Student’s Pass for Chinese citizens

Government fees, by stage

Application processing

S$45

Non-refundable. ICA application fee

Pass issuance

S$60

ICA issuance fee

Multiple Journey Visa

S$30, if applicable

ICA conditional visa fee

For one successful application, those listed charges total S$105, or S$135 with the visa charge. This calculation excludes tuition, school charges, medical examinations and translations; it is not a complete study budget.

Prepare documents for your branch

For IHL applications, prepare the school’s Registration Acknowledgement Letter, passport biodata, recent photograph, contact details and education, work, residence and financial-support history. Family particulars and a birth certificate may also be required. Non-English records need an accepted official translation. ICA’s full IHL checklist and translation rules.

Use the checklist for your institution above, not a university checklist for every school. Government-school and ITE cases also involve a local sponsor. If a medical report is required, use the form and submission instructions linked from ICA’s issuance page.

From admission to digital pass

1. 1. Confirm admission and category. Check the approved full-time course and applicable institution branch. Part-time, evening and weekend courses do not qualify for a Student’s Pass. ICA overview.
2. 2. Obtain the reference and apply. At NTU, the university registers the SOLAR particulars and the student completes the application. Follow your own institution’s process; check passport and course details before paying. NTU’s worked application sequence.
3. 3. Read the IPA before travelling. Approval is conditional on the In-Principle Approval letter’s requirements. An entry visa is included where needed, but the IPA does not guarantee admission or authorise your stay. Complete formalities while holding a valid immigration pass in Singapore. ICA approval and entry conditions.
4. 4. Complete formalities lawfully in Singapore. Meet the IPA conditions, attend the ICA appointment or school-arranged enrolment, and complete any required medical submission and payments. ICA issues the pass digitally, not as a physical card. ICA formalities and digital issuance.
5. 5. Check conditions before starting work. Read the term or vacation rules below before accepting work. A course offer is not work permission. MOM student-work rules.

Check your school’s filing instructions. ICA’s IHL page gives a two-to-three-month application window; NTU’s instructions say no more than two months before commencement. These instructions differ. Ask the institution when its reference is ready and when you should submit. NTU application instructions · ICA IHL procedure.

Can you work while studying?

A Student’s Pass alone is not permission to work. MOM has different institution lists for term and vacation work; check the relevant list.

• During term: a full-time registered student with a valid Student’s Pass at a listed institution may work up to 16 hours weekly, or undertake an institution-run attachment that counts towards graduation.
• During vacation: full-time registration, a valid pass, a vacation-listed institution and age 14 or above are required.
• Exceptions: exchange students cannot use this exemption. An additional attachment during a leave of absence that does not count towards graduation requires a work pass.

After studies and pass expiry, an employer must obtain the appropriate work pass; graduation is not an automatic conversion. MOM’s conditions and institution lists.

Can family members accompany you?

Do not treat the Student’s Pass as a general dependant entitlement. Family members need their own qualifying status.

• Parent or grandparent: ICA has a separate LTVP application for one parent or grandparent of a child studying on a Student’s Pass. It needs a Singapore citizen or permanent resident sponsor aged at least 21. ICA family procedure.
• Spouse or children: NTU describes an LTVP process specifically for its full-time graduate students, involving an issued Student’s Pass, institutional support and ICA steps. This is not a promise for every school or course, and a support letter does not extend a visitor’s stay. NTU’s limited graduate-family process.

Can a student apply for permanent residence?

Yes, for a qualifying subset: a student studying in Singapore who has passed PSLE or GCE N, O or A levels, or is in the Integrated Programme, may apply. Merely holding a Student’s Pass or completing a university course does not establish eligibility under this student category. ICA assesses applications individually; eligibility to apply is not approval. ICA student PR eligibility.

Plan for National Service. Male applicants granted PR as foreign students are liable for NS. ICA warns that university study does not qualify for deferment and may need to be interrupted. Read the National Service obligations before applying.