing a Job Offer (Singapore Visa sponsorship) and Associated Responsibilities
To start your Singapore visa or work pass process, you may need to secure a job. Such securing of a job and the eventual role of your employer may be regarded as visa sponsorship. After securing such a job, the applicant and employer may need to see to some responsibilities before the successful migration of an applicant. These Singapore Work Visa responsibilities include:
Responsibilities of Employer
- Prove business legitimacy: To migrate employees to Singapore, an employer must provide valid operation documents. This includes such enterprises’ registration with relevant authorities like the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Body of Singapore. Businesses must comply with other provisions, especially those of immigration and employment.
- Apply for a work pass or visa and pay associated fees on behalf of the employee: With the Singapore visa, an employer or eligible citizen must initiate the visa process and pay the required fees. Fees may vary depending on the work pass category. Apart from employers, relevant individuals in Singapore can initiate a visa process.
- Forward the IPA letter to the employee: The In-principal approval letter is crucial to Singapore’s employment and visa process. After initiating a visa process, the employer will receive the letter within a few weeks of application. The letter will be transmitted to the applicant and such applicant is expected to travel with the letter to Singapore within valid time for the category of visa.
- Apply for a visa or pass: Upon the employee’s arrival in Singapore, the employer is to apply for a visa on behalf of the employee. Given success in this stage, a work pass approval notification will be sent to the employee, other visa requirements like biometrics and additional documents may be requested at this stage.
- Support Employee: The whole process of the Singapore visa has the employer playing a crucial role from the very first stage. It is important to acknowledge that the visa process and the migration itself are not the only place where the applicant may need help. Adapting to the environment may be tough for most employees. A Singapore visa sponsor must support an employee.
- Offer guidance: The Singapore migration system expects the employer to guide employees. This is because employees may be alien to the Singapore system including laws and lifestyle. The employer is to guide employees until they fully assimilate into the system.
- Ensure Vacancy Qualification for Singapore work visa: While Singapore welcomes foreign talents, it also wishes to ensure that citizens and residents are employed. The employer must verify that no individual in Singapore is capable or interested in available vacancies before sourcing workers outside Singapore.
Responsibilities of Singapore Visa applicant
- Find a sponsor: The applicant must secure a means of sponsorship. This can be achieved by securing employment or by finding individuals who are qualified to facilitate a Singapore visa. Here we focus on employment sponsorship as such the core responsibility of an applicant is to secure employment.
- Receive the issuance letter and provide other requirements: Upon receiving the issuance letter, the employee is to proceed with other provisions of the visa category by providing other required details to the Manpower ministry.
- Complete the application process: To complete the application process, an applicant must receive the employment pass card by applying for it at the Employment Pass Service Center.
Other likely requirements for a Singapore Visa
Applicants of Singapore visas are expected to provide requirements that conform to Singapore employment-based migration provisions. These may include the following:
- Valid Passport
- Vaccination against yellow fever or other health conditions
- Passport photo
- Background check certificate: In many cases, a birth certificate may be sufficient.
- Provide a recent Police clearance report
- Security clearance in applicable cases
- Provide biometrics if required
- CV or Resume (Since this is a work visa)
- Authenticate employment via contract tendering
- Make yourself available for photo capturing if required
Note that additional information may be required given the visa category.
Securing Singapore Jobs Remotely
Since one needs a job to process a Singapore work visa, then knowing your way around securing a Singapore job while in your home country can be instrumental to migration. You can follow these steps to secure a job remotely in Singapore:
- Utilize social media to establish contact with sponsors: With Singapore visas in focus, businesses and qualified individuals can sponsor visas. This means establishing connections with such entities is vital to securing jobs and possible migration. Several Singaporean firms and individuals operate online profiles.
Finding such firms or individuals on platforms like Facebook can facilitate your employment and move to Singapore. When you find and follow such Singaporean firms, not only do you get timely updates on events like vacancies but you may also be lucky to secure employment.
- Find Singapore firms through search: The remote power of the internet is not limited to social media. You can find your Singapore employer through a web search using engines like Google, Bing, etc. Through such targeted search, you can find your potential employer’s contact information and website. From such information, you can get timely updates on vacancies.
- Discover your Singapore employer through local publishers: While accessing local publications in Singapore used to be a tough challenge for foreigners, today that challenge is being fixed through remote access to digitized copies of such publications. Singapore publishers now make available copies of their publications online, you can find vacancies on such publications and follow provided details to apply.
Benefits of Working in Singapore
- Lucrative reward: Singapore wages are usually on a demand-and-supply basis. Even without a standardized minimum wage, we can arrive at an average salary structure of about $16 per hour, depending on your job sector, this can get higher. We consider the salary structure lucrative especially considering other great values that Singapore offers at a relatively affordable cost.
- Advanced Healthcare: As a developed economy, Singapore has a robust health system. This advanced health system ensures that individuals lucky to secure jobs and migrate to Singapore enjoy quality healthcare.
- Explore an advanced society and civilization: In Singapore, one can find a mix of Western and Eastern worldviews. It is common to experience European-style civilization alongside pure Asian values.
- Insurance benefits: While it is complex to determine what nature of insurance you may stand to benefit from your employer, it is often a common practice for employers in Singapore to operate an insurance program for their workers.
- Possible time flexibility: Time is a valuable asset in Singapore. To enable workers to make justified use of their time, Singapore operates one of the most efficient work timing and management policies.
- High chances of personal development: Singapore is an advanced society. The education system is advanced and there’s the likelihood of individuals achieving diverse personal development while in the country.
- Transparency: As one of the least corrupt countries in the world, workers in Singapore enjoy some transparency, cases of skipped promotion are rare, and other benefits follow transparent procedures.
Singapore entities that Initiate and Facilitate Work visas
In Singapore, several entities can initiate a visa process on behalf of potential migrants. The Singaporean entities listed here are not the only options for your work visa. Further research may expand your chances. In the meantime, these entities can facilitate your Singapore work visa:
- Individuals: Qualified individuals can initiate a visa process in Singapore. In most cases, a Singapore work visa requires a qualified entity to apply for the visa on behalf of a migrant.
- Businesses and Organizations: In Singapore, enterprises and organizations can initiate a work pass process. This can happen after such an entity has offered employment to such a foreigner. Business entities known to facilitate such migration into Singapore include:
- SingHealth Group: A notable healthcare provider in the country, SingHealth Group sources its employees overseas to make up for the local manpower shortage and high demand for healthcare.
- J.P Morgan Singapore: One of the world’s leading financial institutions also operates in Singapore. A fresh workforce is constantly needed in addition to the migration of employees from one international branch to another. Lucky foreigners who secure jobs in J.P. Morgan Singapore may benefit from visa initiation and facilitation.
- Anradus Pte Ltd Singapore: The complexity of Singapore migration makes several firms shy away from the demand of migrating a workforce. Often they rely on dedicated recruiters. Anradus Pte Ltd Singapore remains a leading firm in that aspect.
Important Notes
- This is a diverse Singapore work visa information page, be informed that different employer and visa category have their eligibility criteria. You may consider learning about each unique Singapore employer or visa eligibility criteria.
- We don’t consider the information provided here about Singapore work visas as exhaustive, we recommend further consultations with experts with advanced knowledge of Singapore immigration and employment.
- Success in Singapore Visa or work pass may rely on the authenticity of the information provided, we recommend providing accurate information at all times.
Conclusion
Singapore has emerged as a country with diverse opportunities for citizens and migrants. Prosperity is when a country outperforms the standard and the available workforce will no longer be sufficient.
Given this manpower shortage emerging as a sign of prosperity, the country is focused on sustaining such progress as such, foreigners are given chances to make up for such shortage of manpower in critical sectors.
As a migrant, this can be a great opportunity to migrate to, work, and earn in the country.