The government of Singapore has a very progressive policy when it comes to attracting foreign talent into the country, especially as far as skilled workers, professionals, middle-level skilled workers and entrepreneurs are concerned. They must do so to supplement internal talent if they are to maintain the country's leadership position in areas such as manufacturing, high tech, transportation, medicine and finance. To support this policy, the government offers a Professional Visit Pass, Employment Pass, S Pass and Work Permit.

The Professional Visit Pass is issued to foreigners entering the country on short-term professional assignments up to three months. The fee for a Professional Visit Pass is S$50 per issue for a period less than 3 months and S$100 per issue for a 3-month period. An additional fee of S$20 is applicable if a Visa is required. Processing time is approximately two weeks.

An Employment Pass (EP) is issued to those individuals seeking to live and work in Singapore on a longer-term basis (renewable in up to three year periods). To obtain an Employment Pass, an individual must have a local sponsor, generally the employer, who is responsible for applying for the pass. To be eligible, an individual must earn a basic salary of more than S$2,500 per month and possess acceptable degrees, professional qualifications or specialist skills. There are basically two types of Employment Passes: P and Q. P passes are for foreigners seeking professional, administrative, executive or managerial jobs. A P1 Pass will be issued if the applicant's basic monthly salary is more than S$7,000. A P2 Pass will be issued if the applicant's basic monthly salary is more than S$3,500 and up to S$7,000. A Q1 pass is issued to foreigners whose basic monthly salary is more than S$2,500. Employment Passes cost S$30 per year and take approximately two weeks to process.