ONE Pass (AI and Tech) Track

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) plans to introduce a new ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track in January 2027. It will replace the existing Tech.Pass and sit within the Overseas Networks & Expertise (ONE) Pass framework, which was introduced in 2023 to attract high-level talent across sectors. MOM says the new track is intended to strengthen Singapore's position as a hub for AI and technology talent; the 2026 announcement is a policy announcement, not proof that applications are already open (MOM, Foreign Workforce Policy Announcements at COS 2026, accessed 2 September 2026).

Company-level scope

The announced eligibility table covers applicants whose current or last employment was in a technology company, a technology division within a company, or a technology venture-capital firm. The relevant company must have at least one of these characteristics: valuation or market capitalisation of US$500 million; annual revenue of US$200 million; at least US$500 million in assets under management; or at least US$30 million in funding raised for a technology company (MOM, Foreign Workforce Policy Announcements at COS 2026, accessed 2 September 2026).

These alternatives describe the relevant employer or venture-capital context, not four sums that an applicant must add together. The announcement also does not say that a technology job title alone satisfies the company-level test; the final evidence and assessment remain subject to MOM’s published process (MOM, Foreign Workforce Policy Announcements at COS 2026, accessed 2 September 2026).

Individual-level criteria

An applicant must have earned at least S$30,000 per month for 12 consecutive months before the application date. MOM says this may be met through a combination of a fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500 and assessed vested non-cash components such as employee stock options or employee share ownership. The applicant must also have at least five cumulative years of experience in a founder or C-suite role, or a technical role such as senior software engineer, with the relevant experience accumulated within the preceding 10 years. The experience window is therefore the past 10 years from the application date (MOM, Foreign Workforce Policy Announcements at COS 2026, accessed 2 September 2026).

Timing and interpretation

MOM states that more details, including renewal criteria, will be published on its website. The track should therefore be distinguished from the current Tech.Pass until the January 2027 transition and from the general ONE Pass route: the criteria above are the announced AI-and-Tech-track proposal, not a universal work-pass entitlement or a guarantee that meeting the published summary alone results in approval (MOM, Foreign Workforce Policy Announcements at COS 2026, accessed 2 September 2026).

The distinction is especially important for dates: announcement, planned launch, application opening and pass approval are separate events. Until MOM publishes the operational instructions, the summary should be used as policy context rather than as a checklist that proves eligibility (MOM, Foreign Workforce Policy Announcements at COS 2026, accessed 2 September 2026).

Transition and application boundary

The announcement establishes a policy direction and headline criteria, not the complete administrative process. Before a person applies, MOM’s live work-pass instructions must confirm whether the track has opened, which supporting documents demonstrate company standing, how salary and vested non-cash components are assessed, and how existing Tech.Pass holders are handled. A January 2027 replacement date should not be read as an automatic conversion of every Tech.Pass or as permission to work before an approved pass is issued. The track also remains distinct from employer sponsorship routes and from the general ONE Pass criteria; a person’s seniority or employment at a technology company is not by itself an approval. For a live application decision, the current MOM rules and application portal take precedence over this March 2026 announcement (MOM, Foreign Workforce Policy Announcements at COS 2026, accessed 2 September 2026).