Immigration & foreign manpower — Topics

3 Sep 2019

Granting of Long Term Visit Pass/Long Term Visit Pass-Plus to Single Non-Singaporean Mothers of Singapore Citizen Children under Age 21

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira inquired whether divorced, widowed, or separated non-Singaporean mothers of Singapore citizen children under 21 could automatically receive Long-Term Visit Passes if they meet specific background conditions, and if so, whether these conditions could be publicly disclosed.
Minister K Shanmugam responded that such foreign mothers with custody of their minor Singaporean children would generally qualify for the Long-Term Visit Pass or Long-Term Visit Pass-Plus to care for their children.
He noted that each application is carefully assessed based on individual circumstances and factors like adverse records, and that the vast majority of these mothers have been granted long-term stay.

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3 Sep 2019

Overstayers Arrested in 2018

The Minister for Home Affairs provided a breakdown of the 940 overstayers arrested in 2018, including 510 Short-Term Visit Pass holders, 107 Work Pass holders, and 283 Special Pass holders, with the remainder holding other passes such as Long-Term Visit Pass and Student’s Pass.
The median overstay duration was about two months, though specific percentiles for the 20th, 50th, and 80th were not detailed in the response.
The number of overstayers arrested has declined from 1,690 in 2013 to 940 in 2018, reflecting enforcement efforts.
ICA will continue to maintain enforcement efforts to manage the overstaying situation.
Anthea Ong’s question sought detailed data on overstay duration percentiles and pass type breakdowns, which were partially addressed.

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3 Sep 2019

Foreign Workers with Injuries or Occupational Diseases Sustained at Work who Filed Claim under Work Injury Compensation Act

Mr Zainal Sapari asked about foreign workers' work injury claims from 2017, including the number of claims, breakdown by nationality, success rate, and actions against false claims.
From 2017 to 2018, about 18,200 foreign worker claims were filed, representing less than 1% of the foreign workforce, with most claimants from Bangladesh, China, India, and Malaysia.
Of the 17,500 concluded cases, 85% were valid, 13% withdrawn, and 2% invalid, with most invalid claims due to misunderstandings and only five cases found to involve dishonest intent in the past two years.
The government has prosecuted all dishonest claimants, who face fines up to $15,000, imprisonment up to 12 months, and permanent barring from working in Singapore.

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3 Sep 2019

Foreign Domestic Workers Borrowing from Licensed Moneylenders

Mr Louis Ng asked about the time foreign domestic workers (FDWs) take before taking their first loan and the reasons for the rise in borrowing, prompting the Ministry to provide median timelines from loan records and outline supply and demand factors like targeted advertising and peer recommendations.
The Ministry highlighted that most FDWs borrow after working in Singapore for several years, with recent measures such as stricter loan caps, self-exclusion frameworks, and advertising bans aimed at reducing risky borrowing, though they acknowledge some FDWs borrow for genuine needs like family emergencies.
Mr Ng expressed concern that blocking licensed lending might push FDWs to unlicensed lenders, and the Ministry responded by sharing data showing a sharp spike in borrowing from 2017 onward, confirming that while some borrow for urgent needs, others do so for non-essential items, and they are encouraging better financial planning and support from employers and NGOs.

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2 Sep 2019

Percentage of Employers Opening POSB Payroll Account for Prospective Foreign Workers When Applying for Work Permits in 2018

In 2018, 63% of employers opted to open a POSB Payroll Account for their prospective foreign workers when applying for work permits.
Foreign workers currently collect their bank cards at the single POSB branch at Kaki Bukit Recreation Centre, which is experiencing increased footfall.
POSB is working with the Ministry to explore solutions, such as piloting a mail-based delivery system for bank cards, to reduce the need for in-person visits.

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2 Sep 2019

Number of Singaporeans Born Between 1950 and 1959 Not Eligible for Merdeka Generation Package

There are about 16,000 Singaporeans born between 1950 and 1959 who are not eligible for the Merdeka Generation Package due to citizenship reasons, specifically becoming citizens after 1996.
Close to 400 citizenship-related appeals have been submitted as of end-July 2019, with the Appeals Panel having reviewed about half of these cases.
Approximately 120 appeals, representing about 60% of the reviewed cases, have been successful, allowing those individuals to be included in the Merdeka Generation Package.

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2 Sep 2019

Creating Honorary Citizenship for Those Who Have Invested in Singapore and Created Quality Jobs for Singaporeans

Gan Thiam Poh proposed creating honorary citizenship for foreign investors who create quality jobs for Singaporeans, excluding benefits granted to citizens.
The Government already confers the Honorary Citizen Award, the highest national recognition for foreigners with significant contributions and a strong affinity to Singapore.
Honorary Citizens receive privileges like residence and work rights but do not get grants or subsidies available to Singaporeans.
Since 2003, 21 individuals have received the Honorary Citizen Award.

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2 Sep 2019

Review of Employment Pass Criteria and Applications in View of Increasing Citizen Unemployment Rate

Murali Pillai questioned if the Ministry of Manpower would tighten Employment Pass (EP) criteria last reviewed in 2017 and review EP applications for permanent roles that are offered as fixed-term contracts to Singaporeans, citing rising citizen unemployment.
Josephine Teo noted that employment growth slowed but retrenchments remained low, with unemployment edging up slightly, indicating cautious hiring rather than widespread layoffs, and highlighted support through the Adapt and Grow initiative.
The EP criteria were last updated in 2017 with higher salary thresholds to align with local wages and prevent substitution of Singaporean PMETs, and the Ministry will continue monitoring wage levels for potential adjustments.
Offering an EP holder a permanent position while a Singaporean receives a fixed-term contract for the same job would violate tripartite fair employment guidelines, and such cases should be reported if observed.

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2 Sep 2019

Effectiveness of Jobs Bank in Getting Employers to Give Fair Consideration to Local Job Applicants

The Minister explained that job seekers and employers use multiple channels, so reliance on the Jobs Bank alone is limited, but the portal’s monthly visitors have grown significantly since its launch.
The Adapt & Grow initiative and related programs, including career coaching and Professional Conversion Programmes, helped about 30,000 Singaporeans find jobs in 2018 and 18,000 in the first half of 2019.
The government monitors the Jobs Bank’s effectiveness through user engagement metrics and the broader placement outcomes of its employment support programs.
Employers found violating the Fair Consideration Framework, such as unfairly advertising jobs without genuinely considering local applicants, face sanctions including withdrawal of work pass privileges.

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2 Sep 2019

Hiring, Developing and Strengthening Singaporean Core

Patrick Tay questioned the need for the Tech@SG programme, which helps tech firms hire foreign talent, amid efforts to strengthen the Singaporean core, while Minister Chan Chun Sing defended it as essential to build a critical mass of tech talent and stay competitive globally, emphasizing local development efforts like TeSA and IHL courses.
Chan highlighted that global tech talent shortages mean Singapore must complement local talent with foreign experts to meet demand from growing tech firms, citing examples like Alibaba and Mastercard, and argued that past successes in semiconductors show such strategies can eventually benefit Singaporeans.
Tay raised follow-up questions on safeguards for Singaporean PMEs, including compliance with the Fair Consideration Framework and use of capability transfer programmes, to which Chan confirmed these measures are in place and stressed the need to support fast-growing sectors without capping top opportunities.
Chan stated that Tech@SG could be considered for other sectors like finance if they face similar talent shortages, but clarified the focus is on highly skilled roles managing global teams, not routine positions, and drew parallels to how Singapore built its financial sector by initially bringing in global expertise.
In response to Pritam Singh’s query on leadership development, Chan affirmed that the government plans to progressively localise expertise in tech as it did in finance, ensuring Singaporeans learn from global talent and gain leadership opportunities over time.

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5 Aug 2019

Sector Employing Most Number of Employment Pass Holders and S Pass Holders

The Services sector employs the most S Pass holders, with Food Services showing the highest quota usage, while Employment Pass (EP) holders are most concentrated in the Infocomm sector within Services, where their share reaches about one-third.
S Pass holders face a 10–15% quota cap relative to total workforce (excluding EP holders), and both S Pass and EP holders must meet minimum qualifying salaries that are regularly reviewed to protect local wages; firms hiring EP holders must also comply with the Fair Consideration Framework to prevent discriminatory hiring and excessive national concentration.
The Ministry indicates no immediate plan to introduce a nationality-based quota, as current measures like quotas, salary criteria, and scrutiny of hiring practices aim to maintain balanced employment and local job outcomes without such an additional constraint.

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5 Aug 2019

Amendment of Employment of Foreign Manpower Act to Ensure Clearer Standards on Well-being of Foreign Domestic Workers

Anthea Ong proposed amending the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act to set clearer standards for foreign domestic workers’ well-being, including mandatory rest times, minimum food provisions, and minimum accommodation standards.
The Ministry of Manpower stated that the Act already requires employers to provide adequate food, rest, and proper accommodation, with guidelines detailed on its website and communicated during orientation programmes.
MOM noted that fixed rest and work hours are impractical due to varying household needs, and encouraged employers and workers to agree on arrangements through open communication.

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5 Aug 2019

Checks in Integrity of Work Permit, and Employment and S Pass Systems

Mr Png Eng Huat asked if any forensic review was conducted on the Work Permit and Employment/S Pass systems from 2011 to 2017 due to a lack of reviews of IT vendor staff activities during that period.
The Ministry of Manpower reviewed available logs from 2018 onward and found no unauthorized activity, and now conducts monthly reviews.
The Ministry has implemented system segregation, access controls, and session recordings for administrators since 2011, with no unauthorized activity detected, so a forensic review was not warranted.

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8 Jul 2019

Recruitment of Tourists as Volunteers to Care for Dogs by Pet Boarding Services

Melvin Yong inquired about the number of cases where tourists were recruited as volunteers by pet boarding services in exchange for accommodation and meals, and whether actions were taken against them and the companies.
Josephine Teo stated that it is illegal for tourists to work without a valid work pass, regardless of the form of remuneration, and noted only one case has been reported in the past year, with an ongoing investigation.
Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, foreigners working illegally can face fines up to $20,000, imprisonment up to two years, or both, while employers hiring them can be fined up to $30,000, imprisoned up to one year, or both.

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8 Jul 2019

Number of Households Qualified for Foreign Domestic Worker Levy Concession under Aged Person Scheme

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin asked the Minister for Manpower about the number of households with a 65-year-old family member that qualified for the foreign domestic worker levy concession under the aged person scheme in 2017 and 2018, how many used the concession, and how the proportion of qualified households changed after the qualifying age increased to 67 in April 2019.
As of May 2019, 69,251 households with a foreign domestic worker received the levy concession, which was higher than the 65,541 in 2018 and 61,811 in 2017.
The concession was automatically granted to all eligible households that had applied for and were approved to employ a foreign domestic worker.

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8 Jul 2019

Penalties for Foreign Domestic Workers Who Give False Information or Accuse Employers Wrongly

The Minister for Manpower stated that under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, giving false information or making false accusations is punishable by up to two years' imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $20,000, with guilty FDWs also banned from employment in Singapore.
From 2016 to 2018, MOM investigated and took action against 25 FDWs for false information or false accusations, resulting in eight being jailed or fined, two receiving composition fines, and 15 given warnings.
All 25 FDWs involved were repatriated and permanently banned from working in Singapore.

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8 Jul 2019

Statistics on Permanent Residency Applications by Non-Singaporean Spouses over Last 10 Years

Mr Pritam Singh requested annual data over the last 10 years on the number of non-Singaporean spouses applying for permanent residency and their approval rates, as well as the breakdown of successful applicants by specific Asian and non-Asian countries.
From 2009 to 2018, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority received an average of about 8,600 annual PR applications from foreign spouses of Singapore citizens, with an average of about 4,200 approved each year, yielding a success rate of around 49%.
Among successful applicants, 45% were from Southeast Asian countries, 45% from other Asian countries, and the remainder from non-Asian countries.

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8 Jul 2019

Number and Types of Complaints Against Maid Agencies

The Ministry of Manpower received an average of about 500 complaints annually from 2016 to 2018 regarding employment agencies placing foreign domestic workers, with the top three complaints being disputes over contractual terms, service lapses such as unresponsiveness, and dissatisfaction with the quality of the workers.
The Employment Agencies Act imposes license conditions and standards, including disclosure of terms and mediation of disputes through third parties, and the Ministry took action against an average of 135 agencies yearly, including suspensions and revocations.
The Ministry engages agency associations and provides an online directory with ratings to help employers make informed choices, while the Trustmark Grading Scheme is under consideration due to concerns about costs being passed to employers.

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8 Jul 2019

Supply of Doctors in Singapore and Percentage of Local Versus Foreign Doctors

Seah Kian Peng asked whether there is an oversupply of doctors in Singapore and the percentage of non-Singaporean doctors, plus any specific targets for that percentage.
Gan Kim Yong stated that MOH regularly reviews medical manpower against population and disease trends, noting 14,000 doctors in 2018 (2.4 per 1,000 population, comparable to other developed countries).
The proportion of local doctors rose from 82% in 2012 to 90% in 2018 due to increased local medical school capacity and returning Singaporean doctors.
MOH expects the local doctor proportion to increase further with steady inflows from local and overseas medical schools.
As healthcare needs evolve, manpower plans will be regularly reviewed and adjusted.

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8 May 2019

Non-payment of Full Sum of Salary Claims of Non-Malaysian Work Permit Holders

The Labour Court and Employment Claims Tribunals issued about 130 money orders annually for non-Malaysian work permit holders' salary claims, with most workers paid by employers or insurers and about 10% assisted by the Migrant Workers’ Assistance Fund (MWAF) in the past five years.
Employers are required to provide a security bond, with around 150 forfeited yearly for non-payment or repatriation failures, and MWAF, funded by donations and government matching, is used to supplement payments when other avenues fail.
The government prefers using insurance first, then the security bond, and finally MWAF for ex-gratia assistance on a case-by-case basis, emphasizing early reporting by workers to improve salary recovery.

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