Nothing is permanent in our lives and that includes our jobs. People will eventually leave the company they have worked in either for retirement or better opportunities. If you are a Singaporean business owner who hired foreigners to work for you, you should expect that some of them will eventually leave. That is why you should prepare for the departure of your foreign employees. One of the things that you should take care of is the cancellation of the Singapore employment pass.
The E pass Singapore visa is tied to a single employer which means that if the foreigner resigns from the said employer, the pass needs to be cancelled. As an entrepreneur who hires foreigners to work in Singapore, you need to be aware of how to cancel the pass. That is why in this article, we will cover important details that you should know when cancelling the E Pass.
Reasons for cancelling the Singapore employment pass
There are multiple reasons why an employee has to leave the company. However, when cancelling the E Pass, the Ministry of Manpower only needs two reasons. The first reason for E Pass cancelation is the end of the employment contract. They don’t need to know specifically why the employment was terminated. The second reason is the Singapore employment pass has expired and both the employee and the employer have no intention of renewing it.
However, if the E pass Singapore holder was given permanent residency status, you don’t need to cancel the pass. The Ministry of Manpower will cancel it themselves. The cancellation process can only be done by the employer or the appointed employment agency. Once the cancellation request is received, its effectiveness is immediate.
What to do before cancelling the E pass Singapore visa
Before you cancel the Singapore employment pass, there are things that you need to do. First of all, you need to notify the Ministry of Manpower of the E Pass holder’s repatriation. You should give reasonable notice of this. Next, you need to seek tax clearance from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore or IRAS. Then, you will have to settle all the issues you have with the foreign employee. This includes problems that the employee might raise. If there is still a salary balance, you need to pay it before cancelling the E Pass.
Furthermore, it is the employer’s responsibility to buy the airplane ticket of the E pass Singapore holder. The destination of the airplane should be the nearest airport to the hometown of the employee. The employer will only be free from this responsibility if the employee agrees to pay for his or her own air ticket in writing. Thus, before canceling the E Pass, make sure you do all these first.
When to cancel the Singapore employment pass
Let’s take Gina and Mark’s situations to expound on this point. Gina’s employment contract will end in a week. Both she and her employer agreed to not renew her contract. Thus, once Gina leaves the company after a week, her employer must request the cancellation of the Singapore employment pass. The employer needs to cancel the E Pass within a week after Gina’s employment contract has ended.
In Mark’s situation, his E pass Singapore visa will expire in a month. He didn’t want to renew his E Pass because he wants to return to his country and remain there for a long time. His employer has to wait a month and a day before he will be able to cancel the pass.
How to cancel the E Pass
In cancelling the Singapore employment pass, there are two scenarios that you need to take note of. If the E Pass holder is still in Singapore, you will have to log in to the EP Online and request for E Pass cancellation. You will be given a 30-day Short Term Visit Pass that you need to give to the E Pass holder. He or she needs to present this to the immigration officer before leaving Singapore. If more time is needed, you can also request an extension a week before the expiry of the 30-day Short Term Visit Pass.
If the E pass Singapore holder is no longer in the country, the cancellation process is simple. You only have to log in to the EP Online and cancel the E Pass. Once the employment pass is cancelled, you will need to cut the E Pass card in half and discard it properly.
Having to cancel a Singapore employment pass is not difficult. However, if you will be cancelling a lot of E Pass visas, it will take a lot of time. That is why you should acquire the services of a work visa agency in Singapore.