Singapore Work Pass & Visa Application Services
Secure Your Work Visa with a Licensed MOM Employment Agency (16C7944).
Singapore attracts talent from around the world with competitive salaries, low tax rates and reliable infrastructure. Securing a work pass now takes more preparation: most Employment Pass applications are scored under the COMPASS Framework, and MOM raises the qualifying salaries for the Employment Pass and S Pass in regular steps.
At Excellence Singapore Recruitment Pte Ltd (License No: 16C7944), we specialize in navigating these complex Ministry of Manpower (MOM) regulations, so your application is complete and well supported the first time you submit it.
Types of Work Passes We Handle
We provide end-to-end application and appeal services for the following passes, and renewals where MOM allows them (a PEP is issued only once):
For Professionals
Employment Pass (EP)
For managers and executives who meet MOM’s EP qualifying salary, which rises with age. We assist with the COMPASS points calculation.
ONE Pass
The 5-year pass for professionals earning at least $30,000/mth, or with outstanding achievements in sports, arts and culture, or academia and research.
Personalised Employment Pass (PEP)
For high-earners (at least $22,500/mth) seeking job flexibility. The candidate submits the application; we prepare it with them and can get the pass issued.
EntrePass
For serial entrepreneurs, high-calibre innovators or experienced investors who want to run a venture-backed or innovative technology business in Singapore. The candidate submits the application, and we prepare it with them. Our guide compares the EntrePass and the Employment Pass.
For Skilled Staff & Family
S Pass
For mid-level skilled staff who meet MOM’s qualifying salary, which rises with the candidate’s age (a flat monthly levy applies).
Dependant’s Pass (DP)
For spouses and children of EP/S Pass holders. Other eligible family members, such as parents, may qualify for a Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP).
Letter of Consent (LOC)
Specifically for LTVP holders or DP Business Owners. Our guide covers a Dependant’s Pass holder running a business on an LOC or an Employment Pass.
How an Employment Pass or S Pass Application Works
- Eligibility and COMPASS checkWe check the candidate against MOM’s qualifying salary and, for an Employment Pass, the 40-point COMPASS framework unless an exemption applies, before anything is filed. Our COMPASS calculator gives a first estimate of the score.
- Job advertisementUnless an exemption applies, the job must be advertised on MyCareersFuture for at least 14 consecutive days before an Employment Pass or S Pass application, and no job offer can be made in that period. Companies with fewer than 10 employees are exempt.
- We submit as your agentAs a licensed employment agency (EA licence 16C7944), we submit the application to MOM through EP eService on the myMOM Portal as your appointed employment agent, once you have confirmed the details and the candidate has given written consent.
- Approval and issueMOM processes online applications or gives an update within 10 business days, longer if it asks for documents. The In-Principle Approval gives the candidate 6 months to enter Singapore and get an Employment Pass issued (60 days for an S Pass), and we then get the pass issued.
Once the pass is issued, our payroll service can add the new hire to your monthly payroll and handle IR21 tax clearance when a foreign employee later leaves.
Why Work Pass Applications Get Rejected
MOM explains each rejection in a rejection advisory in EP eService. Its appeal guidance names the issues to address: the qualifying salary and COMPASS, quota, inconsistencies between the declared qualifications and the verification proof, job advertising requirements and IRAS tax matters.
In our experience, the most common reasons include:
- COMPASS Failure: Failing to score the required 40 points on Salary, Qualifications, Diversity, or Local Support.
- Wrong Job Codes: Mismatch between the declared job title, salary, and the applicant’s experience. MOM also rejects applications linked to a job advertisement that does not match the occupation applied for.
- Quota Issues: For S Passes and Work Permits, the company may lack sufficient “Quota” based on their local workforce. MOM counts local employees from your company’s CPF records, averaged over the last 3 months. Our guide to the foreign worker levy and quota shows how both are worked out.
How Excellence Singapore Solves This
As your appointed employment agency, we stay with the application from the first eligibility check to the issued pass:
- Profile Optimization: We advise on how to strengthen the candidate’s profile (e.g., verifying education credentials) before you apply.
- End-to-End Management: From drafting the justification letter to handling MOM queries, we manage the entire process until the card is issued.
Comparing providers? Our guide on how to choose an Employment Pass agency sets out the four kinds of provider and what each one handles.
Why Use Us for Your Work Pass
- Appeals and MOM questions handled: MOM takes enquiries and appeals only from the employer or the authorised party that submitted the application, so the agent who filed it follows it through.
- Payroll and CPF under one roof: when we also run your payroll and CPF, we can check the local headcount that sets your S Pass and Work Permit quota before you apply.
- Renewals tracked: an Employment Pass or S Pass can be renewed up to 6 months before it expires; we keep the date and start in good time.
- Family passes in the same engagement: Dependant’s Pass and Long-Term Visit Pass applications, filed after the main pass is approved, as MOM advises, so no family pass fee is lost if the main pass is refused.
- New company first: we can incorporate your Singapore company and then handle the founder’s Employment Pass application as a separate service.
- PR when the time comes: when a pass holder is ready, we also prepare Singapore PR applications with them.
Excellence Singapore is a registered corporate service provider that has supported more than 4,000 businesses since 2013.
Talk to our licensed employment agency before you apply.
Talk to Our Work Pass Team
Tell us the role, the salary and the candidate’s background. Fees are quoted after a short review of the role and candidate, with the scope in writing; MOM’s own fees are paid separately.
Work Pass Applications: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. As a licensed employment agency (EA licence 16C7944), we submit Employment Pass, S Pass and family pass applications to MOM through EP eService as your appointed employment agent, once you have confirmed the details and the candidate has given written consent. MOM lets an employer or an appointed employment agent apply. An authorised HR person or manager in your company signs the employer declaration before the pass is issued.
MOM processes an online Employment Pass application, or gives an update, within 10 business days. It takes longer if MOM asks for more documents, and applications by overseas companies through a local sponsor are processed within 6 weeks for most cases. Before filing, allow at least 14 consecutive days for the MyCareersFuture advertisement unless an exemption applies. After approval, the candidate has 6 months to enter Singapore and get the pass issued.
COMPASS is MOM's points-based framework for Employment Pass applications. Besides meeting the EP qualifying salary, an application needs 40 points, scored on salary, qualifications, diversity and support for local employment, with bonus points for shortage skills and strategic economic priorities. Candidates on a fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500, overseas intra-corporate transferees and roles of 1 month or less are exempt. Employment Pass renewals must pass COMPASS too.
Usually, yes. For an Employment Pass or S Pass, MOM requires the job to be advertised on MyCareersFuture for at least 14 consecutive days, with a visible salary range that contains the salary offered, and no job offer may be made during that period. Exemptions include companies with fewer than 10 employees, roles with a fixed monthly salary of S$22,500 or more, roles of 1 month or less and local transferees.
The quota caps S Pass holders at 10% of a company's total workforce in the services sector and 15% in construction, manufacturing, marine shipyard and process. MOM counts local employees from your CPF records, averaged over the last 3 months, so late CPF payments affect your quota. The employer also pays a monthly levy for each S Pass holder, from the day the pass is issued until it ends. Our S Pass guide shows the current levy.
Yes, if the pass holder earns a fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000 and is sponsored by an established Singapore-registered company. The legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21 can get a Dependant's Pass, and parents can get a Long-Term Visit Pass when the pass holder earns at least S$12,000. MOM advises applying for family passes after the main pass is approved. We file them for you.
MOM explains the reasons in a rejection advisory in EP eService. You have 3 months to appeal, and MOM advises appealing only when the issues can be addressed, such as the qualifying salary, COMPASS, quota, inconsistent qualification documents, job advertising or IRAS tax matters. MOM processes 85% of appeals within 6 weeks. Only the party that submitted the application can appeal, so we file appeals for applications we submitted and prepare them with you for applications you filed.
Our fees are quoted after a short review of the role and the candidate, with the scope in writing, because a renewal takes less work than a new Employment Pass that needs a COMPASS review and a job advertisement. MOM's own fees are separate: for an Employment Pass, S$105 to apply and S$225 when the pass is issued; for an S Pass, S$105 to apply and S$100 to issue.
Yes. MOM lets an employer apply directly through EP eService, or appoint a licensed employment agent to apply on its behalf. Companies appoint us when they want the quota, the qualifying salary and the job advertisement checked first, the documents prepared and the application filed, and MOM's questions, renewals and any appeal handled by the same team.
The In-Principle Approval letter acts as a single-entry visa: the candidate has 6 months to enter Singapore and get an Employment Pass issued, or 60 days for an S Pass. Once the candidate is in Singapore, the pass is issued in EP eService and the issue fee is paid. The notification letter lets the candidate start work, and the card arrives within 5 working days of registration or document verification.
Need A Hand? We Got You
