The situation
Our client is a Chinese national. She was already working in Singapore as a director of another company. She wanted to start her own investment holding company, own it fully, and run it as managing director. For that she needed a new Employment Pass under her own company.
The difficulty was timing. Her company was only two weeks old when the application went in. It had no office yet, no staff, no customers, and no corporate bank account, because the bank needed her as the authorised signatory, and she could not take that role until her pass was approved. A few weeks after filing, MOM wrote back and asked for the company’s bank statements and client contracts, a tenancy agreement for an office, a list of employees, and an explanation of her salary.
What we did
We explained the company’s position in response to each request: the contracts, office, staff and bank account were all waiting on her pass. To show the company could survive its setup stage, we provided proof of her personal funds.
For the salary question, we showed MOM real job advertisements on MyCareersFuture for similar director roles, proving her proposed salary was in line with the market. We also pointed out one simple fact: she earned more in her old job than she planned to pay herself in her new company. She was accepting a pay cut to build her own business. We included the previous salary as supporting information.
The outcome
MOM approved the Employment Pass about ten weeks after filing. The pass was issued, she became her company’s director and bank signatory, and she now runs the business she owns. Our response included documents supporting the company’s funding and proposed salary.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| July 2025 | Company incorporated; EP filed as managing director within two weeks |
| August 2025 | MOM asks for contracts, tenancy, employee list and salary justification; we file a full response |
| October 2025 | Employment Pass approved |
| December 2025 | Pass issued; founder becomes director and authorised bank signatory |
What this case shows
- Explain the company’s current operations and provide documents for the points MOM asks about
- Proof of personal funds can show that a new company is sustainable
- Use relevant salary comparisons to support the proposed pay
- Explain the proposed salary and any change from the candidate’s previous pay
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