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The Employment Pass (EP) is Singapore's main skilled-worker visa, requiring two things: a qualifying salary (S$5,600/month for most sectors, S$6,200 for financial services) and, unless you earn S$22,500+/month, a minimum 40 points on the COMPASS framework. Check both with the EP/COMPASS calculator.

A detail worth knowing before assuming the headline figure applies to you: the qualifying salary rises progressively with age, since MOM benchmarks it against typical local PMET salaries at each career stage. By age 45 and above, the actual floor climbs to S$10,700/month (non-financial) or S$11,800/month (financial services) — nearly double the entry-level figure. If you're within roughly S$500 of the published minimum for your age band, MOM's own guidance treats the application as at heightened risk, even if COMPASS is cleared.

COMPASS scores four foundational criteria (salary vs. local benchmark, qualifications, workforce diversity, local employment support) plus two bonus criteria (Shortage Occupation List, strategic economic priorities), each worth 0, 10, or 20 points. This is a genuinely different mechanism from a simple salary threshold — an applicant can clear the salary floor and still fail COMPASS, or vice versa. In practice, a COMPASS score below 40 is reported as the single most common rejection cause, more often than a salary shortfall alone — and the employer's own track record on local hiring (criterion C4) is frequently the deciding factor, not just the candidate's individual qualifications.

Both salary floors are scheduled to rise again from January 1, 2027 (to S$6,000 and S$6,600 respectively, with proportionate age-scaled increases up to S$11,500 and S$12,700 at 45+) — a predictable, published schedule rather than a surprise change.

Processing typically takes about 3 weeks for a complete online application through MOM's EP Online portal; manual paper submissions can take up to 8 weeks, and an Additional Document Request can add another 3-5 weeks on top of either. There is no transfer mechanism between employers — changing jobs mid-EP requires an entirely new application from the new employer, not a simple update. If an application is rejected, the employer (not the candidate) has 3 months to submit a reconsideration request to MOM.

One often-overlooked cost consideration for anyone planning to buy property: EP holders pay Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD) of 60% on Singapore private residential property as foreigners — a substantial premium most applicants aren't budgeting for. Permanent Residents pay a considerably lower 5% on a first property, which is why many EP holders planning to buy choose to wait for PR status first.

• Job offer — from a Singapore-registered employer, meeting the qualifying salary floor for your sector
• Educational credentials — from a recognised institution, ideally top-tier for maximum COMPASS points
• Employer's COMPASS self-assessment — employers typically run the official Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) before submitting

Your EP salary matters for more than just approval — it also determines whether you can sponsor family. To bring a spouse or unmarried children under 21 on a Dependant's Pass (DP), you need a fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000 — notably higher than the S$5,600 general EP qualifying salary, so clearing the EP bar alone doesn't guarantee you can bring family. "Fixed monthly salary" specifically means basic salary plus fixed allowances — it excludes bonuses, commissions, and variable pay, so a salary that looks like it clears S$6,000 on paper including bonuses might not actually qualify.

To sponsor parents on a Long-Term Visit Pass instead, the threshold is considerably higher: S$12,000/month. DP application fees run S$105, plus a S$225 issuance fee once approved.