Last Updated 28 July 2026

Singapore Work Visa for Indian Professionals — Employment Pass (EP), S Pass, ONE Pass, COMPASS and PR Pathway Guide

• Work 40 hours/week
• 14 paid leaves per year
• High average salaries
• 'NO' age limit
• Easy path to Singapore PR
• Travel in and out without Entry visas

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Singapore work permits

Singapore, one of the world’s most expensive cities, is an economic hub, with energetic city culture that offers an array of opportunities to people who land here to access work opportunities. A magnet for expats from all over the world, this teaming metropolis in South East Asia attracts students who want to pursue higher studies, and aspiring workers to find jobs or start their own businesses. This Asian city-state is a base where people with superior knowledge and skills congregate to work in large multinational companies. Quite a lot of them have their base in Singapore. Singapore Work Visa for Indians is the most promising for your career growth. Most of Indians migrate to Singapore, through work  visas.

Indian nationals are one of the largest EP and S Pass holder groups in Singapore, and Singapore has been the top APAC work destination for Indian IT, banking, fintech, and engineering professionals. Under the India–Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), certain intra-corporate transferees may be COMPASS-exempt in specific circumstances — check eligibility before applying. Because Indian nationals form a large share of many employers' PMET workforce, companies with many Indian PMET employees may score 0 on the COMPASS C3 Diversity criterion — check the MOM Workforce Insights tool before accepting a role.

Categories of Singapore work visas

The various types of work visas in Singapore are as follows:

• Singapore work visas for skilled & semi-skilled workers
• ONE Pass Visa
• Singapore work visas for trainees & students
• Singapore work visas for professionals
• Singapore short-term work passes

Singapore work visas for professionals

Professional workers are entitled to get the following types of Singapore work Passes (work visas):

• Employment Pass: Granted to executives, managers, and professionals. Minimum qualifying monthly salary: SGD 5,600 (general sectors) or SGD 6,200 (financial services), effective January 1, 2025 for new applications and January 1, 2026 for renewals. Salary requirements rise progressively with age — for candidates in their mid-40s, the minimum is up to SGD 10,700 (general sectors).Meeting the salary threshold is Stage 1 only. Stage 2 requires passing COMPASS with at least 40 points (see COMPASS section below). Candidates earning SGD 22,500+ per month are COMPASS-exempt.
• Personalized Employment Pass – Issued to high-earning foreign professionals or current EP holders. Minimum qualifying fixed monthly salary: SGD 22,500. Valid for 3 years, non-renewable, and fully exempt from COMPASS. PEP holders cannot be unemployed in Singapore for more than 6 consecutive months and can switch employers without reapplying. The PEP is transitioning into the ONE Pass framework for the top earning tier.
• EntrePass – Granted to investors or entrepreneurs who intend to establish a business in Singapore.
• Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass (ONE Pass): The ONE Pass is valid for 5 years — significantly longer than the standard EP — and holders are fully exempt from COMPASS. Renewal requires an average monthly salary of SGD 30,000 over the past 5 years in Singapore, or operating a Singapore company employing 5 or more local residents earning at least the EP minimum. MOM last updated ONE Pass eligibility on December 26, 2025.
• Dependency Pass: EP holders can sponsor a spouse and unmarried children under 21 on a Dependant's Pass. S Pass holders earning SGD 6,000 or more per month are also eligible. Spouses on Long-Term Visit Passes (LTVPs) may apply for a Letter of Consent to work in Singapore.

Eligibility criteria

Different ways of applying for the Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass.

Salary condition

Existing work pass holders and foreign candidates can apply if they fulfil either of the salary criteria as follows:

• Earn a fixed monthly wage of at least SGD30,000, or its equivalent in foreign currency, within the last year.
• Earn a fixed monthly wage of a minimum of SGD30,000 from their future Singapore-based employer.
• Apart from meeting the salary criteria mentioned above, overseas candidates (i.e. non-work pass holders) will also be required to prove that they have been employed with an established foreign company for at least one year or will be working for an established Singapore company.

Singapore Work Visa Salary Requirements in INR (2026)

The minimum salary requirements for Singapore's Employment Pass (EP) and S Pass can be estimated in Indian Rupees (INR) based on the prevailing exchange rate. The table below provides the approximate INR equivalents to help Indian professionals better understand the salary thresholds.

Note: The INR equivalents are approximate and calculated using the April 2026 exchange rate of 1 SGD ≈ INR 62. Actual values may vary based on the prevailing exchange rate.

Singapore work visas for skilled and semi-skilled workers

Skilled or semi-skilled workers can apply for one of the following work visas in Singapore:

• S Pass Singapore – issued to mid-level skilled workers. Minimum qualifying monthly salary: SGD 3,300 (general sectors) or SGD 3,800 (financial services), effective September 1, 2025 for new applications and September 1, 2026 for renewals. Salary requirements rise progressively with age — approximately SGD 4,800 (general sectors) for mid-40s candidates. Rising further to SGD 3,600 (general) / SGD 4,000 (financial services) from January 1, 2027.
• Singapore Work Permit for Foreign Workers – issued only to overseas workers from particular countries and only in specific sectors (construction, manufacturing, process or services sector, marine shipyard.) Quotas of foreign workers and levies apply.
• Work Permit for Foreign Domestic Workers (FDW) – given only to workers aged between 23 and 50 from specific countries, such as India, Indonesia, Macau Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Malaysia, etc.
• Work Permit for confinement nanny – issued to Malaysian nannies who are allowed to work in Singapore for 16 weeks, commencing from the time of birth of a baby. The employer needs to pay an overseas worker levy.
• Work Permit for performing artists – issued to performing artists who would work in qualified public entertainment outlets, such as bars, hotels, or nightclubs. Applicable to this are foreign worker quota and levy.

Singapore work visas for trainees and students

These Singapore work visas are issued to foreign students or trainees who qualify as follows:

• Training Employment Pass – issued to foreigners wanting to undergo training in Singapore not exceeding three months. Foreign worker levy or quota is not applicable.
• Work Holiday Pass – issued to foreigners under the Working Holiday Programme in Singapore from Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, or the United States. It is available only to nationals aged between 18 and 25 (18 and30 for Australian citizens) and has a validity of six months (one year for Australian citizens). As it is non-renewable, it can be issued to its holders only once.
• Training Work Permit – issued to unskilled or semi-skilled overseas students or trainees who would experience practical training in Singapore that lasts for only six months.
• Short-term work passes for Singapore

Foreign workers arriving in Singapore on a short-term Visit Pass are not usually allowed to engage in any work-related activities. In certain cases, however, (For e.g.: journalists or speakers at public events), the holders are allowed to apply for miscellaneous Work Passes. It permits the holder to work for not more than 60 days.

Foreign students pursuing education in Singapore with a Study Visa are also allowed to work if they fulfil certain conditions, such as being registered at an approved college or university.

Note for Indian nationals: India is not currently among the countries with a Working Holiday Programme agreement with Singapore. Indian nationals are not eligible to apply for the Singapore Work Holiday Pass. The appropriate pathways for Indian professionals are the Employment Pass (EP — SGD 5,600/month minimum), S Pass (SGD 3,300/month minimum), or Work Permit, depending on qualifications and salary.

Process of applying for a Singapore work visa

You will need to secure a job first in Singapore before you apply for its work visa. This is due to the fact that your employer (or an Employment Agency) is in responsible for submitting your Singapore work visa application.

Your employer or an accredited Employment Agency should apply for your Singapore work visa issued through EP Online. You can find the online application service on the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) website.

Steps to apply for a Singapore work visa

The application process for a work visa for Singapore is as follows:

Step 1: Get a job offer in Singapore.

Step 2: If you are still in your native country, your employer or an Employment Agency (EA) will have to submit a work visa application through EP Online. They need to pay a processing fee.

Step 3: When the application is accepted, your employer will get an In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter, with which you can enter Singapore.

Step 4: In case the application is rejected, an In-Principle Rejection letter will be sent to your potential employer instead. You won’t be issued a work visa.

Step 5: The IPA letter allows you to travel to Singapore.

Once you reach Singapore, your employer or an EA applies through EP Online to receive your Singapore work visa. They will have to pay the fee again, which would be for the work Pass per se.

Once you get your work Pass, a notification letter will be sent to you. This letter contains details on whether you need to take your photo and fingerprints. It allows you also to commence working and leave and enter Singapore until an Employment Card is issued to you.

You need to register at the Employment Pass Services Centre (EPSC) within two weeks of receiving your Pass. Once you register, a Pass Card will be issued to you – generally within four working days.

Similar is the process to apply for a Singapore e-visa for Indians. For your information, the Singapore work permit costs SGD35.

COMPASS — Employment Pass Points Assessment

COMPASS (Complementarity Assessment Framework) has been mandatory for all new EP applications since September 2023 and was updated January 1, 2026 (new applications) and July 1, 2026 (renewals). Candidates who meet the Stage 1 salary threshold must also score at least 40 points across six criteria:

C1 Salary (10–20 pts, based on percentile of local PMET salaries in the sector); C2 Qualifications (10–20 pts; top-tier institutions list refreshed January 2026); C3 Diversity (0 pts if applicant nationality is 25%+ of the employer's PMET workforce; 10 pts if 5–25%; 20 pts if under 5% — the most common failure point for Indian applicants, since Indian nationals are one of the largest EP-holder groups in Singapore); C4 Support for Local Employment (0–20 pts); C5 Skills Bonus (10–20 pts if the role is on MOM's Shortage Occupation List); C6 Strategic Economic Priorities (10–20 pts for government-endorsed employers).

Exemptions: candidates earning SGD 22,500+/month, and certain intra-corporate transferees under applicable free trade agreements including the India–Singapore CECA.

Before accepting a role, use the MOM COMPASS Self-Assessment Tool (mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/employment-pass/compass) and the MOM Workforce Insights tool to check your prospective employer's nationality composition."

Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) — Before COMPASS Even Applies

Before an employer can submit your EP application, they must first satisfy the Fair Consideration Framework. This is a separate, earlier requirement from COMPASS — not a substitute for it.

• Employers (with 10+ employees) must advertise the role on MyCareersFuture for at least 14 consecutive days
• The advertisement must accurately reflect the job title, salary, and vacancy count that will appear in the EP application
• All candidates, including Singaporeans, must be fairly considered before the employer proceeds
• If the employer changes any advertisement detail afterward, a fresh 14-day posting is required
• Job posts closed or expired for more than 3 months cannot be reused

Note: If your prospective employer has fewer than 10 employees, or you qualify under certain exemptions (e.g., intra-company transfer under India-Singapore CECA), the FCF advertising requirement may not apply. Confirm with your employer whether this step has been completed — MOM will reject EP applications linked to non-compliant advertisements.

Source: Ministry of Manpower (mom.gov.sg) — Consider All Candidates Fairly

Singapore Work Visa Processing Times

Note: MOM confirmed at the Committee of Supply (March 3, 2026) and Singapore Budget 2026 (February 12, 2026): from January 1, 2027 (new applications; renewals from January 1, 2028) — EP minimum rises from SGD 5,600 to SGD 6,000 (general sectors) and SGD 6,200 to SGD 6,600 (financial services); S Pass minimum rises from SGD 3,300 to SGD 3,600 (general sectors) and SGD 3,800 to SGD 4,000 (financial services). Separately, the Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) rises from SGD 1,600 to SGD 1,800 from July 1, 2026." Source: Newland Chase, February 2026; MOM COS, March 2026.

Singapore PR Pathway (PTS Scheme)

EP holders can apply for Singapore Permanent Residence through the Professionals/Technical/Skilled (PTS) scheme administered by ICA. This is a discretionary assessment considering employment history and stability, salary and CPF contributions, family ties, integration, and economic contribution. Most Indian EP holders with 2–3 years of consistent employment are eligible to apply.

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