On 11 September 2012, Singapore approved the 'Employment of Foreign Manpower (amendment) Bill', which came into effect on 9 November 2012.
The Bill introduces a tougher enforcement framework for foreign workers hiring violations via the introduction of a new administrative penalty regime and the creation of new offences and infringements with higher penalties.
The Bill also introduces changes to the Personalized Employment Pass (PEP), which will apply starting from 1 December 2012. Under the new criteria, foreign nationals applying for a PEP will face salary requirements more than four times higher than current levels, whilst the validity period of the pass will be decreased to 3 years (from the current 5 years). On the other side, salary-based limits on dependent privileges are abolished and PEP holders will be able to bring family members to Singapore.