Authorities in Singapore have unfolded their plans to introduce new work visa rules in order to attract a large number of internationals.
Such a decision has been introduced amid the country’s attempts to recover from the profound damages caused by the spread of the Coronavirus and its new variants, VisaGuide.World reports.
According to a report provided by Reuters, the measures have a new five-year visa for all persons earning S$30,000 ($21,445.42) or more a month that allows the holder to seek a job for several companies at one time and also grants their spouses eligibility to work.
Singapore attracts a large number of international business persons as well as tourists and has continuously kept in place strict entry rules in order to prevent a surge in the number of Coronavirus cases.
“We cannot leave any room for investors to doubt or have questions as to whether Singapore remains open. As a country with little or no resources, talent is our only resource and talent acquisition is an offensive strategy for us,” the city-state’s manpower minister, Tan See Leng, pointed out in this regard.
Among other measures, several tech professionals whose skills are in short supply will, from September 2023, be eligible for five-year visas, up from two-to-three years currently.
The new rules also reduced the processing time for employment passes, typically granted to high-paid professionals, to 10 days.
“Both businesses and talent are searching for safe and stable places to invest, live and work in. Singapore is such a place. It is therefore timely to leverage on this opportunity to cement Singapore’s position as a global hub for talent,” Tan See Leng pointed out in this regard.
Following the new visa rules, authorities in Singapore plan to exempt jobs from the need to be advertised locally before hiring internationals under a system known as the Fair Consideration Framework.
Such a decision is expected to take effect from September 1 next year and is a shift from the old rule, which made only the top 10 per cent of Employment pass holders eligible.
However, the new rules introduced by authorities in Singapore have raised concerns that will further damage the African tech company. Such concerns have been raised after a large number of Africa’s top tech talent hope to travel to other countries in order to live or work remotely for international companies that offer better pay, such as Nigeria, which is likely to feel the impact of the new Singapore visa rules that will take effect starting from next year.