Employment Agency Services In Singapore

ACHI BIZ is generally called as Corporate Services Provider duly registered with The Registrar, Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) with name of ACHI BIZ SERVICES PTE. LTD. (UEN: 201415822C).

ACHI BIZ is emerging as an Employment Cum Recruitment Agency viz. ACHI BIZ SERVICES PTE. LTD. duly registered (18C9185) with Ministry Of Manpower (MOM) and has committed to provide the global recruitment services to both Employees and Employers with true honesty and high level of trustworthy.

A CORPORATE SERVICE PROVIDER working with holistic perspective to create unprecedented value for the Entrepreneurs and Corporate Companies for more than a decade.

At ACHI BIZ, we provide a trustworthy & honesty Employment and Recruitment Agency services.

Fair Employment Practices in Singapore

ACHI BIZ SERVICES PTE. LTD. has taken the “Pledge of Fair Employment Practices”.

Signing the Employers’ Pledge means that we agree with the principles of fair employment and that we will work towards adopting these principles in the management of our human resources.

The 5 key principles of Fair Employment Practices are:

Recruit and select employees on the basis of merit (such as skills, experience or ability to perform the job), regardless of age, race, gender, religion, marital status and family responsibilities, or disability.
Treat employees fairly and with respect and implement progressive human resource management systems.
Provide employees with equal opportunity to be considered for training and development based on their strengths and needs to help them achieve their full potential.
Reward employees fairly based on their ability, performance, contribution and experience.
Comply with the labour laws and abide by the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices.

2022 Budget announcements impacting HR policies

The recent 2022 Budget Statement delivered by Finance Minister Lawrence Wong on 18 February 2022, contained announcements impacting the Human Resource / Employment.

Please refer to this link to learn more about it (In PDF)

	Watch Video on the Key Facts about all the (Work) Passes (Excluding Training Passes) issued by MOM in Singapore
	Types of Sectors available in Singapore
	What are the types of Work Passes & Work Permits available in Singapore? (To download in PDF with Key Facts with Links & QR Codes): Passes For Professionals Passes For Skilled and Semi-Skilled Workers Passes For Family Members Passes For Students Exemptions and working while on a visit pass

	Comparison of all Professional Passes (EntrePass, EP. PEP, Tech.Pass & ONE Pass
	Comparison of All Skilled & Semi-Skilled Work Passes And Work Permits (S Pass, WP-FW, WP-FDW, WP-CN & WP-PA) In Singapore

	Learn more about Calculation of Quota for S Pass & Work Permit holders
	Learn more about Facts on Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) for calculating Quota for Work Permit and S pass holders
	Learn more about S Pass quota and levy requirements
	Learn more about Work Permit quota and levy requirements
	Sample copy of passes issued by MOM

	Click here to learn about the Leading Fair Employment Practices Handbook which outlines best practices from leading organisations in Singapore. Useful and practical tips on how to effectively introduce fair employment practices are also provided.
	Click here to learn more about the Guide on Employment Laws in Singapore

Learn about Employment Act (Brief Only)

Learn about Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA)

Learn about Guidelines for employers of Work Permit and S Pass holders – How to calculate your quota and levy bill

Learn about Contract Of Service

Learn about requirements for driving on public roads by the work pass holders in Singapore.

Learn about Registration & Withdrawal of self-exclusion listing for loans from Licensed Moneylenders

Click here to learn about detailed FAQ pertaining to COVID-19 Guidelines

Click here to learn about Tripartite Guidelines And Advisories

	Click here to learn the SUMMARY of Privileges of Permanent Residency (PR) and comparison with Foreigners (EP/PEP/EntrePass).
	Click here to learn the SUMMARY of Privileges of Singapore Citizenship And COMPARISON with PR and Foreigners.

Help Centres for Migrant Workers and Helplines for those who are having difficulties in life and/or workplaces:

Click here to download the list of Help Centres for Migrant Workers (including Helpers)

Click here to download the list of Helplines for those who are having difficulties in life and/or workplaces.

Employment Agency Fees & PDPA Regulations

Employment Agency (EA)

Agency fee: Know the limits: How much you should pay your employment agency.
No licence, walk away: Always check if your employment agency is licensed with MOM.

Check your Employment Agency licence at:

https://bit.ly/37N94oJ

Are employment agencies allowed to collect personal data such as NRIC or FIN?

Under the revised Employment Agencies Licence Condition 5(b), employment agencies (EAs) are required to collect the personal data (e.g. NRIC, FIN) of applicants referred to employers for permanent or contract job positions of at least 6 months with a fixed monthly salary of $3,300 and above.

PDPA requirements on collection, use and disclosure of personal data are not applicable to EAs that are collecting such information, as it is a regulatory requirement.

Note: EA must not share such personal data with any other parties, including EA’s clients.

Safe@Work & SGWorkPass to check AccessCode status

What is Safe@Work?

Employers can view and update the rest day of your Work Permit, S Pass and Employment Pass holders, and view their AccessCode.

Safe@Work only shows Work Permit, S Pass and Employment Pass holders with valid work passes employed by your company.

Passes with the following status will not be shown:

Cancelled
Expired
Revoked
Not issued

Non-MOM issued passes are also not listed as you don’t need to provide MOM with their rest day information.

You should log in to WP Online (for Work Permit holders) or EP Online (for S Pass holders) to verify your workers’ pass validity status.

Once you have re-validated your workers passes, you will find their particulars when you log in to Safe@Work.

Click here to learn about Safe@Work

FAQs on using SGWorkPass to check AccessCode status

Foreign workers must use SGWorkPass to check if they can leave their residence for work.

Click here to learn about AccessCode Check

WORK PASSES AND PERMITS

All foreigners who intend to work in Singapore must have a valid pass (commonly known as a work visa) before they start work. If any employer is engaging the foreigners to work in Singapore, then the employer must ensure that the foreigners hold a valid work pass.

There are various types of Work Passes available in Singapore which are categorized according to the merits which meet the requirements of nature of jobs.

The common Work Passes are available to Professionals, Skilled & Semi-Skilled Workers, Students, Family Members of Work Pass holders and Exemptions & Working While On A Visit. Please refer to the Guides according to your educational qualifications, overseas experiences, Singapore experiences, job offer with appropriate position & remuneration perks and other merits.

Please refer to the categorised Comparisons of Work Passes as they are made available to anyone from highly educated Professionals to basic educated workers according to the criteria set by the Ministry Of Manpower (MOM) in Singapore.

Work Pass Accounts Registration (WPAR): EPOL & WPOL

What is WPAR?: Work Pass Account Registration (WPAR) is a portal for business employers to register for online accounts, including Work Permit Online (WPOL), Employment Pass Online (EPOL) and declaring your business activity. Note: Employment agencies will not be able to use WPAR to set up accounts to transact on behalf of their clients.

Declare business activity: Any entity willing to hire foreign employees must declare their business activities with MOM in order to determine the Sector.

What is EPOL?: Employment Pass Online services (Services related to Employment Pass (EP), S Pass & Profile updating)

What is WPOL?: Work Permit Online services (Services related to Work Permit, checking of local work force, foreign workers quota, etc)

Processing duration

Creation of EPOL is generally immediately approved online.

Creation of WPOL usually takes 1 week (2 to 5 working days) for processing which is subject to any additional supporting documents. When any additional supporting documents are required then MOM generally takes 7 working days for processing it after submission of such additional documents. (Eg. SFA licence may be required for beverage manufacturing entity). The outcome of creation of WPOL will be received by email from MOM.

Once, the required EPOL &/Or WPOL is created successfully with approval, then the entity may start to apply for foreign employees.

Log in once every 3 months

You should log in at least once every 3 months to ensure there are no irregular transactions. Otherwise, your account will be terminated by MOM.

No need to endorse forms using a company stamp / rubber stamp

You don’t need to endorse forms using your company stamp / rubber stamp. If the form still has the company stamp section, please ignore it.

Upgrading of eService by MOM

MOM is upgrading eServices in phases:

Transactions	Availability
Apply, Enquire and Cancel	Every day, except 3am to 4am
Renew and Issue	Every day, except 3am to 4am
Remaining services	Monday to Saturday: 8am to 10pm Except public holidays

Age criteria (limit) for work passes in Singapore

What is the Minimum and maximum age for work pass in Singapore?

There are many types of work passes available for foreigners who intend to work in Singapore. The age limit details are furnished here for some most popular work passes.

Work Pass Type	Category	Criteria Applies For	Minimum When Applying	Maximum When Applying	Can Work Up To
WP (FW)	Non Malaysian	Application	18 Years Old	Below 50 Years Old	60 Years of Age
WP (FW)	Malaysian	Application	18 Years Old	Below 58 Years Old	60 Years of Age
WP (FDW)	Domestic Worker	Application	23 Years Old	Below 50 Years Old	60 Years of Age
S Pass	All	Application	18 Years Old	Below 60 Years Old	60 Years of Age
EP	All	Application	18 Years Old	No Age Limit	No Age Limit
Notes: All work passes are subject to approval by MOM. FDWs above 50 years old can only renew their work permits until they reach 60 years old. The maximum period of employment for Work Permit holders will vary according to the sector wise specific requirements. Use MOM’s Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) ( https://bit.ly/3thlQlW ) before applying or searching for a job in Singapore to assess your eligibility. Using SAT also does not guarantee the work pass as it is merely an indicator assessment. The above is based on the available source of information and analysis of using SAT for illustration purpose. Visit MOM’s website for more updated Guidelines. Click here to download this section (Age criteria for Work Passes)

Processing Time for Work Passes

Applications for different work passes are processed with different duration by MOM (Ministry Of Manpower).

If there is any appeal made then MOM would generally take the same duration of processing time for application.

Work Pass: Application & Renewal	Online	Manual
Employment Pass (EP)	Within 10 Business Days	Not Applicable
EntrePass	Within 8 Weeks	Not Applicable
Personalised Employment Pass (PEP)	Within 8 Weeks	Not Applicable
Tech.Pass	Around 8 Weeks	Not Applicable
S Pass	Within 3 Weeks	Not Applicable
Work Permit (WP)	Within 1 Week	Not Applicable
Dependant’s Pass (DP) (For Dependants of EP or S Pass)	Within 3 Weeks	Not Applicable
Dependant’s Pass (DP) (For Dependants of EP-Sponsorship, PEP or EntrePass)	Within 8 Weeks	Not Applicable
Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP) (For Dependants of EP or S Pass)	Within 3 Weeks	Not Applicable
Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP) (For Dependants of EP-Sponsorship, PEP or EntrePass)	Within 8 Weeks	Not Applicable
Letter Of Consent (LOC For LTVP / LTVP+ (Issued by ICA) Holders)	Within 1 Week	Not Applicable
Initial Request To Apply LOC For DP Holders who are Business Owners	Within 1 Week	Not Applicable
LOC For Business Owners who are DP Holders (of EP)	Within 3 Weeks	Not Applicable
Work Holiday Pass (WHP)	Within 3 Weeks	Not Applicable
Note: Most of the cases are processed within the duration however some may take longer than usual which depend on the complexities of the cases. Manual applications for passes are subject to availability and MOM’s digitilisation policies. MOM has stopped accepting manual application for most types of passes from 01 June 2015. You may apply for the above types of passes electronically by first registering for an EPOL or WPOL account and then apply for the passes using the account.

Update UEN or submit supporting documents for online account matters

How to notify MOM in case of your entity’s data is not found in MOM’s portal?

When is newly registered entity updated by MOM?

For newly registered companies, your UEN profile will be automatically updated in MOM records by the 6th working day of next month. There is no need to submit this form to update your UEN profile.

However, you may need to update MOM manually with your new entity’s data when:

You intend to apply for any work pass before auto syncing from ACRA records is taking place by the 6th working day of next month.
There is no local employee employed but applying for LOC for LTVP / LTVP+ / DP holders.
There is still the newly registered entity’s data missing even after the 6th working day of next month.

Notify MOM to update new entity’s Unique Entity Number (UEN) or submit documents
Which Form to submit?	https://bit.ly/2VitaB5
Purpose to submit?	Update new entity’s Unique Entity Number (UEN) Submit supporting documents requested by MOM for online account related matters
Who can submit?	Your Business; or The authorised Employment Agency (EA)
What to submit to update UEN?	You will need to upload documents confirming the new UEN (e.g. ACRA Business Profile / aka: BizFile).
Size limit for supporting documents	If you have multiple documents, please combine and upload them as 1 document (File size limit: 7MB)
How long it takes for processing	Within 2 weeks
Mode of outcome after processing	By Email
Is authorisation required?	Employment agents and third-party service providers must obtain the employers’ written authorisation before submitting this Form

Passes For Professionals

List of passes for pass category
Pass type	Who is it for
Employment Pass (EP)	For All Sectors effective from 01-Sep-2020: Fixed monthly salary of at least $4,500 (Older & more experienced candidates need higher salaries). Older and more experienced EP applicants in their early 40s will need to earn around double the new minimum qualifying salary of $4,500. EP renewals will be subject to the new salary requirement with effect from 01-May-2021 to moderate the impact on businesses. For Financial Sector effective from 01-Dec-2020: Fixed monthly salary of at least $5,000 (Older & more experienced candidates need higher salaries). Older and more experienced EP applicants in their early 40s will need to earn around double the new minimum qualifying salary of $5,000. EP renewals will be subject to the new salary requirement with effect from 01-May-2021 to moderate the impact on businesses.
EntrePass	For eligible foreign entrepreneurs wanting to start and operate a new business in Singapore.
Personalised Employment Pass (PEP)	For high-earning existing Employment Pass holders or overseas foreign professionals. The PEP offers greater flexibility than an Employment Pass.

Tech.Pass

The Economic Development Board (EDB) of Singapore Government has announced to launch a new pass for foreign tech industry experts called as “Tech.Pass” aimed to attracting founders, leaders and technical experts with experience in established or fast-growing tech companies to develop Singapore’s tech ecosystem and the applications will open in January 2021 with initial slots of 500 upon launch.
Tech.Pass is an extension of the Tech@SG programme that was launched in 2019. Both programmes facilitate fast growing tech companies and established tech talent to enter Singapore to benefit the local tech ecosystem with their experience and network.

Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass (ONE Pass)

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM), together with the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), have announced enhancements to strengthen Singapore’s position as a global hub for talent.
MOM has set to introduce a new Overseas Networks & Expertise (ONE) Pass, named to reflect the qualities the Pass holders will bring to Singapore. It is meant for top talent across all sectors. There will be a few routes to apply for it.
ONE Pass will be open for applications from 01 January 2023.

Passes For Skilled and Semi-Skilled Workers

List of passes for pass category
Pass type	Who is it for
S Pass	For mid-level skilled staff. Candidates need to earn at least $2,500 a month w.e.f. 01-Oct-2020 and meet the assessment criteria. Older and more experienced S Pass applicants will need to earn higher salary than the new minimum qualifying salary.
Work Permit for Foreign Worker (FW)	For semi-skilled foreign workers in the Construction, Manufacturing, Marine Shipyard, Process or Services sector.
Work Permit for Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW)	For foreign domestic workers (FDWs) to work in Singapore.
Work Permit for Confinement Nanny (CN)	For Malaysian confinement nannies to work in Singapore for up to 16 weeks starting from the birth of the employer’s child.
Work Permit for Performing Artiste (PA)	For foreign performers working in public entertainment outlets such as bars, hotels and nightclubs.

Passes For Students

List of passes for pass category
Pass type	Who is it for
Work Holiday Pass (under Work Holiday Programme) (WHP)	For students and graduates aged 18 to 25 who want to work and holiday in Singapore for 6 months.
Work Holiday Pass (under Work and Holiday Visa Programme) (WHVP)	For Australian students and graduates aged 18 to 30 who want to work and holiday in Singapore for 1 year.

Passes For Family Members

List of passes for pass category
Pass type	Who is it for
Dependant’s Pass (DP)	For spouses and children of eligible Employment Pass or S Pass holders.
Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP)	For parents, common-law spouses, step-children or handicapped children of eligible Employment Pass or S Pass holders.
Pre-approved Letter of Consent (PLOC)	For eligible spouses or children of Singapore citizens or PRs holding an LTVP/LTVP+ issued by ICA. The holder is pre-approved to work in Singapore. They can only apply for a PLOC when applying for, or renewing the LTVP/LTVP+.
Letter Of Consent (LOC) For LTVP / LTVP+ Issued By ICA	For eligible LTVP/LTVP+ holders and Dependant’s Pass holders who want to work in Singapore.
Letter Of Consent (LOC) For Business Owners who are DP Holders	For eligible Dependant’s Pass holder who wishes to operate a business in Singapore

Exemptions and working while on a visit pass

List of passes for pass category
Pass type	Who is it for
Miscellaneous Work Pass	For foreigners taking on a short-term work assignment of up to 60 days in Singapore.
Work Pass Exempt Activities	For performing eligible short-term activities without a work pass. Candidates must still notify MOM of their activities.
Work pass exemption for foreign students	For foreign students studying full-time at an approved school or institution in Singapore.
Work passes for holders of Long Term Visit Passes issued by ICA	For foreigners married to a Singaporean or permanent resident, or parents accompanying a child who is studying in Singapore.

Source of Information, Guidelines, Compliance, Laws, Rules & Regulations is from the relevant authorities of Singapore
Details of Source	Name of Authorities
Corporate matters such as Companies, Businesses, etc	The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)
CPF matters	CPF Board
Fair Employment Practices (FEP)	Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP)
Immigration matters & Student Passes	Immigration Checkpoints Authority (ICA)
Taxation and GST	The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS)
Skills Development Levy (SDL)	SkillsFuture Singapore Agency
Work Passes	The Ministry Of Manpower (MOM) Singapore Economic Development Board – EDB

ACHI BIZ is one of the licensed Employment Agencies in Singapore. We will assist your work pass related applications and appeals at our level best with the regulatory authority Ministry Of Manpower (MOM) for successful outcome.

Employment Agency Guide

The 5 key principles of Fair Employment Practices are:

2022 Budget announcements impacting HR policies

What are the types of Work Passes & Work Permits available in Singapore? (To download in PDF with Key Facts with Links & QR Codes):

Employment Agency Fees & PDPA Regulations

Safe@Work & SGWorkPass to check AccessCode status

WORK PASSES AND PERMITS

Work Pass Accounts Registration (WPAR): EPOL & WPOL

Processing duration

No need to endorse forms using a company stamp / rubber stamp

Upgrading of eService by MOM

Apply, Enquire and Cancel

Renew and Issue

Remaining services

Notes:

Processing Time for Work Passes

Update UEN or submit supporting documents for online account matters

How to notify MOM in case of your entity’s data is not found in MOM’s portal?

When is newly registered entity updated by MOM?

Notify MOM to update new entity’s Unique Entity Number (UEN) or submit documents

Which Form to submit?

Purpose to submit?

Who can submit?

What to submit to update UEN?

Size limit for supporting documents

How long it takes for processing

Mode of outcome after processing

Is authorisation required?

ACHI BIZ is one of the licensed Employment Agencies in Singapore. We will assist your work pass related applications and appeals at our level best with the regulatory authority Ministry Of Manpower (MOM) for successful outcome.

Please refer to our GUIDES for more information, SERVICES to meet your requirements or CONTACT us if you wish to avail these or many other services.