Singapore's Work Permit (Performing Artiste) scheme ended on 1 June 2026, closing a chapter that began in 2008. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced the cessation in December 2025, citing the widespread abuse of the scheme by syndicates. For public entertainment outlets — bars, hotels, nightclubs and licensed F&B venues — the closure creates immediate [...]
From 1 June 2026, Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) stopped accepting new applications under the Work Permit (performing artiste) scheme — the category that allowed public entertainment outlets such as bars, hotels, nightclubs, and entertainment centres to sponsor foreign performers. The closure follows MOM's discovery of systematic abuse: work pass syndicates were obtaining artiste work [...]
From 1 June 2026, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) stopped accepting all new applications under the Work Permit (Performing Artiste) scheme. For bars, hotels, nightclubs, lounges, and other public entertainment outlets that have relied on the scheme to hire foreign singers, musicians, dancers and entertainers, the question is urgent: what happens next, and what are [...]