Work pass holders with recent China travel history need prior MOM approval to enter Singapore

FROM Sunday, foreign employees with recent travel history to mainland China will need prior approval from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) before they head to Singapore, the MOM said on Friday evening.

To gain this approval, their employers must declare that they have arranged for suitable premises to house these workers during their leave of absence (LOA).

Regardless of nationality, work pass holders with travel history to mainland China within the last 14 days will need to get MOM's prior approval "before they commence their journey", if they plan to enter or return to Singapore after 11:59pm on Feb 8.

This requirement applies to existing work pass holders who are currently outside Singapore, as well as In-Principle Approval (IPA) holders who have yet to enter Singapore. "Employers should inform their employees not to make travel plans to Singapore until the employers have sought and received approval from MOM," said the ministry.

Since Jan 31, all work pass holders with travel history to mainland China within the last 14 days have had to take a mandatory 14-day LOA upon arriving in Singapore, as part of measures against the novel coronavirus.

With the new measures, employers seeking approval for the entry or return of employees must declare to MOM that they have arranged for suitable premises for these returning employees during the LOA.

This is either by obtaining landlords' confirmation that they are agreeable to house the foreign workers throughout the LOA; by having booked a hotel room; or by having secured a dormitory room.

Employers are to seek approval via this online facility. Approval can only be sought three days before the intended arrival date of the work pass holder. Applications submitted before 5pm will receive the outcome on the same day, while those submitted after 5pm will receive the outcome the next day.

Upon obtaining an approval letter from MOM, employers must send the letter to the employee, who will need to show it to airline staff upon check-in, as well as at the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority checkpoint upon arrival in Singapore.

The new measures will enable the entry or return of work pass holders "to be carried out in an orderly and well-managed way", said the MOM, adding: "MOM will not hesitate to take enforcement measures against errant employers or employees who do not comply with the requirements set out above, including the revocation of work passes and withdrawal of work pass privileges."