IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? The Ministry of Manpower’s virtual work pass program will be expanded on March 20 to employment passes, S passes, dependent passes and long-term visit passes, the agency has announced.

What does the change mean? Permit cards issued on or after March 20 will contain a code that will allow cardholders or employers to check validity, expiration dates and other details on the web or through the SGWorkPass mobile app.

  • Implementation time frame: March 20.
  • Who is affected: Employees holding employment passes, S Passes, dependent’s passes or long-term visit passes, and their employers.
  • Impact on processing times: Affected employees will not need to replace their physical cards when renewing work passes, thus saving time in the application process.
  • Business impact: The change will provide convenience and security and will streamline services by moving information contained on the cards to web-based applications.

Background: MOM launched the SGWorkPass mobile app and piloted the virtual work permit program in September. Initially, the new cards were only issued to work permit holders in the marine shipyard and construction sectors, but the program expanded to all work permit holders other than domestic workers in January. The implementation for employment passes, S Passes and dependent’s passes was scheduled for this month, and this week MOM announced that the launch date will be March 20.

BAL Analysis: Plans to expand the issuance of virtual work passes are consistent with MOM’s efforts to digitize and streamline processes to enhance verification, reduce document fraud and provide flexible options for users.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group in Singapore. For additional information, please contact singapore@bal.com.

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