Guide on immigration to Singapore

July 27, 2022

Singapore: work permit and dependent visa

In order to apply for a work permit, applicants must have a job offer from a reputable Singaporean organisation for a fixed salary of SGD 3,300 and the relevant qualifications (diploma, professional qualification or certificate confirming the relevant skills of specialists).

Before applying, candidates are assessed for eligibility through the Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) system.

Employment Permit (EP) applicants who plan to apply for a dependent visa for their family members in the future should consider that their salary must be sufficient to support these family members.

In other words, if, for example, a candidate intends to apply for a visa for three family members, then his/her monthly salary should range from SGD 5,000 to SGD 12,000.

The Dependent Visa allows family members to live, work (at the discretion of the Migration and Control Department of Singapore) and study in Singapore.

Important: Under the new Fair Consideration Framework (FCF), those who intend to employ a candidate for a work permit must, two weeks before the candidate applies for an EP, announce the availability of the vacancy to the citizens of Singapore through the Job Bank. It is assumed that this should stimulate the selection of the most suitable candidate, regardless of his/her nationality.

Foreign employers who do not have a representative office in Singapore are required to:

• Acquire a Singapore-registered company and act as a local sponsor by applying on behalf of the candidate;

• Local sponsors must apply independently.

Entrepreneur Visa

Foreign entrepreneurs intending to do business in Singapore must comply with the following:

• Register a closed joint stock company;

• Within six months after the registration of the company, apply for an entrepreneur visa, namely EntrePass;

• The company must have at least SGD 50,000 in the company's Singapore bank account;

• The visa applicant must own at least 30% of shares of the registered company.

An EntrePass application is available to citizens of any country.

A Singapore company must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Receives funding from an officially accredited venture capitalist or philanthropist accredited by a Singapore government agency;

• Has intellectual property;

• Collaborates with A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) or with a Higher Education Institution;

• Has state support.

Important: Family members of an EntrePass holder may apply for a Dependent Pass provided that the individual:

• Extended their visa (applying for a Dependent Visa is only possible if the Business Visa has been extended at least once);

• Owns the minimum amount of assets required to run the business;

• Creates a minimum number of jobs in Singapore.

Eltoma's experts will be happy to answer all your questions. Please send inquiries to info@eltoma-global.com.

Tourist and Business Visas to Singapore for citizens of the CIS countries

Eltoma Corporate Services provides Singapore visa services. The standard 9-week Singapore e-Multiple Visa process with Eltoma's support takes 3-4 business days. It is also possible to urgently issue a Singapore visa in 24 hours.

On December 1, 2009, changes were made to the legislative system of Singapore that affected the process of obtaining a Singapore visa.

Starting December 1, 2009, the Republic of Singapore's embassies stopped accepting visa applications from individuals. Instead, the visa application must be made only through an official service provider, one of which is Eltoma Corporate Services. At the same time, a mark about obtaining a Singapore visa is no longer put in the passport.

To confirm a visa receipt, the Immigration & Checkpoint Authority of Singapore (ICA) will send an electronic visa in PDF format. This e-Visa is presented in a printed form along with the passport and the completed immigration card at passport control.

It should be noted that there is the possibility of free online verification of the authenticity and validity of the issued visa on the official website of the Immigration & Checkpoint Authority of Singapore.

The issued visa is a multiple entry visa issued for nine weeks. It should be noticed that the duration of each uninterrupted stay in Singapore on this multiple entry visa should not exceed 30 days.

To apply for a Singapore visa, you need:

• To complete a standard online application form for each applicant (in electronic form);

• To upload a scanned copy of the information page of the passport;

• Attach a scanned digital colour photograph of each applicant.

Singapore visa photo requirements:

• To apply for a Singapore visa, the photo must be taken against a white background;

• Photographs must be taken no more than three months before applying for a Singapore visa;

• The face and head in the Singapore visa photograph must be uncovered;

• Photographs must be of high quality.

When applying for a Singapore visa, please note that:

• The applicant's passport must be at least six months old at the time of entry into Singapore;

• Passport must have blank pages for a stamp;

• A separate Singaporean visa must be issued for each child;

• A separate Singapore visa is issued for a child, even if he does not have his own passport or he is "written" in the passport of one of the parents. In this case, in addition to the parent's passport information page, a copy of the child's information page must be attached;

• Under no circumstances should you apply for a new visa while in Singapore;

• The fact of having a valid Singapore visa must be indicated in the applicant's application form;

• In case of delay or denial of a visa for reasons beyond our control, the amount paid to the applicant is not returned. Visa denials by ICA are extremely rare;

• ICA makes the final decision on the issuance and validity of the visa.

Eltoma Corporate Services provides support in obtaining a 9-week multiple Singapore visa for citizens of the following countries:

• Russia;

• Ukraine;

• Belarus;

• Georgia;

• Kazakhstan;

• Azerbaijan;

• Armenia;

• Kyrgyzstan;

• The Republic of Moldova;

• Tajikistan;