(PEP) Personalized Employment Pass - New Work Permit For Professional Employees & Business Executives

On January 1, 2007 Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) introduced the Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) that unbinds Employment Pass (EP) holders and non-permanent residents from a specific employer. The traditional employment pass is tied to a particular employer. If you change jobs, you must re-apply for a new EP with your new employer as your sponsor. However, with a PEP, you are not tied to any employer. You are granted a PEP simply on your individual merits. The main advantage is that you can switch jobs without re-applying for a visa as long as you are not unemployed for longer than six months. During those six months, you can stay in Singapore without having to apply for any other type of stay visas. The aim of the personalized employment pass is to allow Singapore to hang on to selected talented individuals so they don't have to leave the country. For the PEP holder, it is also an avenue to Singapore permanent residence. Singapore authorities are selective about issuing PEP and is granted to qualifying individuals only.

Eligibility

The following individuals are eligible to apply for a personalised employment pass:

• Current EP holders – If you are on a P1, P2 or Q1 Pass, you can apply for a PEP. However, P2 Pass holders must have held their status for at least two years while Q1 Pass holders must have been working for at least five years. P1 holders can apply for PEP anytime. You should have been earning a basic salary of at least S$30,000 per annum during the previous year.
• Former P1 holders – If you used to work in Singapore as a P1 Pass holder but are now residing overseas, you can also apply for a PEP. But you should not have been unemployed for a continuous period of longer than six months at the time of application.
• Overseas professionals – If your last drawn fixed monthly salary was the equivalent to at least S$7,000, you can apply for a PEP.
• Singapore graduates – those who have graduated from Singapore institutes of higher learning can also apply for a PEP. The MOM is flexible on eligibility in these cases, based on the merits of the applicant.

Application procedure

You can apply for a PEP either through the Internet (current EP holders) or manually by filling out the Personalised Employment Pass Application Form (Form 8). Either way, you will be charged an administrative fee of S$10. Online applications – For online applications, you need to go through PEP Online located here, which is the MOM's portal for EP holders to apply for a PEP. Payment for a PEP application submitted using PEP Online can be made using Visa/Master Card, eNETS, Flexipay. Manual – if you do not currently hold an EP, you should complete the manual application form (you can download from MOM website) and submit the application through SingPost. However, this create a dilemma from for people residing overseas? How do you get to Singapore post office to make the $10 payment and submit the PEP application? Also, the PEP application requires that you provide contact details of a local person in Singapore (a Singapore citizen or Permanent Resident). In order to solve these two issues, you may want to utilize the services of a professional firm in Singapore who handle the logistics of filing and tracking the application on your behalf.

Documents needed

The MOM does not indicate the need for specific documents, however, you will need to furnish the following the information when you fill out Form 8.

• Details of your passport
• Name and address of employer
• Job and salary details
• Local contact details
• Details of dependant pass holders, if applicable.
• Details of long-term social visit pass holders, if applicable.

If you currently don't hold a Singapore employment pass, it's likely that MOM authorities will ask for additional details once the personalised employment pass application has been filed. Therefore, as a good practice and in order to preempt delays caused by such procedure, it's best to attach the following documents when submitting the PEP application:

• Copy of your passport
• Appointment letter from the current employer
• Last three months salary slips
• Copied of higher education certificates
• Copy of your resume

Processing time

For PEP Online applications, it takes about two weeks to know the result. You can check the status of the application and the result via EP Online while the result will also be sent to your Singapore residential address. The results of manual applications will take about 3 weeks after submission and may take longer during peak period or if more information is required. The results will be mailed to your Singapore address or, if you are based overseas, to your local contact's Singapore address.

After approval

Once your PEP application is approved, you will be sent an In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter. This is valid for three months and you should collect your pass within this period from the MOM office in Singapore as listed in the letter. You will also need to bring any other documents as requested in the letter such as medical tests report, originals, etc. Once issued, your personalized employment pass will be valid for five years and you must pay a S$150 one-time fee upon collection.

During the validity period

Although the personalized employment pass gives you a pretty much roving role in terms of your visa status, you are required to keep MOM up to date with the following information:

• Employment – You may not need to re-apply for a visa when you change employer but you still need to inform the MOM's Work Pass Division if you find a new job or you become unemployed. You can do this with the Notification Form for PEP Holders and mail it within seven days of your change in status. Your employer or previous employer is also required to inform MOM with the Notification Form for Employers. Both forms can be downloaded from the MOM website.
• Local contact – You should inform the MOM of any changes to your local contact, using the Notification Form.
• Salary – You should declare your annual salary at the end of each calendar year, within 30 days of the end of the year. Again, you can use the Notification Form.
• Travel documents – If you have changed your travel document, you should have your PEP endorsement transferred to your new passport. You should submit your disembarkation/embarkation card (Green card), as well as your old and new passports to the MOM.
• PEP card replacement – if you lose your PEP card, you should apply for a replacement one. You need to submit your passport and police report card in order to receive a new card.
• Address – if you change your address, you should complete the Notification of Change in Address Residential Address Form, which can be downloaded at the MOM website.

All forms reflecting the changes to your status can be mailed or faxed to MOM as indicated in the applicable form.

Renewal

Unlike other employment passes, at present, the PEP cannot be renewed after the five years is up. You could continue working and living in Singapore with an Employment Pass or apply for Singapore permanent residence. You can also cancel your PEP at any time. But once you canceled, you will not be able to apply for a new PEP and you will need to resort to other forms of work visa like regular employment pass.

Singapore Permanent Residence

As a PEP holder, you can apply for Singapore permanent residence at any time. You do not have to wait until the five-year visa expires before applying for Singapore PR. However, you must fulfill the same criteria that applies to other applicants from Employment Pass holders. One of the conditions of gaining PR is showing at least six months worth of salary slips from your Singapore employer, therefore it is best to wait until you have this proof before applying.

Conclusion

The Singapore Personalised Employment Pass is a convenient long-term work visa for those who qualify and would prefer a free hand in choosing employers. You do not have to go through the hassle of applying for an employment pass whenever you change employers because PEP is an independent work visa rather than an employer-linked one.