COMPASS and Employment Pass renewal: the points framework employers must plan around

Eligibility requirements

• Stage 1, qualifying salary: currently S$5,600 at age 23 or below rising to S$10,700 at 45 or above, and S$6,200 rising to S$11,800 in financial services. A candidate below the qualifying salary is ineligible regardless of COMPASS points.
• C1 salary (up to 20 points): the candidate's fixed monthly salary compared with local PMET salaries in the employer's sector, by age. At or above the 90th percentile scores 20; the 65th to below the 90th scores 10; below the 65th scores 0. Benchmarks are updated annually from MOM's labour force survey.
• C2 qualifications (up to 20 points): a degree-equivalent qualification from an institution on MOM's top-tier list scores 20; another degree-equivalent or listed professional qualification scores 10; none scores 0. The lists are updated once a year, most recently for 2026. Qualifications relied on must be verified through MOM-accepted procedures.
• C3 diversity (up to 20 points): the share of the candidate's nationality among the firm's PMETs. Below 5% scores 20; 5% to below 25% scores 10; 25% or more scores 0. Firms with fewer than 25 PMETs receive 10 points by default.
• C4 support for local employment (up to 20 points): the firm's local PMET share compared with its sector. At or above the 50th percentile scores 20; 20th to below 50th scores 10; below the 20th scores 0. Firms with fewer than 25 PMETs receive 10 points by default, and a local PMET share of at least 70% secures at least 10.
• C5 skills bonus: a job on the Shortage Occupation List scores 20 points, or 10 if the candidate's nationality makes up one third or more of the firm's PMETs. The list was updated for applications from 1 January 2025 and again for 2026, adding roles across healthcare, agritech, financial services, the green economy and AI. C6 strategic economic priorities bonus: 10 points for participation in an eligible programme, lasting up to three years, with a renewal condition of at least 10 points each on C3 and C4 in the preceding three months.

Legal framework

Build the evidence

Prepare records that substantiate the relevant criteria. The final checklist depends on the applicant, route and filing authority.

• The firm's workforce profile from the Workforce Insights tool on the myMOM Portal, showing its C3 and C4 scores and how they are trending.
• The candidate's fixed monthly salary broken out from variable pay, benchmarked against the current C1 sector table for the candidate's age.
• Verified qualifications: the degree certificate and a verification proof from a MOM-accepted provider where C2 points are relied on.
• The MyCareersFuture advertisement reference and recruitment records, or the basis of an advertising exemption.
• For a C5 claim, the job description mapped to the Shortage Occupation List duties and the additional requirements in the SOL employer guide; for C6, the supporting agency's confirmation.
• The Self-Assessment Tool result for the intended filing date, kept with the application file.

How to apply

1. 01

   Know the firm's score before recruiting

   Check C3 and C4 in the Workforce Insights tool. A firm scoring 0 on both must find 40 points from salary and qualifications alone, which usually means 90th-percentile pay and a top-tier degree, or a Shortage Occupation List role.

2. 02

   Run the Self-Assessment Tool with the real facts

   Enter the correct age, sector, fixed salary and verified qualification for the intended filing date. A positive result is an aid, not an approval, and a negative result predicts refusal.

3. 03

   Advertise and recruit fairly

   Unless an exemption applies, post the role on MyCareersFuture for at least 14 consecutive days with a salary range no wider than twice the minimum, make no offer during the window, and consider every applicant genuinely. Advertisements closed for more than three months cannot be used.

4. 04

   File with verified evidence

   Submit through EP eService with the salary, qualification and recruitment evidence. Expect requests for further information where qualifications, salary structure or the role itself are unclear.

5. 05

   Plan renewals against next year's benchmarks

   COMPASS and the qualifying salary apply at renewal. Each August MOM releases the C1 benchmarks for the following year's applications and for renewals of passes expiring from the following July. Review salaries and the firm's C3 and C4 position twelve months ahead of each expiry.

After approval & family planning

• An approved EP holder earning a fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000 may sponsor a Dependant's Pass for a spouse and children; parents require S$12,000 for a Long-Term Visit Pass. Dependants who work need their own pass.
• A first EP is typically issued for up to two years and renewals for up to three; certain Shortage Occupation List technology roles may qualify for a five-year pass. The pass remains tied to the employer, and a change of employer means a new application.
• Salary increases, promotions and changes to the firm's workforce composition alter the COMPASS position over time. Maintain the records that show the real job, the real salary and the real workforce.
• A firm placed on the Fair Consideration Framework Watchlist has its EP applications closely scrutinised. Debarment from work-pass privileges for 12 to 24 months, including renewals, is MOM's administrative penalty for unfair hiring, and false declarations may be prosecuted.

What this route builds, and what it opens

WG assesses every route on three returns: the knowledge it adds, the cognitive capability that sustained work abroad develops, and the institutional opportunity it opens or closes. Real work is the mechanism in each case.

Programme context. Where a participant holds a genuine managerial or professional role with a Singapore affiliate at a salary meeting the benchmark, an EP under COMPASS may be assessed. The intra-corporate transferee exemption should be used with care, because it removes family passes and PR eligibility. Read the framework ↗

Frequently asked questions

Points to consider

• COMPASS is a workforce-composition policy expressed as a points test. A firm that treats it as a form to be scored, rather than a signal about local hiring and nationality concentration, will find its C3 and C4 position deteriorating and its EP applications harder each year.
• Every point claimed must be verifiable: payroll for salary, verification proof for qualifications, MOM's own data for C3 and C4. The firm's declarations are made under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.