Immigration status and residency
Which passes allow students to enrol at UWCSEA?
In order to be able to attend a FSS, students are required to possess one of the following valid Singapore immigration passes:
- Dependant’s Pass (DP) or In-Principle Approval letter (IPA) for a new DP supported by a valid Visit Pass or Notification Letter for a new DP issued by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)
- Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) with a valid Re-Entry Permit (REP)
- Student Pass (STP) issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA)
- Immigration Exemption Order (IEO) granted by the ICA with a valid Multiple Journey Stamp or written verification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirming the IEO validity dates
- Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP) granted by the ICA
- Waiver from the Ministry of Education (MOE) for Singapore Citizens
Dependant’s Pass (DP) or In-Principle Approval letter (IPA) for a new DP supported by a valid Visit Pass or Notification Letter for a new DP issued by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)
Employers or employment agents can apply to the MOM for a DP for children of Employment Pass (EP), S Pass, EntrePass, Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) and Overseas Networks & Expertise (ONE) Pass holders. If an IPA letter for a child’s new DP is issued, the child may attend school as long as the underlying Visit Pass is valid.
Once the physical DP has been issued, the student’s online records at the College must be updated to include copies of the front and back of the valid DP, plus a copy of the DP details obtained by scanning the QR code using the SGWorkPass app.
The validity of a DP depends upon the supporting EP. This means if an EP is cancelled by an employer, or expires, the associated DPs will also be cancelled or expired—and the student will therefore not be able to attend school.
Important note: if the MOM issues an expired DP holder with a Visit Pass under Immigration Regulation 12 to enable the holder to remain in Singapore, the student may not attend school until an IPA letter for the new DP is secured.
Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) with a valid Re-Entry Permit (REP)
Successful applicants for Singapore PR are issued a Single Entry Permit but are required to obtain a Re-Entry Permit (REP) to enable travel in and out of the country.
The online records of UWCSEA students who are PRs must include a copy of a valid REP in order to attend school, as this contains the key information of issue and expiry dates, which we are required to confirm as part of our regulatory guidelines. It is for this reason that while Singapore PRs aged 15 years and above are issued with a National Registration Identity Card (NRIC), we are required to hold a copy of the REP.
Student Pass (STP) issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA)
As a FSS, we can register our students with the ICA's online STP application platform if they do not have any of the other required passes. Once we have registered the student, we then forward the ICA's Registration Acknowledgement Letter to parents, together with instructions for parents to complete the STP online application.
The earliest this can be done is guided by the ICA’s timelines.
The approval of STPs is entirely at the discretion of the ICA. If the applicant is issued with an In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter which is valid for three months, the formalities must be completed and the digital STP must be issued before the IPA letter expires. For STP applicants 15 years and above, these formalities include obtaining a medical report, which can take up to five working days.
Students can only commence at the College when in possession of the digital STP and copies have been uploaded to the student’s online record at the College.
Immigration Exemption Order (IEO) granted by the ICA with a valid Multiple Journey Stamp or written verification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirming the IEO validity dates
IEOs are issued by the ICA to persons accredited as diplomats, consular representatives or visiting forces and their dependants. Students are allowed to attend a FSS as long as they have both the IEO stamp in their passport plus either a Multiple Journey Stamp with issue and expiry dates or written verification from the MFA confirming these dates.
We require copies of these documents to be uploaded to the student's records for the student to be able to attend school.
Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP) granted by the ICA
With effect from 15 November 2023, holders of valid Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP) issued by the ICA are no longer required to obtain a Student Pass or Letter of Consent to attend the College.
A copy of the digital LTVP must be uploaded to the student’s records for the student to be able to attend school.
Waiver from the Ministry of Education (MOE) for Singapore Citizens
UWCSEA, like all other Foreign System Schools, is expected to manage its Singaporean enrolment, hence our policy is to accept applications from Singapore Citizens in very limited circumstances. For this reason, we provide a pre-application step that requires families to declare their child’s Singaporean Citizenship in advance of submitting the application. Our Admissions team is then able to advise families with regard to the individual circumstances of the applicant and whether to proceed with the application.
Singapore Government regulations require Singaporean Citizens of Primary 1 age and above, who wish to attend a FSS, to obtain a waiver from the Compulsory Education Act from the MOE. The MOE considers waiver applications on a case by case basis, and they are granted entirely at their discretion.
All applications for waivers must be submitted by the FSS to the MOE on behalf of the student. As a result, the waiver is attached to the FSS that submits the application to the MOE. This means that even if a student has already been granted a waiver from the MOE to attend one FSS, an application for a waiver to attend UWCSEA may not be successful.
We will only apply for waivers for Singapore Citizens who are new applicants to the College and then strictly according to clearly defined priority circumstances, outlined here. This means that UWCSEA is not in a position to apply for a waiver for a child to continue at UWCSEA if the child’s application to become a Singapore Citizen is successful prior to the required Primary 1 registration period, as prescribed by the Compulsory Education Unit of the MOE.
Full details on the current College policy on the admission of Singapore Citizens can be found here.
Immigration documentation requirements for all students
Students may not study, or continue to attend classes, at a FSS if they:
- have an expired DP, LTVP or IEO or invalid REP
- are a Singapore Citizen and they have not been granted a waiver by the MOE to attend the FSS that applied for the waiver on behalf of the student
- have an expired STP or hold an In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter for a STP from the ICA; students need to hold a valid digital pass and to have provided a copy to the FSS
Information for families of:
New applicants
New applicants
For UWCSEA to be able to accept and process an application for a potential student to join the College, it is necessary for us to understand the immigration status of an applicant. This is particularly important for Singapore Citizens who require a waiver from the MOE.
All applicants will fall into one of the following categories, and will need to provide proof of a valid immigration pass before they can start school. Applicants who do not yet hold a valid immigration pass are asked to indicate which pass type they intend to apply for, and are then required to provide a copy of the pass before starting at school.
Parent responsibilities
At all stages of application and enrolment, parents are responsible for updating their child’s records if there are any changes in pass type or validity.
We ask parents to do this by using their assigned unique login details to access either the Application System or College Information Management System (CIMS) and updating the appropriate fields in the record, as well as uploading copies (both sides) of any new pass as soon as it is issued.
College responsibilities
Any student who has not provided the College with a copy of a valid immigration pass must not attend school until such time as all the necessary documentation has been provided.
Vaccination requirements
Singapore Government vaccination requirements apply to all foreign-born children aged 12 and below applying for new Immigration Passes in Singapore. Details can be found on the relevant authority website.
Regulatory requirements
In order to meet our regulatory obligations, UWCSEA is responsible for verifying the immigration status of all enrolled students before they start school.
For UWCSEA to be able to accept and process an application for a potential student to join the College, it is necessary for us to understand the immigration status of an applicant. This is particularly important for Singapore citizens who require a waiver from the MOE.
Our obligations further extend to ensuring that all currently attending students continue to hold a valid pass. To do this, we liaise with a number of Singapore government departments as part of our regulatory compliance.
In accordance with Singapore regulations, any student for whom the College does not hold the requested copy of a valid immigration pass must not attend school until the requested documents have been provided.
Residency policy
All students must reside with at least one parent who is also resident in Singapore and is present in Singapore for at least 90% of each term. This policy is strictly applied and a student who is found to not be living with a parent, or where both parents are more than occasionally absent from Singapore, will be asked to leave the College. Please refer to our Standard Terms and Conditions for more information.
Students applying to Grade 8 and above can apply to join our residential boarding community.
Day to boarding transfers are possible, but dependent on the availability of a boarding place and subject to an application process, including a boarding interview.
Current students
In order to be able to continue to attend UWCSEA, students are required to possess a valid Singapore Immigration pass. Our student management system sends automatic reminders to families whose records show the immigration pass that we hold on record for a student is about to expire, however families are responsible for advising the College of all changes in passes, including validity dates and pass type.
Parent responsibilities
At all stages of enrolment, parents are responsible for ensuring their children hold an appropriate and valid immigration pass to reside in Singapore and attend the College.
Parents are also responsible for updating their child’s student records if there are any changes in pass type or validity.
Any change in the immigration status of the parents or child (e.g., job change, PR application, taking up Singapore citizenship) that may impact on the immigration status of their children (e.g., new DP attached to a new EP, change to PR status, becoming a Singapore citizen), should be factored into the change process, as students may not continue to attend school without a valid immigration pass. If you are unsure of the impact of an upcoming change in immigration pass status on your child’s continued enrolment, please contact the Office of the Registrar for clarification.
Parents are able to update the records at any time by using their parent login details to access their child's student records to updating the appropriate fields, as well as to upload copies of both sides of any new pass as soon as it is issued.
College responsibilities
Any student who has not provided the College with a copy of a valid immigration pass must not attend school until such time as all the necessary documentation has been provided.
Changes in immigration status
When switching from one pass type to another, there may be implications for your child’s continued enrolment at the College. Below, we’ve listed some of the key considerations for families to be aware of, should they wish to change their child’s immigration pass while they are enrolled at the College.
- Dependant’s Pass (DP) or In Principle Approval letter (IPA) for a new DP supported by a valid Visit Pass or Notification Letter for a new DP issued by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)
- Singapore Permanent Residents (PR) require a valid Re Entry Permit (REP)
- Student Pass (STP) issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA)
- Immigration Exemption Order (IEO) granted by the ICA with a valid Multiple Journey Stamp or written verification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirming the IEO validity dates
- Singapore Citizenship requiring waiver from the Ministry of Education (MOE)
Dependant’s Pass (DP) or In Principle Approval letter (IPA) for a new DP supported by a valid Visit Pass or Notification Letter for a new DP issued by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)
The validity of a DP depends upon the supporting EP. This means if an EP expires or is cancelled by an employer, the associated DPs will also lapse - and the student will therefore not be able to attend school.
If the EP holder changes job, the new employers or employment agent can apply to the MOM for a new DP for children of Employment Pass (EP), S Pass or EntrePass holders. If an IPA letter for a child’s new DP is issued, the student may attend school as long as the underlying Visit Pass is valid.
Once the physical DP has been issued, the student’s online records at the College must be updated to include copies of the front and back of the valid DP, plus a copy of the DP details obtained by scanning the QR code using the SGWorkPass app.
Please note that if the MOM issues an expired DP holder with a Visit Pass under Immigration Regulation 12 to enable the holder to remain in Singapore, the student may not attend school until an IPA letter for the new DP is secured.
If you are unsure of the impact of an upcoming change in DP issuance on your child’s continued enrolment, please contact the Office of the Registrar for clarification.
Singapore Permanent Residents (PR) require a valid Re Entry Permit (REP)
If your child’s PR is approved or renewed, they will be issued a Single Entry Permit, and are required to obtain a Re-Entry Permit (REP) to enable travel in and out of the country. The online records of UWCSEA students who are PRs must include a copy of a valid REP in order to attend school, as this contains the key information of issue and expiry dates.
While Singapore PRs aged 15 years and above are issued with a National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) we are required to hold a copy of the REP.
Student Pass (STP) issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA)
As an FSS, the College can register its students on the ICA’s online STP application platform. The approval of STPs is entirely at the discretion of the ICA.
If approved, the College then forwards the Registration Acknowledgement Letter to parents together with instructions on what needs to be done to apply for the STP online.
If the applicant is issued with an IPA letter which is valid for two months, the formalities must be completed and the physical STP must be collected before the IPA letter expires. For STP applicants 15 years and above, these formalities include obtaining a medical report, which can take up to five working days.
Students can only attend the College when in possession of the physical STP and copies have been uploaded to the student’s online record.
STPs are attached to the FSS who registered them with the ICA. Please contact the Office of the Registrar if you would like to ask about transferring your child to a Student Pass.
Immigration Exemption Order (IEO) granted by the ICA with a valid Multiple Journey Stamp or written verification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirming the IEO validity dates
Singapore Citizenship requiring waiver from the Ministry of Education (MOE)
If your child is a current student in our Infant School and you wish to apply for Singapore citizenship please be aware that this could mean that your child’s continued education into Grade 1 at UWCSEA may not be guaranteed.
This is because it is College policy to only apply for waivers from the MOE in limited circumstances. We will only apply for waivers for Singapore Citizens who are new applicants to the College, and then strictly according to clearly defined priority circumstances.
This means that UWCSEA would not be in a position to apply for a waiver for your child to continue at UWCSEA if your child’s application to become a Singapore Citizen is successful prior to the required Primary 1 registration period, as prescribed by the Compulsory Education Unit of the MOE.
If your child is a current student in UWCSEA in Grade 1 and above and their application to become a Singapore citizen is successful, under prevailing Singapore Government regulations, we would not have to apply for a waiver from the MOE for your child to continue with UWCSEA.
Parent action
If you are a parent of a currently enrolled student who is considering applying to become a Singapore Citizen, please contact the Office of the Registrar for clarification on the possible impact on their continued enrolment.
If you child has become a Singapore Citizen, please update your child’s records online (login required).
Graduating and leaving students
This information outlines considerations for families whose children are leaving the College where the student’s enrolment is linked to a College-supported application to the Singapore Government for either a Student Pass or for an MOE waiver to attend UWCSEA.
This includes Grade 12 Student Pass (STP) holders who graduate from UWCSEA.
Student Passes
Students on a Student Pass (STP) who are graduating or withdrawing from the College should be aware that STPs are attached to the FSS who registered them with the ICA.
All FSSs are obliged to cancel STPs within 7 days of a student’s last day at the school.
If you intend to remain in Singapore, the College can help arrange for your child to secure a social visit pass for up to 89 days after the STP is cancelled until their departure from Singapore. The Office of the Registrar will confirm the date of the STP cancellation, once a formal notice of withdrawal has been submitted.
For Grade 12s, the STP cancellations are generally submitted one week after the last day of Term 3. The College can help arrange for your child to secure a social visit pass for up to 89 days after the STP is cancelled until their departure from Singapore.
Singapore Citizenship and reapplication
Please be aware that becoming a Singapore Citizen would have implications for any re-application to UWCSEA if your child leaves the College (e.g., due to relocation or transfer to another school in Singapore), and then subsequently wishes to return to UWCSEA.
All applications for waivers must be submitted by the FSS to the MOE on behalf of the student. As a result, the waiver is attached to the FSS that submits the application to the MOE based on the enrolment at the time of the application. This means that even if a student has already been granted a waiver from the MOE to attend UWCSEA in the past, an application for a waiver to return to UWCSEA may not be successful.
The prevailing College policy on accepting applications from Singapore Citizens will apply at the time of re-application.
If you are unsure of the possible impact of withdrawal from the College on the immigration pass status of your child, please contact the Office of the Registrar for clarification.