Earning S$6,000 in Singapore? You Can Bring Your Family Over

You took the Singapore job to give your family a better life. The cruel part is how often that same job keeps you apart from them. For Filipino professionals here on an Employment Pass or S Pass, there is a legal way to close that gap, and it turns on one number: S$6,000.

The number that decides everything

To bring your spouse and children to live with you in Singapore, you need to earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000 and hold an Employment Pass or S Pass. That figure is your fixed pay, not your total package. MOM counts basic salary and fixed monthly allowances. It does not count overtime, bonuses, commissions, reimbursements, or your employer's CPF share.

So the nurse pulling S$5,200 base plus night-shift pay may look above S$6,000 on her payslip and still fall short on paper. Check the "fixed" line, not the total.

Who you can bring

The Dependant's Pass (DP) covers your lawful spouse and your unmarried children under 21. That is the core group most kabayan want home under one roof.

Parents sit on a separate track. If you earn at least S$12,000 a month, you can sponsor your mother or father on a Long-Term Visit Pass. Common-law partners, stepchildren, and unmarried children above 21 also fall under the LTVP rather than the DP.

One hard truth: a work permit holder, including a domestic helper, cannot sponsor family under this scheme. The DP route is built for EP and S Pass holders who clear the salary line.

The passes are tied to yours

Your family's status hangs on your own. A DP stays valid only as long as your EP or S Pass, and it renews with yours. If you switch jobs, your new employer's application carries the dependants along, but there is a window where the cover can slip. Do not let your own pass lapse with theirs riding on it.

What it costs and how long it takes

The money side is light next to the salary hurdle. Each pass runs S$105 to apply and S$225 on issuance, so budget about S$330 per family member. Processing for EP and S Pass dependants often lands within three weeks once your documents are in.

You apply online through MOM, not at a counter. Have your marriage certificate and your children's birth certificates ready, in English or with an official translation. PSA documents from the Philippines are the standard proof.

Can your spouse work here?

That question changes the whole calculation. A DP holder can work in Singapore, but the employer must apply for a Letter of Consent or a separate work pass first. The old days of a DP letting your spouse walk into any job ended years ago.

Plan for one income at the start, then treat your spouse's job as the upside once they land a role and the paperwork clears. Two salaries in Singapore change what your family can save and still send home.

Before you apply

Pull your latest payslip and find the fixed monthly figure. If it clears S$6,000, gather your PSA marriage and birth certificates, scan them, and start the DP application on the MOM website. If you sit just under the line, a raise or a fixed-allowance restructure can lift you over it, so raise it at your next review.

Rules and salary floors move, so confirm your eligibility on MOM's own site before you pay a cent. Get the number right, and the family you have been sending money to can be the family across the kitchen table.