Work injury compensation for foreign workers in Singapore

A work injury is often more frightening for a foreign worker than a citizen or permanent resident, because of a fear that reporting it, or the accident itself, will end the job and the work pass. The Ministry of Manpower's own rules answer that fear directly: WICA covers foreign employees on the same terms as local ones, and losing your job or your work pass after the accident does not end your right to claim, provided your employer has notice of the accident within 1 year of it happening.

Who is covered

The Ministry of Manpower's rule does not carve out foreign employees: WICA covers "any local or foreign employee who is under a contract of service or contract of apprenticeship, regardless of salary, age or citizenship." That wording covers Work Permit holders, S Pass holders, and Employment Pass holders alike, provided there is a genuine contract of service. The claim process, the medical leave wage rates, and the compensation limits are the same ones covered on how to claim under WICA and medical leave wages; nothing about being a foreign employee changes the entitlement.

If your work pass is cancelled

A real fear for many foreign workers is that reporting an injury, or the employer's reaction to it, leads to the work pass being cancelled and the claim dying with it. The Ministry of Manpower's guidance is direct on this: you remain eligible to claim for compensation even if you no longer work for the employer or your work pass is cancelled. You also do not need to personally "file" anything for the compensation claim itself to exist: for accidents from 1 September 2020, the Ministry of Manpower deems the claim made the moment your employer has notice of the accident.

Two separate 1-year clocks run from the accident date, and the one that matters most here is your employer's notice. Under section 35(5) of the Work Injury Compensation Act 2019, if your employer still does not have notice of the accident a year after it happened, the claim is deemed withdrawn, and after that only the Commissioner can allow a later date, and only for mistake, absence from Singapore, or other reasonable cause. That discretion is the only route to a later date, so if you have already been sent home or had your pass cancelled, get notice to your employer as fast as you can rather than wait, and make your own incident report to MOM as well so there is a dated record that does not depend on them. The second 1-year clock is the window for deciding between WICA and a common-law claim. Both are set out on the WICA time limit.

Who is not covered

The Ministry of Manpower's exclusion list applies to foreign and local employees alike. It covers independent contractors and the self-employed, uniformed personnel, and, specifically, domestic workers. This site does not have a sourced answer for what scheme applies to an injured domestic worker instead, so if that describes your situation, contact the Ministry of Manpower directly to find out what applies rather than relying on this page.

Housing, food, and being sent home

The Ministry of Manpower states this to employers directly, not as a courtesy but as a rule: "You must take care of your workers during their stay in Singapore, including providing adequate food and accommodation. Otherwise, your security bond may be forfeited. You cannot send your workers home against their wishes if they have an outstanding claim under the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA)." Both parts matter while your claim is open: your employer must keep housing and food in place, and cannot put you on a flight home to make the claim, or the risk of it, go away.

Getting help without an employer's cooperation

If your employer is not paying your medical leave wages or medical expenses, or is not informing the Ministry of Manpower of a serious injury, the Ministry of Manpower's own advice to employees is to alert it directly. You can also make your own incident report so the Ministry of Manpower is independently aware of the accident. The full steps are on what to do if your employer refuses to report the accident.

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Last updated 15 September 2026 · How we check this

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