Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (“MoM”) recently announced additional revisions to the dependent pass legal framework.  Starting May 1, 2021, dependent pass (“DP”) holders will no longer be able to rely on a Letter of Consent (“LOC”)  to seek work authorization, and will instead be required to obtain their own work passes.

Currently, dependents of Employment Pass, EntrePass or Personalized Employment Pass holders may qualify for an LOC and receive work authorization.  Starting from May 1, 2021, employers hiring DP holders will now be required to apply for a work pass for these candidates.  These applications will be subject to the eligibility requirements and qualifying criteria for those pass type classifications.

Those with LOCs may continue working for the same company until the expiration of their existing work authorization; however, renewals will no longer be available after May 1, 2021, and employers will be required to apply for a regular work pass to ensure continued work authorization.  Some exemptions to the job advertisement requirement may be granted as this could be treated as a conversion of a pass type for an existing employee. It is expected that the local authorities will be issuing additional guidance on or about May 1.

These recent changes signify MOM’s ongoing commitment to continue promoting the development of a strong Singaporean workforce as part of its Fair Consideration Framework.

As the MoM will be publishing additional guidance regarding the administration of these changes, please continue to follow our updates on or blog, The Mobile Workforce.