SINGAPORE: In a joint statement issued late last week, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Visual, Audio, Creative Content Professionals Association (Singapore) (VICPA) said that there have been foreigners without valid work passes who have been engaged to do creative work in Singapore.
“These arrangements are illegal and constitute a contravention of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA),” the statement read.
It stated that there have been firms that have hired foreigners to provide make-up services, photography, and videography specifically for weddings in Singapore. If foreigners only have student or tourist visas, they are not allowed to do such work. Therefore, companies are also not allowed to hire them or promote their work.
If a foreign freelancer is found working without a valid work pass in Singapore, they may be fined as much as S$20,000, jailed for as long as two years, or both. They could also be disallowed from entering and working in the city-state.
Moreover, the companies found to engage the services of foreign freelancers without valid work passes may face the same penalties as the freelancers themselves.
The statement also says that those who have breached the law in this way may be reported through VICPA or through an online portal on the MOM website.
Importantly, VICPA, an affiliate of the National Trades Union Congress, is encouraging Singaporean firms to support local freelance creative professionals, including photographers, videographers, and make-up artists.
“Encourage service buyers to find trusted freelance creative professionals, VICPA Members, in the NTUC Freelancer Directory,” and freelancers who would like to be included in the directory may do so at this link.
VICPA said in a Sep 12 Facebook post that the joint advisory had been issued in response to feedback from Singapore’s freelance creative community.
“We hear you, and we’re taking action to protect your work, your rights, and your future,” the association said, adding, “Let’s uplift our homegrown talent. Every Creative Matters — and together, we can build a fairer, stronger creative ecosystem.”
Commenters on VICPA’s Facebook post expressed appreciation for the advisory, thanking the association for taking action and saying it is high time to do so.
“Too many foreigners are slipping into Singapore on tourist or visitor visas and taking on freelance work. This is unfair to citizens who pay taxes and contribute to building the infrastructure and systems that make Singapore what it is…
“It should never be a free-for-all where visitors come in, earn money, and leave without any responsibility. This undermines our local workforce, our tax system, and the integrity of our laws,” a user on the platform wrote. /TISG
