Letter of consent- 2021 Update

A letter of consent is an authorized certificate, which is issued by the Ministry of Manpower of Singapore. LOC allows eligible LTVP+ or LTVP holders and business owners to work for a company in Singapore.

Before May 2021, the dependent Pass Holders in Singapore could work in Singapore with the LOC. From May 2021, Dependent Pass holders who want to get an employer will have to apply for an applicable work pass such as A Pass, Employment Pass, or work permit in the place of a LOC. However, all those DP holders, who want to run a business in this nation after their company registration, will anyway have to apply for the LOC. On the contrary, DP holders can still apply for LOC who wish to operate a business in Singapore.

Key facts about LOC:

• A petition for the letter of consent must be pertained by the nominated service provider or by the employer. No applicant can apply for LOC on his own.
• LOC is can be available only to the eligible holders of the LTVP, LTVP+ handed out by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore, who have a job offer from an employer of Singapore, and also to the DP holders who own a business.
• LTVP holders need to apply for an A Pass, Employment Pass, or work permit to be employed in Singapore.
• The S-pass holder’s dependents are not eligible to pertain for a LOC. Instead, they are supposed to apply for the employment pass, work permit, or S-pass.
• The period of the LOC depends on the expiry date of the associated LTVP, LTVP+, or DP and the information that was demonstrated by the employer in the LOC application. The validity of the LOC runs parallel to the duration of employment of the holder in the company.
• There is no foreign worker quota or Levy for the application of LOC.
• For a LOC to be renewed the LTVP, LTVP+, or the Dependent pass is to be renewed.
• There is no specific salary requirement, to obtain a LOC.

Factors affecting LOC application outcome –

Though there are no particular qualifying criteria for the applicants, not every LOC application is approved. Every applicant is assessed on a case by case basis and the result part is completely dependent on the Ministry of Manpower.

Factors that affect application success are as follows:

• The job profile of the applicant
• The age, salary, qualification, citizenship, skills, and work experience. For example, if an applicant has a reputed university degree, good professional background, a high salary, and specialized skills, all these may enhance the chances of success.
• The economic viability and availability of local candidates in Singapore. If the applicant is working for a well-known company or in a place where local candidates are not easily available, all that enhances the chance of success.

Required documents

• The application of LOC should be positioned by the operating company or the appointed corporate assistance through the EP online outlet.
• Before the submission of the LOC application, employers must get consent in written form.
• Before the submission of a letter of the consent application, employers much get consent in written form from the candidate. The letter can be presented in any form as long as it shows the agreement of the candidates to be employed.

For some professions, additional documents may have to be submitted while applying for a letter of consent. These professionals are lawyers, regional representatives, employers in food establishments, and healthcare professionals. You can visit the MOM website, for getting more vast information on the required documents.

Note- if the submitted document is not in enough language, then it is compulsory to submit the raw document with its English translation. The translation should have been performed by the translation service provider.