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I'm an Australian citizen looking to work in Singapore. I believe I would meet the requirements for an Employment Pass.

According to the self assessment tool I met the criteria.

I've noticed some advertised positions specifically mention visa sponsorship.

If a position does not mention sponsorship, is it worth applying? I do not technically have the right to work in Singapore. Is it a usual process for HR departments to assist with obtaining an Employment Pass?

WW.
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  • If you have hard-to-find skills then it could be worth applying; however companies are also restricted in the amount of work pass holders that they can employ based on the number of citizens/PR holders that they employ. So whether the company could get an EP for you if they were interested in you, depends on this. – Erwin Bolwidt Nov 01 '15 at 14:25
  • Note that if you can't get an Employment Pass for some reason, you would probably still be able to get an S-Pass, for which however there's foreigner quotas. Either way you would have to get a job first and your employer will then have to apply for you. Employers generally know the requirements for hiring foreigners. In my experience of looking for a job in Singapore (I'm currently on a S-Pass), employers who are not willing to hire foreigners will either state so in the ad (as @jpatokal mentioned) or not reply to your application. – drat Nov 06 '15 at 01:58
  • @WW. I believe the industry will be an important factor here. What kind of job is this? – Pacerier Dec 30 '15 at 17:38
  • @pacerier Fintech, so a bank, financial start-up, payment processor etc – WW. Dec 30 '15 at 21:03

1 Answers1

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Singapore is a small country with lots of foreigners working in all sorts of jobs. As a rule, for professional roles, unless the job posting states "Singaporeans & PRs only" (and many do), it's worth at least enquiring whether they will sponsor an Employment Pass.

That said, Singapore has ratcheted up the requirements for getting an EP considerably over the last few years, and unless you're at the very top of the income bracket (fixed monthly salary S$12,000+), getting a pass is no longer guaranteed. So you will still be at a disadvantage when applying for any job if you are competing against locals.

lambshaanxy
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  • You gave some good help (+1). Just a pity that the OP does not want to help others in turn and accept this as the answer, which would help others reading this question in future. – Mawg says reinstate Monica Jan 11 '18 at 11:23