Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower rolled out a set of updates that took effect for new Employment Pass applications on 1 January 2026, with the same changes extending to renewals from 1 July 2026, reshaping work visa options for Singapore hires across the board. A GMS Flash Alert on the update lays out exactly what shifted, and why the timing matters for anyone planning to hire or relocate this year.
COMPASS, the Complementarity Assessment Framework MOM uses to evaluate most Employment Pass applications, scores candidates across salary, qualifications, workforce diversity, and up to two bonus criteria. Candidates need at least 40 points to pass. The 2026 update didn’t touch that 40-point threshold. What changed is how those points get earned.
Three Specific Things Moved
Sector-specific salary benchmarks under the C1 criterion were revised, meaning the salary a candidate needs to clear the 65th or 90th percentile of local professional salaries in their sector has shifted, in most cases upward. Employers who structured compensation packages against last year’s benchmarks may find those same packages score fewer points under the new figures.
The list of recognised educational qualifications under C2 was also refreshed, including which institutions count as “top-tier” for bonus scoring purposes. And the Shortage Occupation List under C5, which grants bonus points and in some technology roles a five-year Employment Pass instead of the standard two or three years, was revised with new eligible roles and added requirements.
Why the July Renewal Date Matters as Much as January
The January 1 effective date covers new applications only. Existing Employment Pass holders don’t feel the change until their pass comes up for renewal from 1 July 2026 onward, which creates a six-month gap where a company’s current EP roster is governed by one set of rules while its new hires are already being assessed under another.
That gap is exactly where the Flash Alert’s guidance is most direct: employers should proactively evaluate and strategically structure compensation packages ahead of renewal dates, not wait until a renewal application is actually due to discover whether a candidate’s salary still clears the updated C1 threshold.
What This Means for Founders Weighing Their Own Pass
For founders who are themselves the Employment Pass applicant, sponsoring their own relocation through their newly incorporated company, the same revised benchmarks apply directly. A founder’s own draw needs to clear the same percentile thresholds as any other candidate the company might hire, which means the compensation structure a founder sets for themselves is now a compliance decision, not just a personal cash-flow one.
Not every founder profile fits the Employment Pass route in the first place, which is one more reason to map salary strategy and pass eligibility together from the outset, rather than incorporating first and working out the immigration side of the plan afterward.
