The Singapore authorities announced that eligible companies may apply for a temporary increase in their S Pass and Work Permit quota with the launch of the Manpower for Strategic Economic Priorities (M-SEP) Scheme.
Under this scheme, companies may be eligible to apply through the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) website if they can meet the qualifying conditions which include:
- Being a part of at least one of Singapore’s deemed economic scheme, or be deemed eligible by one of the five industry agencies as having met a certain economic criteria. These five agencies are:
- Economic Development Board (EDB)
- Enterprise Singapore
- Infocomm Media Development Authority
- Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)
- Singapore Tourism Board
- Committing to hire or train local workers whose numbers must equal the amount of additional quota being sought. Those being sent for training must be enrolled in one of the 10 approved programs from the EDB, SkillsFuture Singapore, Workforce Singapore, or MPA.
If approved, these companies’ quota for foreign workers on S Pass or Work Permit will be increased by up to 5 percent of the existing workforce, capped at an additional 50 employees for two years at a time.
Those seeking renewals of their M-SEP quota will have to demonstrate that they continue to meet the eligibility requirements detailed above and have plans in place to commit to a fresh round of hiring and training of locals.
For more information and updates, please refer to the official press release through the Ministry of Manpower’s website and Magrath Sheldrick Global’s news alerts.
This immigration news alert has been shared to you by Magrath Sheldrick Global. For any questions, please contact enquiries@magrath.sg