Employment Pass Threshold Raised with Introduction of Scoring System? Which Talents Does Singapore Favor? How to Secure Approval Smoothly?
As we all know, Singapore’s new regulations for the Employment Pass (EP) will be implemented in September, and the application threshold will be raised. In addition to meeting the minimum salary requirement, applicants will need to earn a certain score through a new evaluation framework.
Which of the talents does Singapore prefer, and how can applicants increase their “scores” to allow themselves to increase their chances of approval? Recently, Go Global Gem assisted a client in successfully obtaining the Singapore EP. Let’s take a closer look at how he managed to enhance their profile.
① What talents does Singapore need?
1. Singapore’s Top Three Preferred Categories
Which talents are in demand in Singapore? What skills can increase the probability of approval?
- The first category consists of individuals with substantial wealth.
For example, Zhang Yong, the founder of the famous hotpot, Hai Di Lao, and Li Xiting, the Chairman of Mindray Medical, belong to the group of billionaires. - The second category includes high-tech professionals or those in occupations with local skill shortages.
For instance, talents in biomedicine and financial technologies. To increase the chances of approval, one must possess either a master’s or doctoral degree, able to demonstrate a certain amount of savings, and pursue an employer-sponsored career route. - The third category may come as a surprise – young children.
As long as a child is eligible to participate in significant exams like the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) or the GCE “O” Level examination and secure admission into a reputable school, obtaining a permanent residency (green card) becomes relatively easy. However, adults face more significant challenges as Singapore prefers children to fully immerse themselves in the local culture and contribute to the country from an early age.
Overall, while Singapore does appreciate wealthy individuals, they value talents who can provide employment opportunities in the country. They also seek individuals who are willing to contribute value to the nation, stay in Singapore, actively integrate into local life, and wholeheartedly contribute to the country’s progress.
2. Singapore Talent Attraction Strategies
In order to attract established companies from around the world to set up operations in Singapore and to attract more overseas talents, Singapore has introduced various programs and incentives. These include the Global Investor Program (GIP) for global business investors, the Headquarters (HQ) program, the Family Office (FO) scheme, the Financial and Treasury Centre (FTC) incentive, and other solutions that facilitate quick company setup in Singapore while also providing certain tax benefits.
Additionally, Singapore has introduced various work pass schemes to attract overseas talents. These include the Tech.Pass for technology professionals, the EntrePass for entrepreneurs, the EP for employment, the PEP for personalized employment, and the ONE Pass for top-tier professionals.
3. Shortage Occupations in Singapore
Singapore, in collaboration with Lianhe Zaobao, has published a list of 27 different occupations that are lacking in Singapore. This list is jointly developed by the Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and it is reviewed and adjusted every three years, or possibly annually based on market conditions.
If you belong to any of these shortage occupations or if you are in the process of applying for the Singapore EP, please contact Go Global Gem promptly. We can evaluate your situation and provide you with tailored solutions.
| 27 Shortage Occupations | |
| Field | Occupation |
| Agricultural Technology | l Alternative protein food applications Scientist
l New food biotechnologist |
| Financial Service | l Financial/investment Advisors (High Net worth/Ultra High Net worth family offices and charities) |
| Green Economy | l Carbon project manager
l Carbon trader l Carbon Standards and Metrics Analyst l Carbon certification and auditing experts |
| Medical Care | l Clinical psychologist
l physiotherapist l radiologist l Registered nurse l Occupational therapist |
| Information Technology | l Artificial Intelligence scientist/engineer
l Digital forensics expert l Application/systems programmer l Penetration tester l Cloud technologist l Digital product manager l Cyber risk expert l Software and Applications Manager (Technical Supervisor) l Network security designer l Software developer l Cyber security operations expert l Web and mobile application developer l Data scientist |
| Maritime | l Maritime supervisor
l Marine technical director |
② Mr. W’s Overseas Planning Story
Mr. W, aged 48, graduated from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, a prestigious national university in China and a member of the “985” and “211” projects, with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering.
After graduation, Mr. W worked in a financial institution in southwestern China. With 26 years of experience in the financial industry, he has obtained extensive levels of expertise in his career. Currently, he serves as an IT Technical Manager, responsible for managing and guiding project teams to ensure timely delivery and to meet quality requirements.
In his spare time, Mr. W has a great passion for sports, particularly excelling in long-distance endurance races, specializing in extreme off-road events worldwide. He has gained recognition as a renowned trail runner in China, winning numerous championship titles and receiving media attention. In addition to completing hundreds of trail races, he also enjoys participating in Ironman triathlons.
With personal and family financial accumulation, Mr. W discussed with his family and started planning their journey abroad. They aimed to provide for their parents’ retirement, ensure their children receive a good education, and also pursue their careers. Singapore emerged as their best choice.
Based on Mr. W’s situation, the client manager at Go Global Gem developed a self-employed EP (Employment Pass) scheme for him. With his expertise in IT and finance, as well as his outstanding achievements in sports, Mr. W gained significant points in his Singapore EP application. As a result, his EP application was successfully approved in just 5 days.
Recently, Go Global Gem has been able to secure EP approvals for clients within 3 to 5 working days. If you have similar needs, please contact us immediately.
③ How to Improve the Success Rate of EP Applications
Starting from September 1st this year (2023), the Singapore EP application process will implement the COMPASS framework scoring system, which consists of 4 main assessment criteria and 2 secondary assessment criteria, with a passing score of 40 points.
The 4 Foundational criteria are: Salary, Qualifications, Diversity, and Support for local employment. Each criterion can score a maximum of 20 points.
The 2 Bonus criteria are additional points factors, including Skills Bonus: Shortage Occupation List (Individual) and Strategic Economic Priorities Bonus (Firm-related).
In summary, as long as you achieve a score of 40 points, you have the opportunity to apply for an EP, but it does not guarantee approval. Even if you fail to meet any of the 6 criteria mentioned, it does not mean that it is impossible to apply for an EP.
| Foundational criteria | Points |
| C1. Salary (Individual)
Fixed monthly salary compared to local professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMET) salaries in sector by age |
|
| l ≥ 90th percentile | 20 |
| l 65th to < 90th percentile | 10 |
| l < 65th percentile | 0 |
| C2. Qualification (Individual) Based on candidate’s qualifications |
|
| l Top-tier institution | 20 |
| l Degree-equivalent qualification | 10 |
| l No degree-equivalent qualification | 0 |
| C3. Diversity (Firm-related) Share of candidate’s nationality among firm’s PMETs.* |
|
| l < 5% | 20 |
| l 5 to < 25% | 10 |
| l ≥ 25% | 0 |
| C4. Support for local employment (Firm-related) Firm’s share of local PMETs within its sector* |
|
| l ≥ 50th percentile | 20 |
| l 20th to < 50th percentile | 10 |
| l < 20th percentile | 0 |
| Bonus criteria | |
| C5. Skills Bonus – Shortage Occupation List (Individual) | |
| Job on the Shortage Occupation List | +20 |
| C6. Strategic Economic Priorities Bonus (Firm-related) | |
| Firm meets specific assessment criteria on innovation or internationalisation activities | +10 |
As the saying goes, “When you lose in the east, you may gain in the west.” As long as you can compensate for the points in other criteria, you still have a chance. Therefore, should you have any questions or concerns during your EP application, please feel free to contact Go Global Gem, and we will provide you with professional solutions to suit your needs.
Now, let us recommend three ways to “earn points”:
1. Occupational Bonus Points (Individual)
If you belong to the aforementioned 27 occupations, you will be considered as a talent in high demand in Singapore, which will greatly assist your EP application.
2. Educational Bonus Points (Individual)
If you have graduated from world-renowned universities such as the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Peking University in China, Tsinghua University, etc., it will also help improve your chances of EP approval. Similarly, Singapore has published a list of 120 recognized “top-tier institutions” through the Lianhe Zaobao newspaper.
(Note: The list provided is not extensive. Please let us know if you require the full list of approved Universities)
Group A institutions: 20 points for all faculties
| Institution name | Country/region |
| Brown University | United States of America |
| California Institute of Technology | United States of America |
| Carnegie Mellon University | United States of America |
| Chulalongkorn University | Thailand |
| City University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
| Columbia University | United States of America |
| Cornell University | United States of America |
| Duke University | United States of America |
| Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne or EPFL) | Switzerland |
| Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zurich) | Switzerland |
| Fudan University | China |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | United States of America |
| Harvard University | United States of America |
| Imperial College London | United Kingdom |
| Indian Institute of Technology Bombay | India |
| Indian Institute of Technology Delhi | India |
| Institut Polytechnique de Paris (Polytechnic Institute of Paris) | France |
| Johns Hopkins University | United States of America |
| Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven) | Belgium |
| King’s College London | United Kingdom |
| Kobenhavns Universitet (University of
Copenhagen) |
Denmark |
| Korea Advanced Institute of Science and
Technology (KAIST) |
South Korea |
| Korea University | South Korea |
| KTH Royal Institute of Technology | Sweden |
| Kyoto University | Japan |
| Lasalle College of the Arts | Singapore |
| Lomonosov Moscow State University | Russia |
| Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen | Germany |
| Lund University | Sweden |
| Mahidol University | Thailand |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | United States of America |
| McGill University | Canada |
| Monash University | Australia |
| Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts | Singapore |
| Nanyang Technological University | Singapore |
| National Cheng Kung University | Taiwan |
| National Taiwan University | Taiwan |
| National Tsing Hua University | Taiwan |
| National University of Singapore | Singapore |
| New York University | United States of America |
| Northwestern University | United States of America |
| Osaka University | Japan |
| Peking University | China |
| Pohang University of Science and Technology | South Korea |
| Princeton University | United States of America |
| Rice University | United States of America |
| Ruprecht-Karls-Universitat Heidelberg (Heidelberg University) | Germany |
| Seoul National University | South Korea |
| Shanghai Jiao Tong University | China |
| Singapore Institute of Technology | Singapore |
| Singapore Management University | Singapore |
| Singapore University of Social Sciences | Singapore |
| Singapore University of Technology and Design | Singapore |
| Sorbonne Universite (Sorbonne University) | France |
| Sungkyunkwan University | South Korea |
| Technische Universitat Munchen (Technical University of Munich) | Germany |
| Technische Universiteit Delft (Delft University of Technology) | Netherlands |
| The Australian National University | Australia |
| The Chinese University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
| The Hong Kong Polytechnic University | Hong Kong |
| The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Hong Kong |
| The Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford University) | United States of America |
| The London School of Economics and Political Science | United Kingdom |
| The Pennsylvania State University | United States of America |
| The University of California, Berkeley | United States of America |
| The University of California, Los Angeles | United States of America |
| The University of California, San Diego | United States of America |
| The University of Chicago | United States of America |
| The University of Edinburgh | United Kingdom |
| The University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
| The University of Illinois, Urbana – Champaign | United States of America |
| The University of Leeds | United Kingdom |
| The University of Manchester | United Kingdom |
| The University of Melbourne | Australia |
| The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor | United States of America |
| The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) | Australia |
| The University of Queensland | Australia |
| The University of Sheffield | United Kingdom |
| The University of Sydney | Australia |
| The University of Texas at Austin | United States of America |
| The University of Tokyo | Japan |
| The University of Warwick | United Kingdom |
| The University of Western Australia | Australia |
| Tohoku University | Japan |
| Tokyo Institute of Technology | Japan |
| Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin | Ireland |
| Truong Dai Hoc Duy Tan (Duy Tan University) | Vietnam |
| Tsinghua University | China |
| Universidad de Buenos Aires (University of Buenos Aires) | Argentina |
| Universitas Indonesia (University of Indonesia) | Indonesia |
| Universitat Zurich (University of Zurich) | Switzerland |
| Universite Paris Sciences et Lettres (Universite PSL) | France |
| Universite Paris-Saclay | France |
| Universiteit van Amsterdam (University of Amsterdam) | Netherlands |
| Universiti Brunei Darussalam | Brunei |
| Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia | Malaysia |
| Universiti Malaya (the University of Malaya) | Malaysia |
| Universiti Putra Malaysia | Malaysia |
| Universiti Sains Malaysia | Malaysia |
| Universiti Teknologi Malaysia | Malaysia |
| University College London | United Kingdom |
| University of Auckland | New Zealand |
| University of Birmingham | United Kingdom |
| University of Bristol | United Kingdom |
| University of British Columbia | Canada |
| University of Cambridge | United Kingdom |
| University of Durham | United Kingdom |
| University of Glasgow | United Kingdom |
| University of Oxford | United Kingdom |
| University of Pennsylvania | United States of America |
| University of Science and Technology of China | China |
| University of Southampton | United Kingdom |
| University of St Andrews | United Kingdom |
| University of the Philippines | Philippines |
| University of Toronto | Canada |
| University of Washington | United States of America |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | United States of America |
| Yale University | United States of America |
| Yonsei University | South Korea |
| Zhejiang University | China |
Group B institutions: 20 points for specific faculties only
| Institution name | Country/
region |
Faculty |
| Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC Paris) | France | • Business Administration (for MBAs – master’s degrees) |
| Instituto De Empresa (IE Business School) (of IE University) | Spain | |
| INSEAD (Institut Europeen d’Administration des Affaires) | France | |
| IESE Business School
(of University of Navarra) |
Spain | |
| London Business School
(of University of London) |
United
Kingdom |
|
| Wageningen University & Research Centre | Netherlands | •Food Science and Technology |
| EHL Hospitality Business School (Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne or Hotelfachschule Lausanne) | Switzerland | • Culinary Skills
•Hospitality Management • Hotel Management • Pastry & Baking • Tourism Management • Tourism Studies |
| Rhode Island School of Design | United
States of America |
• Furniture Design |
| University of the Arts, London | United
Kingdom |
• Fashion Studies |
| Royal Veterinary College
(of University of London) |
United
Kingdom |
• Biological Sciences
• Veterinary Medicine •Veterinary Science/Studies • Wild Animal Health |
| Rhode Island School of Design | United
States of America |
• Furniture Design |
| University of the Arts, London | United
Kingdom |
• Fashion Studies |
| Royal Veterinary College
(of University of London) |
United
Kingdom |
• Biological Sciences
• Veterinary Medicine •Veterinary Science/Studies • Wild Animal Health |
| Universitas Gadjah Mada (Gadjah Mada University) | Indonesia | • Computer Science
• Information Technology •Programming & Systems Analysis •Science(Computer Studies) |
| Dai Hoc Quoc Gia Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City) | Vietnam | |
| Dai Hoc Quoc Gia Ha Noi (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) | Vietnam | |
| Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore | India | |
| Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati | India | |
| Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur | India | |
| Indian Institute of Technology
Kharagpur |
India | |
| Indian Institute of Technology Madras | India | |
| Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee | India |
If the COMPASS evaluation framework is implemented, it is expected that the EP requirements will only increase. Applying early will give you an advantage. If you have such needs, please contact Go Global Gem immediately. We will provide you with professional customized solutions for your overseas immigrations.
or enquires please reach out to us:
Email: info@goglobalgem.com