Personnel Relocation to Singapore - Intra-Company Transfers
Personnel Relocation to Singapore
Updated on Thursday 23rd February 2023 Rate this article
based on 1 reviews.
based on 1 reviews.
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 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 for 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 the 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 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.
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 vacancy on official job portals owned by the Singaporean government.
Concerning this, foreigners should know the following:
- companies have to post the job announcement for a period of 28 days on official portals;
- the duration of the advertising has been increased from 14 days since September 2020, 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.
We invite you to contact our law firm in Singapore for advice and legal assistance on the application procedure. The company and the employee will have to present specific documents, that will be included in the visa application file.
For instance, the company in Singapore must present its organizational chart, while the employee must show papers on his or her position in the organizational chart of the company.
