Singapore tightens PMET work visa rules, raises salary benchmarks to 2026

2 October 2026 · Source balance: Centre-Right

Singapore is implementing significant changes to its foreign professional worker policy through 2026. The government has raised the minimum salary for Employment Pass holders—visas for managers, professionals, executives and technicians—from five thousand to five thousand six hundred dollars monthly, with higher benchmarks for older workers reaching up to ten thousand seven hundred dollars by mid-career. New applicants must also pass a points-based assessment called COMPASS that evaluates whether they complement local workers. Simultaneously, Singapore relaxed restrictions on lower-skilled workers by removing employment duration caps and raising age limits to sixty-three. The Local Qualifying Salary for calculating work permit quotas also increased, requiring companies to pay local workers more to justify hiring foreigners. Officials say these changes strengthen Singapore's economic competitiveness and support wage growth for local professionals. Critics worry the salary thresholds may still allow foreign worker substitution despite tighter rules.