Foreign students from select countries can come and work in Singapore for up to six or twelve months with a Work Holiday Pass.
Singapore offers two types of Work Holiday Passes:
1. The Work Holiday Pass under the Work Holiday Programme, offered to students from countries the following countries:
• Australia
• France
• Germany
• Hong Kong
• Japan
• New Zealand
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• United States
2. The Work Holiday Pass under the Work and Holiday Visa Programme, available only to students from Australia.
The Singapore Work Holiday Pass under the Work Holiday Programme
Who is eligible?
You are eligible to apply for a Work Holiday Pass under the Work Holiday Programme if you meet the following criteria:
• You are between the ages of 18 to 25.
• You are from Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, or the United States.
• You are either a graduate or a current student of a university that is recognized by your country’s government.
• If you are a current student: You have been a resident and full-time student at the university for at least three months before applying.
• If you are a graduate: You were a resident and full-time student for the duration of your studies. What are the conditions? With this type of Singapore Work Holiday Pass, you can live and work in Singapore for a maximum of six months.
A total of 2,000 applications are accepted. If the capacity is capped, your application will likely be rejected, unless there are vacancies.
The Singapore Work Holiday Pass under the Work and Holiday Visa Programme
Who is eligible?
You are eligible for the Singapore Work Holiday Pass under the Work and Holiday Visa Programme if you meet the following criteria:
• You are an Australian citizen
• You are between the ages of 18 and 30.
• You are a university graduate; or
• You have finished at least two years of full-time undergraduate university studies.
What are the conditions?
• You can live and work in Singapore for a maximum of twelve months.
• The MOM will only accept a maximum of 500 applications at any time. If the capacity is capped, your application will likely be rejected, unless there are vacancies.
• The maximum amount of time you can spend training or studying is four months. This includes internships, courses (part-time or full-time), and job training.
• You cannot take up freelance work.
• You are allowed to:
• Work in a company that is registered with the Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA).
• Work in an organization that is registered with the Registry of Societies (ROS).
• Work in a profession such as law, medicine, architecture, etc., as long as you have the registration requirements for practicing it.
• You cannot work for the same employer for longer than six months. You must either:
• Change employers.
• Not work at all but spend the remaining time on a holiday.
How to Apply for a Work Holiday Pass in Singapore?
The process of applying for a Work Holiday Pass in Singapore (under either program) is as follows:
1. Application for the Work Holiday Pass
The application for a Work Holiday Pass in Singapore is completed online through the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) website. You need to:
- Select the program you are applying under: Work Holiday Programme or Work and Holiday Visa Programme.
- Provide personal details, educational information, and contact information.
- Upload electronic copies of the required documents (listed below).
- Await processing of your application.
- For applications under the Work Holiday Programme, the processing time is three weeks.
- For applications under the Work and Holiday Visa Programme, the processing time is four weeks. Once your application is approved, you will receive an In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter via email from the MOM. This letter serves as an entry visa. Within three months of receiving the IPA letter, you must travel to Singapore and request the issuance of the Work Holiday Pass.
2. Submission of required documents
When submitting your Work Holiday Pass application (under either program), you must provide several supporting documents.
All documents must be in English. If they are not, an official translator must translate them, and you must provide both the original version and the translation.
The documents you attach online must be in PDF or JPEG format.
Required documents when applying for the Work Holiday Pass:
• Copy of the personal details page of your passport.
• If you have graduated: Copy of your diploma/certificate and official school transcripts.
• If you are currently studying:
- Recent letter (no older than three months) confirming your enrollment in the university, stating your name, birthday, and nationality.
- Photocopy of your student card.
- If you are an international student, a copy of your study visa.
Please feel free to contact us if you wish to find out more details.
If you have any company-related queries, you may email us at [email protected]. When in doubt, seek legal advice or consult an experienced licensed Employment Agency with the Ministry of Manpower.
Yours Sincerely,
The editorial team at Singapore Employment Agency
For more useful articles and videos, visit the Singapore Employment Agency resource page.
If you would like to submit a question or would like us to do an article on certain topics, please email us at [email protected].
Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd is a licensed Employment Agency with the Ministry of Manpower with license number 19C9790.