Personnel Relocation to Singapore - Intra-Company Transfers

Persons who arrive to Singapore for employment have many immigration pathways to choose from. In the vast majority of cases, all foreigners must apply for a visa suitable for their situation. Foreigners can independently apply for a visa for a job opportunity available here, or they can apply for a visa as the employee of a company working abroad that has an office in Singapore as well.

The latter is known as intra-company transfer and it is suitable for personnel relocation to Singapore. You can find out more on the conditions to apply for this type of work visa from our team of lawyers in Singapore.

What are the main requirements for employee relocation to Singapore?

When applying for a work visa, regardless of its type, foreigners must comply with the minimum conditions stated for the visa of interest or the visa they can qualify for. Such conditions can refer to any of the following: 1) the age of the applicant, 2) the skill level, 3) the work experience, 4) the salary level, etc.

For personnel relocation to Singapore, there are many conditions to comply with, as Singapore applies a very strict policy when it comes to this type of employment opportunity. It must be noted that the company where the employee works must meet certain criteria, so that the foreigner can relocate under an intra-company transfer policy.

Please know that employee relocation to Singapore is limited only to a few types of work activities and it aims at the relocation of persons who have managerial skills and specialized work capabilities. According to the Ministry of Manpower, a person can qualify for personnel relocation to Singapore if the applicant meets the basics of the definition of an intra-corporate transferee.

Depending on the country where the person is a resident, he or she must comply with the definition of one of the following:

the definition stated under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) established by the World Trade Organization;
other free trade agreements that Singapore is a part of.

Under the requirements of either of the definitions, the person who wants to relocate to Singapore for employment must have been working in the company abroad for a period of minimum 1 year before starting the application. The foreign company and the company in Singapore must have one of the following subordination/association connections:

the company is a branch office;
the company is a subsidiary;
the company is an affiliate business.

Who needs to initiate the visa application process?

The rules for personnel relocation to Singapore impose specific steps concerning who the applicant can be. According to the Ministry of Manpower, those who want to arrive here under an Employment Pass can only do so provided that their Singapore employer will start the visa application process.

Immigration in Singapore for work purposes can be started by the employer or by the employment agent, who will apply on behalf of the foreigner interested in working in this country.

Please mind that in cases where personnel relocation in Singapore does not apply (meaning, the foreign company does not have an office in Singapore or an associated company), the foreigner can still arrive here for employment provided that the person finds a local sponsor. Given the complexity of work visa procedures and regulations, we recommend you address our immigration lawyers in Singapore.

Depending on the work visa the foreigner holds, he/she will need to abide by various obligations. For instance, the holders of a Personalized Employment Pass will have their visa revoked in the case in which they are unemployed for a period longer than 6 months. There are also salary threshold requirements that must be met (S$270,000 in a financial year); our Singapore lawyers can present further details.

Job advertisement requirements in Singapore

Our team of lawyers in Singapore can offer additional details on how this visa system works. Please mind that the company in Singapore must, in general, post an advertisement for the job vacancyon official job portals owned by the Singaporean government. Concerning this, foreigners should know the following:

companies have to post thejob announcement for a period of at least 14 consecutive days on official portals;
the duration of the advertising, increased to 28 days in October 2020, was reduced back to 14 days from 1 September 2023, to promote better fair employment opportunities;
those applying for personnel relocation to Singapore can obtain a visa valid for up to 3 years;
a renewal of 2 years is possible, with a total relocation of maximum 5 years;
the intra-company transfer is available for 3 types of employees– managers, executives or specialists.

Is there a personnel relocation visa for trainees?

Yes, Singapore provides a visa program designed for trainees, who are individuals hired by a company for a short period of time, in order to acquire experience in a specific field, but they are not company employees.

Trainee programs are usually created for students, who, thus, gain work experience, and for companies, which can, at the end of the training program, hire some of the trainees who proved that they have the necessary skills.

A similar program to the personnel relocation system is the Training Employment Pass, which is available for trainees or foreign students who work in a foreign office or subsidiary and who can arrive in Singapore for a short period of time to participate in a training program in a local company.

For example, investors opening a branch office in Singapore could participate in the training employment program, provided that they find candidates who meet the necessary requirements. Please mind that, unlike the personnel relocation visas, the training visa is not renewable and does not grant the right to long-term residency in Singapore, as it has a validity of up to 3 months. Our attorneys in Singapore can provide further information on other conditions of the training program.

We invite you to contact our law firm in Singapore for advice and legal assistance on the application procedure. The company and theemployeewill have to present specific documents, that will be included in the visa application file. Our team can also help you start an LLP in Singapore.