Applying for a foreign domestic worker work permit is very easy, with a lot of tips available online. Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower gives all the necessary details on its website where you can also submit an application and terminate your contract. Processing for the Employment work visa can be done by either the employer’s appointed agency or the employer himself/herself. If you will apply on your own, you will be saving a lot of time and money. It is different from processing an S Pass or Singapore Employment Pass visa.

Many married couples merge their incomes when planning to acquire a Work Permit. Moreover, there are two schemes senior citizens or low-income employers may be able to apply for. The qualifications may include the age of the applicant, the status of income, and the marital status. If you’re not sure whether you will be approved or not, here are some tips when applying for a foreign domestic worker in Singapore.

Take the online application

The online route is the fastest way to apply for this employment work visa, especially if you already have a Singapore Pass (SingPass). Applying online normally takes a week, while submitting manually usually takes around three weeks or more. When applying for a foreign domestic worker’s work permit, it will cost you S$70 ($35 on the collection and S$35 for application).

When applying online, you need to secure these necessary documents and information:

• Your passport information
• The employer’s income details
• The family member’s personal details

If you’re an employer applying for your worker, you need to get a written confirmation from the helper. It can be in a type of signed employment agreement. Log in to the MOM and fill out the online application form. You can pay for the application fee through a MasterCard, VISA, or eNets Debit. The timeline for the processing is around one week if there are no required additional details. You can log in back to the site to check the status of the application after a week. The timeline is almost the same as applying for S Pass or Singapore Employment Pass visa.

Apply manually

If you have no access to the internet and want to process it manually, here are some of the criteria before applying for one.

• Same as the online requirement, you need to get written permission from the helper.
• Download and fill out the form for the Work Permit application.
• Go to any SingPost branch and submit all the supporting documents as well as the application form over the counter.
• Pay the processing fee by CashCard, NETS, or cash, then you will receive a payment slip as proof of submission.
• You need to wait for around three weeks for the processing.

If the application is accepted, you will receive the declaration forms for you and for the helper, as well as an in-principle approval letter. You must print it out and provide a copy of the IPA to the FDW so she could enter the country. If the maid needs more time to arrive, you can request to extend the validity of the IPA.

Prepare for the FDW’s arrival

Aside from preparing for the employment work visa of your maid, you need to purchase a security bond and personal and medical accident insurance for your helper. Normally, you can buy all of these in one insurance plan. There are some plans that contain bonds required by the FDW’s embassy. For instance, the Philippine embassy needs a bond over and more than the one lodged with the Ministry of Manpower. If you plan to start working on the Employment work visa of the helper, you must check with the FDW’s embassy whether they meet the requirements so she can leave the Philippines.

Join orientation programs

If you’re an employer of a first-time FDW in Singapore, you need to enroll your helper for the Settling-in Program, which she needs to attend within three days after she arrives. All domestic helpers must go through a medical examination within two weeks after arriving in the country.

Applying for a Work Permit for FDWs is like processing for another employment work visa like S Pass or Singapore Employment Pass. If you won’t be able to complete all the necessary documents and responsibilities, you can reach out to employment agencies to ask for help with SHN arrangements and entry approval. So, the employment firm will do all the responsibilities mentioned above. Like a Singapore Employment Pass scheme, if the FDW has no Work Permit, she cannot enter and work in Singapore.

Get assistance from experts

Foreigners who want to be employed in Singapore have a lot of options when it comes to acquiring an employment work visa such as Work Permit, S Pass, or Singapore Employment Pass. A person wanting to work in the country as a foreign domestic worker must obtain a Work Permit with the help of the employer. If you’re an employer, you can ask for an assistant from Ren Ai Group. We are a group of professionals who help people process their work visas.