      Introduction         Introduction   The Singapore government released details of its Visa Scheme 2023. The scheme will introduce assessment criteria called COM

   The Singapore government released details of its 

. The scheme will introduce assessment criteria called COMPASS (Complementarity Assessment Framework) to see if individuals are eligible for an Employment pass (EP). The Employment pass is a Singapore work visa issued by Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to foreign professionals, managers and others who desire to work legally in Singapore. To secure the EP, 

 In recent years, several countries – including US, UK, Canada and Australia -- have introduced changes to their work visas, with a clear thrust on attracting individuals in specific spheres. It would be pertinent to point out, that currently foreign workers account for 25% of Singapore’s total population – which is estimated at 

While commenting on the need for Singapore to give precedence to the interest to its local workers and not becoming insular, Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong in 2020 

“We must be careful not to give the wrong impression that we are now closing up, and no longer welcoming foreigners. Such a reputation would do us great harm”.

     Key features of the new visa scheme

 in categories including -- salary, qualifications, hiring company's diversity, and local staff ratios. To align the new visa system with the country’s long term economic vision, bonus points will be provided for

 (27) in industries including agri-tech, green economy and maritime where Singapore is focusing. Bonus points will also be provided for companies which seek to  contribute to the government's long term 

 via investments and innovation and creating more jobs for locals.

The new visa system is ambitious, since it seeks to balance economic goals with social goals like diversity and also wants to ensure that locals do not feel that they are losing out as a result of inflow of workers from outside. Ensuring a perfect balance is not easy but it is essential so that there is no resentment against foreign workers. This has become a sensitive issue in many countries in recent years with a growing skepticism vis-à-vis globalization.

 The issue about foreigners benefitting at the cost of levels has been flagged by policy makers in Singapore. In a Parliamentary debate in 2021, certain policy makers had said that Singapore’s approach towards immigration and the India-Singapore 

Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)

 had resulted in undue benefit to Indian workers at the cost of local Singaporeans. This issue has been debated repeatedly.

, and individuals from other spheres, have reiterated the point, that the city state benefits from international workers and can not afford to become insular and shut its doors to foreign workers. One of the key takeaways from a study – which sought to gauge attitudes of locals vis-à-vis immigration -- published by the 

 -- a think tank associated with The National University of Singapore -- in 2021 was that strict restrictions needed to be imposed upon the entry of foreigners. Here it would be important to point out that there was an acknowledgement of the fact that immigrants did contribute to the local economy.  There was a greater opposition to immigration over the age of

Several Association of South East Asian nations (ASEAN) economies have done well and emerged as engines of global growth. Singapore while emerging as an important global economic hub, not just for Asia, has been a preferred destination for expats, over the past few decades, due to the quality of life – especially infrastructure, health and education. It is not just individuals from developing countries, but also from developed countries who have shifted base to Singapore due to the quality of life.

 It would be pertinent to point out, that Singapore’s major competitors UAE which lost out because of not providing residency has become more competitive and is likely to attract foreign workers and students. Singapore’s focus on attracting talent in the areas of tech opens doors for talented professionals from the developing world who are unable to make it to the west. Western countries also need to realise that citizens from different parts of the world, including the developing world, who are talented have multiple options.

In conclusion, all countries are bringing about changes to their work visas to ensure that their long-term economic objectives are met. As immigration to western countries and Australia becomes tougher, countries like Singapore and UAE could emerge as sought after destinations.

Singapore's new visa scheme 2023: The key objectives

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