Higher minimum salary for bringing dependants to Singapore, effective Jan 2018

From 1 January 2018, the minimum fixed monthly salary required for EP and S Pass holders in Singapore to bring in family members on Dependant Passes (DP) will be increased to S$6,000. This is an increase of 20 per cent from the current qualifying salary of $5,000.

In addition, work pass holders will have to meet a minimum fixed monthly salary to bring in their parents on Long Term Visit Passes (LTVP) will be increased to $12,000. This is also an increase of 20 per cent from the current qualifying salary of $10,000.

The changes were announced by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), and will only apply to new applications made by EP and S Pass holders on or after 1 January 2018. All applications received before 1 January will be assessed based on the existing criteria of $5,000 and $10,000 respectively.

Moreover, renewals for DPs and LTVPs that are approved or issued before 1 January 2018 will also be assessed on existing criteria, as long as the pass holder holds a valid work pass with the same employer.

The salary criteria review is said to be part of MOM's periodic updating to ensure that main pass holders remain able to upkeep their dependents in Singapore.

In an advisory, BAL Global Practice in Singapore noted that applicants who will be disqualified by the new criteria should apply for family members before 1 January.

For employers, it anticipates that the increases might pose challenges for employers in attracting and retaining foreign talent to Singapore.

BAL Global also noted that foreign employees' salaries may have to be adjusted so that they can retain passes for their dependents.

This article was first published in Human Resources.