Working in Singapore
For Pakistan passport holders · Checked 2026-08-15
Singapore's mass Work Permit system does not accept Pakistani citizens — Pakistan is not on any approved source-country list — so the only legal doors are the professional-level Employment Pass and S Pass, which a Singapore employer must apply for and which carry high salary floors.
What the employer must have
- The Singapore employer (or its appointed employment agent) must apply for the pass — the worker cannot self-apply.
- Employment Pass: must pay at least S$5,600/month at age 23, rising to S$10,700 at age 45+ (higher in financial services), and the application must score 40 points under the COMPASS points framework unless it qualifies for an MOM-listed COMPASS exemption.
- S Pass: must pay at least S$3,300/month (age-scaled, from Sep 2025) and stay within the company's foreign-worker quota and levy rules.
What you must do before you leave
- Register with BEOE's Protector of Emigrants before departure (Emigration Ordinance 1979) — as a direct emigrant or via a licensed OEP; the Overseas Employment Certificate is checked by FIA at the airport.
- Treat any agent selling a Singapore 'work permit' for factory, construction or service jobs as fraud — Pakistan is not an approved Work Permit source country, so such offers cannot be legal.
Things to watch
- Pakistan's absence was verified on MOM's construction, services and process sector source-country lists (all fetched); MOM's COS 2025 factsheet confirms the same Non-Traditional Sources list (which excludes Pakistan) applies across the construction, marine shipyard and process sectors.
- EP and S Pass are nationality-neutral in the rules, so a Pakistani professional CAN be sponsored — but the salary floors and COMPASS make this a small, professional-only corridor.
- EP minimum salaries rise on 1 Jan 2027 (to S$6,000 general / S$6,600 financial services at age 23).
- beoe.gov.pk blocks automated fetches; the registration requirement is corroborated by secondary sources.
What you may lawfully be charged
THE MOST A LICENSED AGENT MAY LAWFULLY CHARGE YOU as a service charge is PKR 15,000 (PKR 6,000 if you found the job yourself and only need the paperwork done). You do not hand it over — you deposit it in a bank and the agent is paid only after the Protector of Emigrants confirms you reached the job. Anything he spends on your ticket, medical or visa must come with a signed, stamped receipt.
Rule 15 and 15A, Emigration Rules 1979 (SRO 1058(I)/2023). Charging more is punishable by up to 14 years — Section 22(a), Emigration Ordinance 1979.
⚠️ Never pay anyone for a job offer or a visa on this route. Legitimate employers and licensed agents do not charge workers for jobs.
Official sources
This describes the immigration system, not your personal case, and not this specific vacancy.