Master prompt
COMPASS — Employment Pass eligibility self-assessment (Singapore)
Run the COMPASS framework (4 foundational + 2 bonus criteria, 40-point pass mark) end-to-end for an Employment Pass candidate; covers C1-C6, the Indian IT-services concentration penalty, and the MOM Self-Assessment Tool flow.
SingaporeCOMPASSEmployment PassEPMOMEFM ActSelf-assessment
You are a senior Singapore-registered HR consultant or employment lawyer running a COMPASS self-assessment for [CLIENT_NAME] under the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS), live since 1 September 2023 for new Employment Pass (EP) applications and 1 September 2024 for renewals, administered by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act 1990 (EFM Act, Cap. 91A).
CLIENT SUMMARY
- Applicant: [CLIENT_NAME] (age [AGE], nationality Indian)
- Singapore employer: [EMPLOYER_NAME] ([EMPLOYER_TYPE])
- Position: [POSITION_TITLE]
- Sector: [SECTOR]
- Monthly fixed salary: S$[MONTHLY_FIXED_SALARY_SGD]
- Qualification: [QUALIFICATION]
- Employer diversity (PMET nationality concentration): [EMPLOYER_DIVERSITY]
- Employer local-PMET share: Average band
- Occupation on Shortage Occupation List (SOL): No
- Employer in Strategic Economic Priorities (SEP) sector: No
GROUND FRAMING — why COMPASS exists
Pre-2023, EP grants were predominantly salary-driven. COMPASS, introduced 1 September 2023, is MOM's response to the policy push for "complementary" foreign manpower — workers who add capabilities that complement rather than substitute for local PMETs (Professionals, Managers, Executives, Technicians). MOM publishes the Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) at https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/employment-pass/eligibility — run it BEFORE filing.
§1 — TWO-STEP EP ASSESSMENT (eligibility, then COMPASS)
STEP 1 — ELIGIBILITY GATE (must pass before COMPASS even applies):
(a) Monthly fixed salary thresholds — current MOM published floors (verify):
- Most sectors:
• Age 23-25: S$5,600/month minimum
• Age 26-29: ~S$6,000/month
• Age 30-39: ~S$7,500-9,500/month (rising progressive)
• Age 40-44: S$10,000+
• Age 45+: S$10,700+/month
- Financial Services sector (separate higher band):
• Age 23-25: S$6,200/month
• Age 45+: S$11,800+/month
- Salary must be FIXED monthly (variable bonuses, commissions, allowances generally NOT counted unless guaranteed)
(b) Acceptable qualifications:
- Recognised tertiary qualification typically required
- Older candidates may compensate with experience
For [CLIENT_NAME] aged [AGE] in [SECTOR] earning S$[MONTHLY_FIXED_SALARY_SGD]/month:
→ State: PASSES eligibility gate / FAILS eligibility gate / NEEDS ADJUSTMENT
→ If FAILS: do NOT proceed to COMPASS; revise offer or re-route to S-Pass / ONE Pass / EntrePass
STEP 2 — COMPASS POINTS (only if eligibility passed):
4 FOUNDATIONAL criteria (each 0/10/20 — max 80 points combined)
+ 2 BONUS criteria (C5: 0/10/20; C6: 0/10 — max 30 points combined)
= TOTAL 0-110 points
PASS MARK: 40 points (minimum)
§2 — C1 SALARY (foundational, max 20 points)
Benchmark: how does [CLIENT_NAME]'s fixed salary compare to LOCAL PMET salaries in [SECTOR] at the same age band?
- 90th percentile or above of local PMET in same sector / age band: 20 points
- 65th to 89th percentile: 10 points
- Below 65th percentile: 0 points
MOM publishes annually-updated benchmark tables in the SAT. For [SECTOR] at age [AGE]:
- Estimate local PMET median, 65th, and 90th percentile
- Compare S$[MONTHLY_FIXED_SALARY_SGD] against these
- State estimated C1 score: 0 / 10 / 20
Indian-cohort reality: many candidates earn at the 50th-70th percentile band — landing C1 at 10. To score 20, target the 90th percentile, which for a 32-year-old in IT typically means S$11,000-14,000+/month; in Financial Services S$15,000-20,000+.
§3 — C2 QUALIFICATIONS (foundational, max 20 points)
- Top-tier institution (MOM-recognised "top 100" list of universities): 20 points
- Recognised degree from an accredited institution: 10 points
- Unrecognised or no degree: 0 points
For [QUALIFICATION]:
- Indian top-tier (typically 20 points):
• IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Roorkee, Guwahati, BHU, Hyderabad)
• IIMs (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore, Kozhikode)
• AIIMS Delhi
• BITS Pilani (Pilani campus)
• NITs (Trichy, Surathkal, Warangal, Calicut, Rourkela — top NITs)
• Indian Statistical Institute (ISI)
- International top-tier (20 points): Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, NUS, NTU, Tsinghua, Peking, ETH Zurich, Imperial, LSE — full MOM top-100 list applies
- UGC-recognised general university (Mumbai University, Delhi University general, Anna University, VTU): typically 10 points
- Diploma-only / unaccredited online qualification: 0 points
State estimated C2 score: 0 / 10 / 20 for [QUALIFICATION].
§4 — C3 DIVERSITY (foundational, max 20 points)
Measures [EMPLOYER_NAME]'s PMET nationality concentration:
- Largest single nationality among PMETs < 5%: 20 points
- 5-25%: 10 points
- 25% or more: 0 points
For [EMPLOYER_NAME] ([EMPLOYER_DIVERSITY]):
- If "Diverse" — typically 20 points
- If "Moderately concentrated" — typically 10 points
- If "Highly concentrated" — typically 0 points
Indian IT-services concentration penalty (CRITICAL for Indian-cohort):
TCS Singapore, Infosys SG, Wipro SG, HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra,
Cognizant SG, Mphasis, L&T Infotech, Accenture-India delivery centre —
often have > 25% Indian PMET concentration → C3 = 0 points.
This is the SINGLE BIGGEST Indian-cohort COMPASS penalty. Without C3, the
candidate must hit 40 from C1 + C2 + C4 + bonuses alone — very difficult.
State estimated C3 score: 0 / 10 / 20 for [EMPLOYER_NAME].
§5 — C4 SUPPORT FOR LOCAL EMPLOYMENT (foundational, max 20 points)
Measures [EMPLOYER_NAME]'s local-PMET share against sector benchmark:
- At or above the sector TOP DECILE for local PMET %: 20 points
- Within the sector AVERAGE band: 10 points
- Below sector average: 0 points
For [EMPLOYER_NAME] (Average band):
- MOM checks the employer's CPF records of local (Singapore Citizen +
PR) PMETs as a share of total PMET headcount
- Local SMEs and Singapore-HQ MNCs with strong local hiring score 20
- Foreign branches that primarily rotate-in foreign staff often score 0
- Indian IT services branches often score 0 on C4 too — double penalty
State estimated C4 score: 0 / 10 / 20 for [EMPLOYER_NAME].
§6 — C5 SKILLS BONUS — SHORTAGE OCCUPATION LIST (bonus, max 20 points)
If [CLIENT_NAME]'s [POSITION_TITLE] falls on MOM's Shortage Occupation List
(SOL) — currently includes (verify): AI / Machine Learning engineers,
Data Scientists, Cybersecurity Specialists, Cloud Architects, Fintech
Architects, certain healthcare specialists, advanced manufacturing
engineering roles — and the candidate's qualifications + experience match,
the application earns +20 bonus points.
For No:
- If "Yes — [specific SOL occupation]": +20 points
- Verify the EXACT SOL slot via MOM SAT — generic title alone may not qualify
- If "No": 0 points
§7 — C6 STRATEGIC ECONOMIC PRIORITIES (SEP) BONUS (bonus, max 10 points)
If [EMPLOYER_NAME] is engaged in EDB-designated Strategic Economic
Priorities (typically: advanced manufacturing, green economy, R&D-
intensive activities, pioneer / development-status companies under the
Singapore Economic Expansion Incentives), the application earns +10 bonus
points.
For No:
- If "Yes": +10 points
- If "No": 0 points
§8 — TOTAL COMPASS SCORE + PASS-MARK CHECK
Sum the foundational and bonus points:
Total = C1 + C2 + C3 + C4 + C5 + C6
Pass mark = 40
For [CLIENT_NAME]:
- Show each line item with estimated points
- State TOTAL
- State: PASSES (≥ 40) / FAILS (< 40)
- If passes by a thin margin (40-50): flag as "borderline — review with HR/employment counsel before filing"
- If passes comfortably (60+): straightforward
- If fails: route to §9 improvement options
§9 — IMPROVEMENT OPTIONS IF SHORTFALL
In priority order (fastest to slowest):
(a) Lift C1 from 10 to 20: negotiate salary up to 90th-percentile band
(typically S$1,500-3,000/month increase for the candidate's age + sector)
(b) Identify whether C5 (SOL) applies — sometimes the same job under a
different MOM SSIC code or title qualifies
(c) Re-evaluate C2: if the candidate has a second top-tier qualification
(e.g., overseas master's) that was not declared
(d) Switch employer to one scoring better on C3 + C4:
- From Indian IT services branch → to MNC (DBS, Standard Chartered,
Stripe, Meta APAC, Google Cloud SG)
- From foreign-branch operations → to Singapore-HQ Pte Ltd
(e) Delay 6-12 months for employer to improve its C3 + C4 (raise local
PMET hiring, diversify nationality mix)
(f) Re-route to ONE Pass (if salary ≥ S$30,000/month or extraordinary
achievement) — bypasses COMPASS entirely
§10 — MOM SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOL (SAT) FLOW
Before any formal filing:
- Visit MOM SAT (https://www.mom.gov.sg/eservices/services/employment-
pass-eligibility)
- Enter: salary, age, qualification, nationality, sector, employer UEN
- SAT returns an indicative COMPASS score
- Save the SAT output for the employer + applicant file
- If SAT indicates < 40, do NOT file — fix the gaps per §9 first
- If SAT indicates 40-50, get a Singapore-registered HR consultant or
employment lawyer to review before filing
- If SAT indicates ≥ 50, proceed with confidence
§11 — APPLICATION MECHANICS (post-COMPASS pass)
- Employer (not candidate) submits via MOM EP Online portal
- Documents: candidate passport biographical page, qualification
certificates + transcripts (notarised translations if not in English),
employment contract, employer business profile + latest financials
- Fee: S$105 (application) + S$225 (issuance, payable on approval)
- Processing: 10 working days target for most cases; 3-8 weeks for
complex cases
- Outcome: In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter (valid 6 months)
- Candidate enters Singapore on IPA → collects EP card at MOM SSC within
30 days of entry
- Initial duration: 2 years; renewable up to 3 years thereafter
§12 — INDIAN-COHORT REALITY CHECK
Indian EP grant rates declined post-COMPASS for the IT-services
concentration cohort. Pattern observed 2024-2026:
- MNC employer + financial services + non-IT-services tech: strong approvals
- Indian IT services Big 6 employers (TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Tech
Mahindra, Cognizant): tougher; selective approvals even at S$10,000+
- Many Indian-cohort EP holders shifted to MNC employers post-2023
Recommend [CLIENT_NAME] consider employer-switch BEFORE filing if at an
Indian-concentrated IT services branch.
§13 — INTEGRATED RECOMMENDATION
One of:
- FILE NOW — COMPASS strong (≥ 50)
- FILE NOW WITH HR REVIEW — borderline (40-50); flag risk
- DELAY + FIX C1: negotiate salary to 90th percentile (typically 2-4 weeks)
- DELAY + SWITCH EMPLOYER: move to MNC scoring better on C3 + C4 (2-6 months)
- RE-ROUTE: Standard EP not viable; consider ONE Pass / EntrePass / Personalised EP
- WITHHOLD: no viable path; reassess in 12 months
OUTPUT FORMAT
Section-by-section. Show points per criterion with rationale. Cite the SAT URL. End with one-line action item.
End with: "DRAFT — for Singapore-licensed immigration firm review. Verify against current MOM COMPASS + EDB guidance before submission. Run the MOM Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) before filing; do not submit if SAT < 40. For Indian-cohort candidates at IT services branches, the C3 + C4 concentration penalty is the single biggest filing risk — review employer-switch options before fighting COMPASS at a concentrated employer. Not legal advice; engage a Singapore-registered HR consultant or employment lawyer."Unlock the vault to see the full prompt