Employers in Singapore must verify foreign professionals qualifications

The new requirement, which builds on employers’ existing duties to ensure the authenticity of any declared qualifications, will help “safeguard against gaming by submitting fraudulent educational qualifications”, according to a statement by the MOM.

Mayumi Soh of Pinsent Masons MPillay, the Singapore joint law venture between Mpillay and Pinsent Masons, said: “This is an additional step which employers should take into account when considering the timeline for work pass applications.”

EP allows foreign professionals, managers and executives to work in Singapore. Verification proof submitted will be processed as part of Singapore’s new points-based immigration framework, the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS), which was announced in 2022 and will be effective from 1 September. Under the COMPASS scheme, new EP applications will be assessed under four foundational criteria and two bonus criteria and must obtain at least 40 points to pass.

Educational qualification is just one of the qualification criteria under COMPASS. A candidate who exceeds expectations with qualifications from a ‘top-tier institution’ will earn up to 20 points, whilst a candidate who does not have degree-equivalent qualifications can still pass COMPASS if they earn enough points on other criteria.

The two bonus criteria include a skills bonus for applications for jobs where there is a skills shortage, and a strategic economic priorities firm-related bonus for partnerships with the government on innovation or internationalisation activities. The skills bonus is given to EP applicants in occupations on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). The SOL identifies jobs in Singapore’s workforce which require "niche and highly specialised skills in short supply". MOM will release the first SOL by the end of March.