Know and be aware of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act in Singapore and avoid the risk of non-compliance.

Introduction

In today’s globalised economy, Singapore continues to rely on a diverse and highly skilled foreign workforce to support business growth, innovation, and operational sustainability. However, with this reliance comes a complex and highly regulated framework—the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA)—that every employer must fully understand and comply with.

The EFMA is not merely a regulatory guideline, it is a critical legal framework that governs how organisations recruit, deploy, manage, and repatriate foreign employees. It prescribes employer responsibilities, work pass requirements, levies, and strict enforcement measures, ensuring that foreign workers are treated fairly while safeguarding national manpower policies.

In recent years, the landscape has become even more dynamic. The aftermath of global disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in workforce mobility, with many foreign workers facing difficulties returning to Singapore. At the same time, the government has introduced significant policy shifts and tighter controls across industries—particularly in sectors like construction, process, and services—to balance economic needs with local workforce development.

The consequences of getting it wrong are severe. Non-compliance with the EFMA can result in hefty fines, imprisonment, revocation of work passes and suspension of hiring privileges, all of which can significantly disrupt business continuity and damage organisational reputation.

Designed for HR professionals, business leaders and line managers, this one day course provides a practical, structured, and up-to-date understanding of the EFMA, enabling organisations to confidently manage their foreign workforce while staying fully compliant with Singapore’s legal requirements.

Course Details: 

Objectives

1. Understanding of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act and its applications

2. List out the legal requirements for Work Pass, Work Permit, S Pass and Employment Pass.  Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) – understand its implications for applying Employment Pass

3. Learn who is an Intra Corporate Transferee

4. Discuss about current legislation governing Family Pass and Dependent Pass

5. Describe application processes for Work Permit and Employment Pass

6. Understand the levy for Foreign Employee or self-employed foreigner

7. Understand other types of Work Visa – Training Work Permit, Training Employment Pass, Work Holiday Pass, Work Pass Exempt Activities, Letter of Consent

8. Acquaint with vital information and procedures to terminate the Employment of Foreign Employee

9. Understand differences between Offences vs Infringements

Who should attend

• HR professionals and practitioners

• Talent acquisition specialists

• Line managers and supervisors

• Business owners and decision-makers

• Anyone responsible for hiring or managing foreign employees

Outline

Part I : Employment of Foreign Manpower Act

  • Interpretation
  • Objective

Part II : Work Pass

  • Identify the various types of Work Pass and its requirements
  • Self-employed Foreigner to apply for Work Pass
  • Levy in for Foreign Employee or self-employed foreigner
  • Extent of validity of Work Pass
  • Custody of Work Pass
  • Loss of Work Pass

Part III : Application for Work Permit

  • Define Work Permit Process Application
  • Eligibility for Work Permit
  • State the maximum period of Employment
  • State the Quota and Levy for Work Permit
  • Levy and Bond for WP for various industries
  • FAQs for Work Permit
  • Work Permit Conditions

Part IV : S Pass

  • Key Facts on S Pass
  • Eligibility for S Pass
  • State the Quota and Levy
  • Pass for family members
  • Marriage for S Pass
  • FAQs on S Pass
  • Levy Rate

Outline

Part V : Employment Pass

  • Key facts for Employment Pass
  • Application for Employment Pass
  • Changes for qualifying salary for Employment Pass

Part VI : Application for Dependent Pass and Family Pass

  • Application for Family Pass
  • Application for Dependent Pass
  • Application for Dependent Pass for new born baby

Part VII : Termination and Self-Employed Foreigners

  • Termination of Employment of Foreign Employee
  • Self-employed Foreigner to apply for Work Pass

Part VII : Levy

  • Levy Rates
  • Levy in for Foreign Employee or self-employed foreigner
  • Burden of Proof
  • Penalty

Part IX : Safety Courses and Security Bond

  • Safety Courses
  • Security Bond
  • Timeframe to apply for Security Bond
  • Discharge and forfeiture of Security Bond

Part X: Offences vs Infringements

Trainer

Elsie Low is a HR Practitioner with over 25 years of experience. She has specific experience and strength in talent acquisition, human resource development, compensation and benefits development, payroll administration and management, talent management, employee communication and relations. She is a visionary and performance focused professional. Coupled with that, she has excellent business acumen with strong work ethics.

Elsie has worked in various multi-national and local SMEs and in different sectors such as manufacturing, electronics, construction, engineering and oil & gas. Her span of responsibility and experience are spent in various regional and leadership roles across different regions in ASEAN, Australia, China and Middle East.

Elsie graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Human Resource and a MBA in Finance. She also possesses the Certificate in Workplace Basics from Fairwork Commission Australia and an Advanced Certificate of Training and Assessment (ACTA).

She is currently one of the trainers for HRSINGAPORE's HR Certification Courses.

Administrative Details:

Scheduled Dates

• 21 October 2026  (Face-to-Face)  (29th Run) - Confirmed

• 16 March 2027  (Face-to-Face)  (30th Run)

Online/Virtual

• Available for in-company customised training

Duration / Venue

• One day

• 9.00 am to 5.00 pm

• Hotel Grand Pacific Singapore  (29th Run)

Certification

A Certificate of Attendance will be awarded at the end of the course.

 

Cost

• S$ 599.50 w/GST (S$550.00) for Community/Corporate Subscriber

• S$ 632.20 w/GST (S$580.00) for Non-Subscriber

Funding

• Grants/Subsidies/SkillsFuture Credit are not applicable.

IHRP CPD Hours 

• 7

(Please refer to the IHRP website)

Refreshment

• Coffee & tea with snacks during the morning and afternoon breaks

• Lunch will be provided

Past Participants:

Past Participants' Comments

• "Elsie (Trainer) had made the program lively!" - Josephine Kuah, Strategic Public Relations Pte Ltd

• "All parts of this course are extensively covered and I have learnt a lot from this course, thank you Elsie!" - Josephine Sng, OEMServices Asia Pte Ltd

• "It was good and knowledgeable to learn what I wanted to know" - Susan Lim

• "Perfect!" - Raihana, Jamiyah Singapore

• "Very well Pls delivered and highly informative. Kudos to Elsie (Trainer) who is very knowledgeable and able to deliver the topic in the most practical and understandable way" - Jessica Lim, Bank Pictet

Past Participant Organisations

• Asahi Kasei Synthetic Rubber Singapore Pte Ltd, Aryzta Singapore Pte Ltd, Acushnet Singapore Pte Ltd, ASP Rope Access Pte Ltd, Assisi Hospice

• Basler & Hofmann Singapore Pte Ltd, Be Mitey Clean, Brunel International S.E.A. Pte Ltd

• China Railway 11 Bureau Group Corporation (Singapore Branch), CGW Construction & Engineering (S) Pte Ltd, CWT Pte Limited, CapAllianz Holdings Limited

• DRW Singapore Pte Ltd, Doka Formwork Pte Ltd, Dyslexia Association of Singapore, Daiichi Jitsugyo Asia Pte Ltd

• Escher Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Ed. Zublin AG (Singapore Branch), Electrolux S.E.A Pte Ltd, ES Recruitment Pte Ltd, Ed. Zublin AG , Singapore Branch

• First National Company for Operation & Maintenance, Fuji Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd

• GBS (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Guthrie Engineering (S) Pte Ltd

• Heitkamp Und Thumann (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Highway International Private Limited, Hard Rock Cafe Pte Ltd, Homehelpy Singapore Pte Ltd, Hwa Chong International School, Hexacon Construction Pte Ltd

• Interoffshore Pte Ltd, IINO Singapore Pte Ltd, International French School (Singapore)

• Jamiyah Singapore, JMV Aluminium Facade Pte Ltd

• Kok Tong Construction Pte Ltd, Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital

• Lions Home For The Elders

• Mum Sophia Agency Pte Ltd, Metta Welfare Association, Menicon Singapore Pte Ltd, Murata Electronics Singapore (Pte) Ltd, Metropolitan YMCA Singapore, MOL (Asia Oceania) Pte Ltd, Ministry of Education

• Neste Jacobs, Nanyang Technological University, Node Real Pte Ltd, Nikon Singapore Pte Ltd, National Cancer Centre Singapore, National University Health System Pte Ltd, Nippon Paint (Singapore) Company Pte Ltd

• OEMServices Asia Pte Ltd, OneConnect Singapore

• Pictet Holding LLP, Pearl Marine Logistics Pte Ltd, Pec Ltd

• Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd, SparkCleanz Pte Ltd, Singapore Red Cross Society, Space Scope Pte Ltd, Singapore Bible College Limited, S-One Engineering Pte Ltd, SECOM (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Society for the Aged Sick, Spencer Ogden Pte Ltd, Semco Maritime Pte Ltd, Singapore Engineering Services Pte Ltd, Strategic Public Relations Pte Ltd, SEAMEO Regional Language Centre, Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co (Singapore) Pte Ltd

• Technip Singapore Pte Ltd, True Yoga Pte Ltd, Tristars Engineering And Services Pte Ltd, The Conference Board (S) Ltd, Terasaki Electric Co. (F.E.) Pte Ltd, Toyota Tsusho Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, The Hair Secrets Beaute Care Private Limited, Toyota Motor Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Tanaka Electronics Singapore (Pte) Ltd, Tata NYK Shipping Pte Ltd, Thales DIS (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Thye Hua Kwan Nursing Home Ltd, Teo Soon Seng Pte Ltd

• United World College of South East Asia

• WIKA Instrumentation Pte Ltd, Whitford Pte Ltd

• YGP Pte Ltd, Yellow Ribbon Industries Pte Ltd