Letter of Consent Application To Be Discontinued From 1st May 2021

April 11, 2021
|In Immigration and Visas
|By Kevin Yeo

Starting from 1st May 2021, all dependent pass holders in Singapore who wish to gain employment will have to apply for an applicable work pass, e.g. employment pass, S pass or work permit. This will be a major change from the prevailing practice. Currently, dependent pass holders can obtain employment with an approved letter of consent (loc) from the Ministry of Manpower.

Dependant Pass Holders Of Letter Of Consent Allowed To Work Till Expiry Date

Dependant pass holders with an existing letter of consent can continue to work till the date of expiry of the letter of consent. After which if they wish to continue, they will have to transit to the applicable work passes. The terms and conditions when applying for the passes will apply as per normal.

Letter Of Consent Holders Who Are Business Owners May Be Exempted

If the dependant pass holder with a LOC is a business owner, the above rule may not apply and he or she can continue to run their business. However, the following 2 conditions must be met:

  1. The dependant pass holder is a sole proprietor, partner, or company director with at least 30% shareholding in the company; and
  2. The business hires at least 1 Singaporean or Singapore Permanent Resident. It pays at least the prevailing qualifying salary (currently at S$1,400) and receives CPF contributions for at least 3 months.

Dependant pass holders who currently do not meet the above criteria can continue to run their business on their existing LOC until its expiry. They can also apply for a one-off extension of their LOC until 30 April 2022 when renewing their dependant pass. Thereafter, they will need to meet the criteria stated above in order to renew their LOC. Another option is to obtain an applicable work pass to continue working in Singapore.

Dependant pass holders who wish to start a business can apply for a LOC, as long they fulfil the criteria above.

Further details will be released on 1 May 2021.

If you need to apply for a letter of consent, do get in touch with a licensed employment agency in Singapore to assist you.

 

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