Singapore Employment Pass and COMPASS: how the points work

The Employment Pass (EP) is the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) pass for foreign professionals, managers and executives. It has no quota, but it carries the highest salary bar of the main employee passes and, since the COMPASS framework was introduced, a second test on top of pay. MOM publishes the live qualifying salary by sector and age on its EP eligibility page; confirm those figures on mom.gov.sg before relying on them because they are reviewed and scheduled to change over time.

For searches like "employment visa Singapore" or "Singapore employment visa", keep the vocabulary straight: EP is a work pass filed through MOM by the employer or an appointed employment agent, not a Form 14A entry-visa product filed with ICA for a short visit.

The salary threshold rises with the candidate's age, on the logic that an experienced hire should command experienced pay. Clearing the floor makes you eligible to be assessed; it does not approve the pass on its own. That second stage is COMPASS.

COMPASS is a points system. Its foundational criteria cover the candidate's salary against local norms for the role and their qualifications. Firm-level criteria look at the diversity of the employer's workforce and how well it supports local hiring. Bonus points are available, for example where the role is on a shortage list. An application needs to reach the passing total to clear COMPASS.

Because two of the criteria are about the employer, not the candidate, the same person can succeed with one company and not another. The employer's profile is part of the decision.

The EP suits professional, managerial, executive and specialist roles. Lower-salaried or mid-skilled positions usually point to the S Pass or a Work Permit instead, which have their own thresholds and conditions.

The employer (or an appointed employment agent) submits the EP application through MOM's portal. If approved, MOM issues an In-Principle Approval (IPA); the candidate then travels in, completes issuance and registration, and receives the pass. MOM publishes current processing guidance by application route, and additional documents can extend the timeline. Verify the current MOM page before relying on a decision date.

If you are moving to Singapore on an EP, the practical work is on the employer's side: confirming your salary fits the age-adjusted threshold and that the application can clear COMPASS. We do not file work passes; that is MOM's process through your employer. We handle the short-stay visit visa, which may be useful if you need to travel in briefly first and your nationality requires one.