Ministry of Manpower Consolidates Employment Pass Subcategories

Effective immediately, the Ministry of Manpower has removed the P1, P2 and Q1 Employment Pass subcategories and consolidated them into a single Employment Pass category. 

The Ministry stressed that this is intended to be an administrative change only. The qualifying criteria, the minimum fixed monthly salary requirement of SGD 3,300, and the process for both initial and renewal applications will remain the same. 

The S Pass, Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) and EntrePass will remain as separate subcategories of the Employment Pass and will continue to be referred to as such. The S Pass is for mid-level foreign employees earning at least SGD 2,200 monthly who do not fall in the Employment Pass category for professionals, executives and managers. The PEP is a self-sponsored Employment Pass for highly skilled professionals, while the EntrePass is for entrepreneurs. 

What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals 

Notwithstanding the removal of the P1, P2 and Q1 subcategories, it would still be important for employers to note existing differences among Employment Pass holders in their ability to sponsor family members. Only Employment Pass holders who earn a fixed monthly salary of at least SGD 4,000 may sponsor dependent spouses or partners and children. In addition, only Employment Pass holders who earn a fixed monthly salary of at least SGD 8,000 may sponsor their parents for long term stays. 

Presumably, the medical examination requirement will continue to apply only to Employment Pass applicants earning a fixed monthly salary from SGD 3,300 to SGD 4,499 (previously known as the Q1 Pass category), pending any clarification by the Ministry. 

Fragomen is monitoring developments in Singapore and will provide updates once available. 

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen Worldwide or send an email to [email protected]. 

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