The Work Permit carries the heaviest employer obligations of any pass: quota, levy, security bond, medical insurance, accommodation, upkeep and repatriation. Most of these run for the life of the pass regardless of whether the worker is actually working, and several survive the end of the employment relationship.
Work Permit
Application, employer obligations and welfare
The Work Permit carries the heaviest employer obligations of any pass: quota, levy, security bond, medical insurance, accommodation, upkeep and repatriation. Most of these run for the life of the pass regardless of whether the worker is actually working, and several survive the end of the employment relationship.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Employer | [COMPANY NAME], UEN [UEN] |
| Sector | [Services / Manufacturing / Construction / Marine shipyard / Process] |
| Worker | [NAME], nationality [COUNTRY], passport [NUMBER] |
| Source country classification | [Confirm — eligibility and levy vary by source country and sector] |
| Occupation | [OCCUPATION] |
| Monthly salary | S$ [AMOUNT] |
| Skill classification | [Higher-skilled / Basic-skilled — affects levy] |
| Local workforce count | [NUMBER] |
| Dependency ratio ceiling for the sector | [RATIO] |
| Work Permit holders currently employed | [NUMBER] |
| Quota headroom | [NUMBER] |
| Security bond required | [Yes — S$ ______ / No — confirm by nationality] |
| Medical insurance | Required — confirm sum insured meets the current minimum |
| Accommodation | [ADDRESS AND TYPE] |
1. Before Applying
| # | Step | Done |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sector and dependency ratio ceiling identified | [Y/N] |
| 2 | Local workforce computed using the Local Qualifying Salary basis | [Y/N] |
| 3 | Quota headroom confirmed as available | [Y/N] |
| 4 | Source country and occupation confirmed as eligible for the sector | [Y/N] |
| 5 | Levy rate identified for the skill level and quota tier | [Y/N] |
| 6 | Security bond arranged where required by nationality | [Y/N] |
| 7 | Medical insurance arranged meeting the current minimum sum insured | [Y/N] |
| 8 | Accommodation identified and compliant with housing standards | [Y/N] |
| 9 | Where required, primary care plan or medical arrangement in place | [Y/N] |
| 10 | Employment terms prepared in a language the worker understands | [Y/N] |
| 11 | Employer has no outstanding levy arrears or contraventions | [Y/N] |
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These notes accompany the template and explain the drafting choices, the compliance points and the mistakes most often made with this document. They appear as a final page in the Word file, intended to be deleted before the document is executed.
Getting a Work Permit approved is the easy part. The continuing obligations — levy, bond, insurance, accommodation, upkeep, repatriation — run for the life of the permit and several outlast the employment. Model the total cost using Annexure A before deciding, because the salary is often the smaller half.
Passing the levy to the worker in any form is prohibited and is among the most heavily enforced contraventions. It includes indirect methods: structuring salary to absorb it, deducting it under another label, or arranging for an agent to collect it. It surfaces reliably when an employment relationship ends badly.
Receiving any payment from a worker or a third party in return for employment, renewal or continued employment is an offence. Arrangements where an agent collects a fee and remits part of it to the employer fall squarely within this. Employers have been prosecuted.
Retaining a worker’s passport, permit card or bank card, or controlling their account, is prohibited. Employers sometimes do this believing it protects against absconding. It does not, and it is a serious contravention that also indicates other problems to an inspector.
The obligation to send the worker home at the end of the employment falls on the employer, including where the worker is dismissed for misconduct or resigns. The security bond exists precisely to secure this and is forfeited where the obligation is not met.
Levy is payable for the whole period the permit is in force — through leave, absence, notice and hospitalisation — and stops only on cancellation or expiry. Employers who terminate but delay cancellation pay for every day of the gap for no benefit.
The dependency ratio ceiling limits foreign workers as a proportion of the workforce, and the local count uses the Local Qualifying Salary basis — locals earning below it count fractionally or not at all. An employer with many low-paid local staff has a smaller quota base than headcount suggests.
The prescribed minimum sum insured has been increased in recent years. A policy arranged some time ago may no longer meet the current requirement. Check the cover level, not merely that a policy exists, and diarise renewal.
Housing must meet the applicable standards, and the address must be kept current with the authority. Accommodation is a frequent subject of inspection and of enforcement action, and standards were tightened following public health experience.
Salary must go into the worker’s own account and an itemised payslip must be issued. Cash payment without records is a contravention and makes any subsequent salary dispute impossible for the employer to defend, because the burden of showing what was paid falls on the party with the records.
Where accommodation, amenities or services are deducted, the worker’s written consent is required and the amount must reflect actual cost. The overall statutory limit on deductions in a salary period also applies.
Threatening repatriation or permit cancellation to deter a worker from making a salary complaint or a work injury claim is among the most serious things an employer can do here. It is also frequently the fact that turns a routine investigation into an enforcement action.
A worker who depends on the employer for their permit, their accommodation and their ability to remain in the country is the least likely person in the workforce to complain. Clause 5.2 requires a contact outside the direct supervisory line. Where there is a language barrier, provide the terms and the route in a language the worker understands.
Fines are recoverable; losing the ability to employ foreign workers is not. For a labour-dependent business, debarment following contraventions is an existential operational problem. That, rather than the penalty schedule, is the reason to run this properly.
Reflects Singapore requirements current as of {{DATE OF USE}}. Dependency ratio ceilings, levy rates and tiers, source country eligibility, security bond amounts, medical insurance minimums, housing standards and the Local Qualifying Salary all change — confirm every figure with the Ministry of Manpower before each application and each renewal, and take advice where the sector is construction, marine shipyard or process.
This is a ready-to-use template provided for convenience. Laws and requirements change, and every situation is different — please have it reviewed by a qualified professional (a lawyer, corporate secretary, or accountant as relevant) before you rely on it.