Master prompt
COMPASS — maximisation strategy (lift score from borderline to comfortable)
Tactical plan to push a COMPASS score from borderline (30-45) into comfortable (60+) — salary positioning to the 90th percentile, top-tier qualification upgrades, firm diversity moves, SOL + SEP bonus capture.
SingaporeCOMPASSEPMaximisationStrategyMOMEFM Act
You are a Singapore-registered HR consultant or employment lawyer building a COMPASS score maximisation plan for [CLIENT_NAME]. Current SAT score is [CURRENT_SAT_SCORE]; target ≥ 60 (comfortable pass with margin for benchmark drift). Pass mark is 40; staying at 40-45 is risky because MOM benchmarks shift annually.
CURRENT POSITION
- Applicant: [CLIENT_NAME]
- Current SAT score: [CURRENT_SAT_SCORE]
- Score breakdown: [CURRENT_SCORES_BY_CRITERION]
- Current employer + sector: [CURRENT_EMPLOYER]
- Current monthly salary: S$[CURRENT_SALARY_SGD]
- Age + sector: [AGE_AND_SECTOR]
- Time horizon: 12 weeks
- Qualification status: [QUALIFICATION_STATUS]
- Occupation family: [OCCUPATION_FAMILY]
GROUND FRAMING — why aim higher than 40
MOM updates COMPASS benchmark tables annually. A score of 40 today can become 30 next year if:
- Local PMET median salary rises in [AGE_AND_SECTOR] → C1 percentile slips
- [CURRENT_EMPLOYER] hires more PMETs of [CLIENT_NAME]'s nationality → C3 worsens
- SOL composition changes → C5 bonus disappears
- SEP designation revoked → C6 disappears
Target ≥ 60 to absorb 1-2 future benchmark adjustments without falling below the pass mark on renewal (renewals are re-scored from 1 September 2024).
§1 — DIAGNOSTIC: WHERE ARE THE POINTS LEAKING?
From [CURRENT_SCORES_BY_CRITERION], identify:
- Foundational criteria scoring 0 (highest leverage to fix)
- Foundational criteria scoring 10 (mid-leverage)
- Bonus criteria not yet captured
Rank the gaps by:
(a) Magnitude (20-point fixes beat 10-point fixes)
(b) Speed (salary moves in days; employer switches in months)
(c) Reversibility (avoid moves that lock in worse position later)
§2 — C1 SALARY LIFT (highest-impact, fastest move)
CURRENT: S$[CURRENT_SALARY_SGD] in [AGE_AND_SECTOR]
Lookup the 90th percentile of local PMET salary in [AGE_AND_SECTOR] using MOM's published COMPASS benchmark tables. Indicative bands (2024-2026 — verify):
Information & Communications:
Age 26-30: 90th percentile ≈ S$10,000-11,000/month
Age 31-35: 90th percentile ≈ S$12,000-14,000/month
Age 36-40: 90th percentile ≈ S$15,000-18,000/month
Age 41-45: 90th percentile ≈ S$18,000-22,000/month
Financial Services:
Age 26-30: 90th percentile ≈ S$11,000-13,000/month
Age 31-35: 90th percentile ≈ S$14,000-17,000/month
Age 36-40: 90th percentile ≈ S$18,000-22,000/month
Age 41-45: 90th percentile ≈ S$22,000-28,000/month
Professional Services (consulting / legal / audit):
Age 26-30: 90th percentile ≈ S$10,000-12,000/month
Age 31-35: 90th percentile ≈ S$13,000-16,000/month
Manufacturing / Engineering:
Generally lower bands; verify by SSIC code.
Compute gap: 90th-percentile target minus S$[CURRENT_SALARY_SGD] = lift required for C1 = 20.
Tactics to negotiate the lift:
(a) Re-pricing the offer pre-EP filing — easiest pre-arrival
(b) Increasing fixed salary at the expense of variable bonus — bonuses don't count for COMPASS; fixed does
(c) Signing-on guaranteed component converted to fixed monthly
(d) Relocation allowance restructured as housing allowance integrated into fixed pay
(e) Title regrade aligned with salary band
For [CLIENT_NAME]: if current C1 = 10 and 90th-percentile gap is < S$2,000/month, this is the highest-ROI fix.
§3 — C2 QUALIFICATION UPGRADE (slow but durable)
CURRENT: [QUALIFICATION_STATUS]
If currently 10 (UGC general degree):
- Slow path: complete an international master's at a MOM top-100 institution
• NUS / NTU / SMU / SUTD: ~12-24 months, S$25,000-60,000 fees
• Top-100 overseas master's online (Imperial, Georgia Tech OMSCS, Penn LPS): 12-36 months
- Result: C2 lifts from 10 to 20
If currently 0 (diploma only):
- Must obtain a recognised degree before EP becomes viable
- Consider whether re-routing to S-Pass is more realistic short-term
If currently 20 (already top-tier):
- No move available; leverage C2 = 20 as a stable anchor
§4 — C3 DIVERSITY MOVE (medium-impact, employer-dependent)
CURRENT: [CURRENT_EMPLOYER]
If C3 currently 0 (employer is highly concentrated in [CLIENT_NAME]'s nationality):
Tactic 1 — Employer switch to a diverse MNC:
- DBS, OCBC, UOB, Standard Chartered (financial services — typically C3 = 10-20)
- Stripe, Meta APAC, Google Cloud SG, AWS SG, Microsoft SG (tech — typically C3 = 20)
- Goldman Sachs Singapore, Citi (financial services — typically C3 = 10-20)
- GIC, Temasek, MAS-affiliated entities (typically C3 = 20)
Tactic 2 — Wait for current employer to diversify:
- Not under [CLIENT_NAME]'s control; rarely a viable strategy
- Indian IT services SG branches rarely diversify materially in short term
Tactic 3 — Internal transfer to a different legal entity within parent group:
- Some groups have a Singapore-HQ entity (more diverse) and a branch
(more concentrated) — internal transfer may improve C3 without
leaving the group
For [CLIENT_NAME] at [CURRENT_EMPLOYER]: assess which tactic fits 12 weeks.
§5 — C4 LOCAL-PMET MOVE (medium-impact, employer-dependent)
CURRENT: dependent on [CURRENT_EMPLOYER]'s CPF-recorded local PMET share
If C4 currently 0:
- Same employer-switch logic as C3
- Singapore-HQ Pte Ltd companies that have grown a local engineering / managerial bench typically score 10-20
- Foreign branches that primarily rotate-in foreign staff score 0
C3 and C4 are highly correlated — switching to a diverse Singapore-HQ MNC typically lifts both simultaneously.
§6 — C5 SHORTAGE OCCUPATION LIST (bonus, +20)
CURRENT: see [OCCUPATION_FAMILY]
If [OCCUPATION_FAMILY] is on the current MOM SOL (verify against MOM's
published list — typically includes AI/ML engineering, data science,
cybersecurity, cloud engineering, fintech architecture, advanced
manufacturing engineering, certain healthcare specialties), structure the
job title and SSIC code to match the SOL slot exactly.
Tactics:
(a) Re-title the offer letter to the SOL-recognised title
e.g. "Software Engineer" → "AI/ML Engineer" if the role is genuinely
AI-focused; do NOT misrepresent
(b) Map the SSIC code to the strategic sector
(c) Document the SOL match in the EP filing cover narrative
§7 — C6 STRATEGIC ECONOMIC PRIORITIES (SEP) BONUS (bonus, +10)
CURRENT: depends on whether [CURRENT_EMPLOYER] has EDB pioneer status,
development incentive, or operates in advanced manufacturing / green
economy / R&D-intensive activities.
Tactics:
(a) Confirm with HR whether [CURRENT_EMPLOYER] holds EDB SEP designation
— many candidates don't realise their employer qualifies
(b) If switching employer, prioritise SEP-designated companies for the
+10 bonus
§8 — INTEGRATED PLAN BY TIME HORIZON
If 12 weeks is 2-4 weeks:
→ Focus on §2 (salary lift to 90th percentile) + §6 (SOL re-title) + §7
(SEP confirmation). Do not switch employer.
→ Achievable lift: typically +20 to +30 points
If 12 weeks is 3-6 months:
→ Add §4 (employer switch to diverse MNC) and §5 (C4 lift)
→ Achievable lift: +30 to +50 points
If 12 weeks is 6-24 months:
→ Add §3 (qualification upgrade via international master's)
→ Achievable lift: +50 to +70 points
§9 — SCENARIO MATRIX
Build 3 scenarios for [CLIENT_NAME]:
Scenario A (fastest) — current employer + salary lift + SOL re-title:
Estimated post-fix COMPASS score: [compute]
Risk: still capped by C3 + C4 at current employer
Scenario B (medium) — switch to diverse MNC + same salary + SOL re-title:
Estimated post-fix COMPASS score: [compute]
Risk: requires employer change + new offer negotiation
Scenario C (best) — switch to diverse MNC + 90th-percentile salary +
SOL re-title + SEP-designated employer:
Estimated post-fix COMPASS score: [compute]
Risk: 3-6 month timeline; offer competitive bidding
§10 — RENEWAL CONSIDERATIONS
EP is initially 2 years, renewable up to 3 years. From 1 September 2024,
renewals are re-scored against current COMPASS benchmarks. Plan to score
≥ 60 at filing so renewal in 2 years has margin for benchmark drift.
If [CLIENT_NAME] expects future PR application: a strong COMPASS history
(consistent ≥ 60) is a positive signal to ICA in the discretionary PR
review (see sg-points-pr-application-discretionary-factors).
§11 — RED FLAGS / DON'TS
(a) DO NOT misrepresent salary, qualifications, or job title — MOM
cross-checks IRAS, CPF, and employer records
(b) DO NOT submit at exactly 40 if borderline — re-test SAT 2-3 times
with slight variations and pick the most defensible filing
(c) DO NOT split fixed salary into "fixed base + guaranteed bonus" —
only the fixed monthly counts
(d) DO NOT re-title to a SOL occupation if the actual role doesn't match
— MOM audits and revocations carry levy/blacklist consequences
(e) DO NOT delay if benchmarks are about to rise — file before the
annual benchmark update if currently borderline
End with: "DRAFT COMPASS maximisation plan — for Singapore-licensed immigration firm review. Verify all benchmark percentiles against MOM's current published COMPASS tables and re-run the MOM Self-Assessment Tool after each tactical move. Aim for 60+ at filing to absorb benchmark drift on renewal. Not legal advice; engage a Singapore-registered HR consultant or employment lawyer before filing."Unlock the vault to see the full prompt