Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced at the 2026 Committee of Supply Debate on 3 March 2026 that a new ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track will be available from January 2027. The new route replaces the existing Tech.Pass administered by the Economic Development Board (EDB) and is designed to attract founders, senior technical leaders and specialist contributors in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other critical emerging technologies. For anyone currently holding or planning to apply for a Tech.Pass — or for employers building an AI-driven team in Singapore — this change reshapes the top end of Singapore’s talent visa landscape.
Why Singapore Is Sunsetting Tech.Pass for the ONE Pass AI Tech Track
The Tech.Pass — administered by the Economic Development Board (EDB) — has been a credible tool for attracting technology founders and senior technical talent since its 2021 launch. However, its two-year validity cycle, its narrow technology-company and technology-role focus, and the separate administration pathway under EDB (rather than MOM) created structural friction — particularly for AI researchers who may split their time across academic, commercial and venture roles.
The ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track addresses this by consolidating the flexibility of the broader ONE Pass — which allows holders to work across multiple employers, sit on advisory boards and start their own companies — with a revised eligibility framework calibrated to the profile of AI and deep-tech talent. The five-year initial validity (renewable for further five-year periods) also removes the disruption of a mid-cycle renewal that Tech.Pass holders have historically experienced.
ONE Pass AI Tech Track: Full Eligibility Criteria
Salary Criterion: Cash Plus Equity Can Count
The headline salary threshold under the ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track is SGD 30,000 per month — the same as the general ONE Pass — but the AI and Tech track introduces a meaningful innovation: applicants may meet the threshold by combining a fixed monthly salary of at least SGD 22,500 with vested non-cash components, such as employee stock option plans (ESOP) or employee share ownership plans (ESOW), subject to MOM’s assessment of the non-cash component.
This is a deliberate recognition that elite AI researchers and technical founders in early-stage or pre-IPO companies frequently receive below-market cash salaries in exchange for significant equity. A machine learning scientist at a Series B AI start-up earning SGD 18,000 in cash plus SGD 15,000 in vested RSUs per month would not qualify for the existing ONE Pass on cash alone, but might qualify for the AI and Tech track if MOM accepts the equity valuation. The precise mechanics of how MOM will value and verify non-cash components have not yet been published as at the date of this article; MOM is expected to issue detailed guidance ahead of the January 2027 launch.
Experience Criterion: Founders and Technical Specialists
Salary alone is not sufficient. Applicants must also demonstrate at least five cumulative years of experience within the past ten years in one of the following roles:
- Founder or C-suite executive (CEO, CTO, CPO and equivalents) of a qualifying organisation in the technology sector;
- Technical specialist role — for example, senior software engineer, lead machine learning researcher, principal AI scientist — at a technology company, an in-house technology team, or a technology-focused venture capital firm.
The “qualifying organisation” requirement is likely to mirror the existing ONE Pass definition, which broadly captures technology companies, technology subsidiaries of financial institutions and similar. MOM is expected to publish a clearer sectoral scope before January 2027.
Five-Year Validity and the Flexibility Advantage
Like the general ONE Pass, the AI and Tech track will carry an initial five-year validity, renewable for further five-year periods. During that period, holders may work across multiple employers simultaneously, start or own companies in Singapore, sit on advisory boards, make investments, and take on speaking and consulting engagements — all without needing to apply for separate work authorisation for each activity.
This flexibility matters enormously to the AI talent profile MOM is targeting. An AI researcher who is also a co-founder of a spin-out, an investor in a start-up studio and an adjunct professor has typically found Singapore’s pass framework constraining. The ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track resolves that.
ONE Pass AI Tech Track vs Current ONE Pass vs Tech.Pass: A Comparison
| Feature | ONE Pass (General) | ONE Pass (AI & Tech, from Jan 2027) | Tech.Pass (until Dec 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administered by | MOM | MOM | EDB |
| Salary threshold | SGD 30,000/month (cash) | SGD 30,000/month (cash or cash + equity, min SGD 22,500 cash) | Five-criteria assessment (not purely salary-based) |
| Validity | 5 years (renewable) | 5 years (renewable) | 2 years (renewable once for 2 years) |
| Multiple employers | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Start own company | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sector focus | Any sector (top-earning individuals) | Technology / AI / deep tech | Technology companies and roles only |
| Application status | Open | Opens January 2027 | Closes December 2026 |
What Current Tech.Pass Holders Should Do Now
MOM has indicated a transition period but the precise mechanics — whether current Tech.Pass holders will need to formally apply for the AI and Tech track, or whether there will be a conversion pathway — had not been published as at 11 May 2026. What is clear is that Tech.Pass applications will cease to be accepted from January 2027, and existing two-year Tech.Pass grants will run to their expiry date. Holders whose Tech.Passes expire in 2027 or beyond should monitor MOM’s release of transition guidance closely.
In the meantime, current Tech.Pass holders retain all their rights under the pass, including the ability to work across roles, start companies and make investments. There is no urgency to act before MOM publishes the full framework.
Strategic Implications for Companies Hiring AI Talent in Singapore
For employers building AI teams, the ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track changes the calculus in several ways.
Start-ups can now compete for top AI talent more effectively. A pre-IPO AI company paying a lead researcher SGD 22,500 in cash plus significant equity was previously unable to sponsor that researcher on the ONE Pass. From January 2027, that combination may qualify. This reduces the competitive disadvantage that Singapore-based early-stage companies have faced against large MNCs when recruiting globally.
EP plus COMPASS remains the standard route for most hires. The ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track is positioned at the very pinnacle of the market — founders, C-suite executives and senior specialists earning at or above the threshold. For the bulk of technical hiring — software engineers, data scientists and product managers earning between SGD 5,600 and SGD 25,000 per month — the Employment Pass with COMPASS scoring remains the primary instrument. Our guide on the COMPASS framework explains how to optimise for it.
Employer-of-record arrangements are not required for ONE Pass holders. Because the ONE Pass — including the AI and Tech track — does not require employer sponsorship, companies that wish to engage an AI researcher on a consulting basis without formal employment are no longer forced into a work-permit dead end. This opens up flexible engagement models that are common in AI research ecosystems globally.
How to Prepare Before January 2027
MOM’s full eligibility criteria, application process and guidance on non-cash component verification are expected to be published in the second half of 2026. Companies and individuals who may be eligible should:
- Document equity vesting history and valuations now, so that records are available when applications open.
- Identify potential applicants in the current workforce whose cash salary falls between SGD 22,500 and SGD 29,999 but whose total compensation — including vested ESOP or ESOW — reaches or exceeds SGD 30,000.
- Review the Dependant’s Pass eligibility of accompanying family members: ONE Pass holders can typically sponsor dependants more readily than EP holders. See our guide on Dependant’s Pass and LTVP for the current framework.
- Monitor the MOM passes and permits page for the formal announcement and application portal.
ONE Pass AI Tech Track: Your Next Steps
The transition from Tech.Pass to the ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track is a net positive for Singapore’s attractiveness to global AI talent. Five-year validity, equity flexibility and the ONE Pass’s multi-employer freedom address the main structural criticisms of the Tech.Pass regime. The details will matter — specifically, how MOM values and caps the non-cash component — but the direction of travel is clear.
Singapore Employment Agency, the licensed agency of Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd (MOM Licence 19C9790), advises companies and individuals on Singapore work pass strategy, including the ONE Pass, Employment Pass and specialist pass routes. Contact us for a consultation ahead of the January 2027 launch. Where your situation involves company incorporation or corporate structuring in Singapore, our related entity Raffles Corporate Services can assist.
— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency