The Overseas Markets Immersion Programme (OMIP) is a Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) programme that helps Singapore-registered employers post local staff overseas to build in-market experience. SMEs and non-SMEs qualify if they have a market expansion or transformation plan with defined KPIs and can offer a full-time role paying a fixed monthly salary of at least $4,000. SWDA reimburses up to 70% of salary (capped at $5,000 a month) for up to 9 months, plus up to 70% of overseas allowances (capped at $3,000 a month), so the cap is $8,000 per trainee each month.
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OMIP is a claim-based reimbursement programme. You pay the employee first, then claim. It is run with a programme partner, the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), which works with you on the training plan before anyone boards a plane. This guide explains who qualifies, what the money covers, how to apply and the mistakes that cost employers their funding.
What is OMIP and who runs it?
OMIP was launched in November 2024 by Workforce Singapore. Since 1 July 2026, SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce Singapore have merged into SWDA, and OMIP is now listed on SWDA’s employer portal, OurWorkforce. If you are unsure how the merger affects your other training grants, our guide to what the SSG and WSG merger means for employer training grants covers the wider picture.
The idea is simple. Many Singapore companies want to expand into a regional market but do not have staff who understand that market from the inside. OMIP lets you send a new hire or an existing employee to the target market on an overseas posting with structured on-the-job training, while the Government shares part of the salary and living costs during the funded period.
At its launch, the Ministry of Manpower said $16 million had been set aside for up to 250 local employees over two years. In its Committee of Supply announcements on 3 March 2026, MOM said OMIP will be expanded to give young PMEs earlier access to international experience. No start date or new terms for that expansion had been published when this guide was checked, so apply the current terms below.
Who is eligible?
SWDA’s eligibility rules have two parts: conditions for the company and conditions for the individual you are sending overseas.
| Requirement | What SWDA asks for |
|---|---|
| Company registration | Locally registered or incorporated, and operating in Singapore |
| Company size | SMEs and non-SMEs can both apply |
| Business plan | A clear market expansion or business transformation plan, with defined business-related short-term KPIs and outcomes after training |
| Training plan | A training plan that addresses the employee’s skill or knowledge gap for the target market |
| Employment terms | Full-time permanent or contract position with a fixed monthly salary of at least $4,000 at the point of application |
| Job role | A clearly defined role for the identified market, with clear differences from the person’s previous role |
| Career plan | A detailed career development plan showing progression over 24 months, with quantifiable short-term KPIs to be achieved after training |
The programme is designed for your local workforce. SWDA’s current employer page does not set out the nationality test in detail, so confirm each candidate’s eligibility with SBF before you make an offer or announce a posting. The same applies to the minimum length of the overseas stint: the page describes funding of up to 9 months but does not publish a minimum posting period.
New hires and existing employees
SWDA states that you can send either new hires or existing employees on OMIP postings. For an existing employee, the role in the target market must be genuinely different from what the person did before. Renaming a Singapore sales role “Regional Sales Manager” without new market responsibilities is unlikely to satisfy that test.
How much funding can you get?
OMIP has two funding components. Both are calculated per trainee and both are reimbursed after you have paid the costs.
| Component | Support level | Monthly cap | When it applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salary support | Up to 70% of salary | $5,000 | For up to 9 months |
| Overseas allowance | Up to 70% of allowance | $3,000 | Only while the trainee is physically in the identified market |
| Total | $8,000 per trainee |
SWDA lists the recurring expenses that the overseas allowance can cover: meals, transport, housing, hardship, mobile, and medical or insurance costs. One-off items, such as relocation shipping or a signing bonus, are not on that list, so do not build your budget on them being supported.
Note the condition on the allowance. It is paid only while the trainee is physically in the target market. If the employee spends the first month training at your Singapore office, that month may still attract salary support, but you should not expect overseas allowance support for it.
Example: a regional posting to Vietnam
Example (hypothetical): A Singapore food ingredients distributor with 40 staff wants to open a sales channel in Ho Chi Minh City. It hires a business development manager at $6,500 a month and agrees a housing, transport and meal allowance of $3,500 a month while she is in Vietnam.
- Salary support: 70% of $6,500 is $4,550, which is under the $5,000 cap, so up to $4,550 a month is claimable.
- Overseas allowance: 70% of $3,500 is $2,450, which is under the $3,000 cap, so up to $2,450 a month is claimable while she is in Vietnam.
- Total potential support: up to $7,000 a month, within the $8,000 per-trainee cap, for up to 9 months.
If the same company paid a salary of $9,000, the salary component would hit the $5,000 cap. The higher the salary, the smaller the effective percentage the programme covers. The final amount depends on SWDA’s approval of the training plan and on your claims being supported.
How do you apply?
SWDA estimates around one month from interest form to a posting-ready employee. The process runs through SBF as programme partner.
- Register your interest. Complete the interest form on SWDA’s OMIP page. SWDA says you will be contacted within 7 working days.
- Work with SBF on scoping. SBF works with you to scope and customise training plans for the employees you have identified. SWDA estimates 4 to 6 weeks for this stage.
- Finalise the employee’s documents. Prepare the role description, the 24-month career development plan and the KPIs that SWDA and SBF will assess.
- Start the posting. Once the training plan is in place, the employee can begin the overseas posting.
- Submit claims. OMIP operates on a claim-based reimbursement model, so keep salary and allowance records ready for each claim.
Do not start the posting or incur costs on the assumption that they will be backdated. Agree the timing with SBF before the employee starts in the market.
Documents checklist
- ACRA business profile for your company
- Market expansion or business transformation plan, with short-term KPIs and expected outcomes after training
- Training plan covering the skill and knowledge gaps for the target market
- Employment contract or offer letter showing the full-time role and fixed monthly salary of at least $4,000
- Job description for the overseas role, showing how it differs from the employee’s previous role
- 24-month career development plan with quantifiable KPIs
- Payroll records and allowance receipts or policies to support each claim
What happens after approval?
Once the employee is posted, the obligations shift to delivery and record-keeping. Run the training plan as agreed, track the KPIs you committed to and keep evidence of salary payments and allowances. Keep the posting dates accurate, because the overseas allowance only applies while the trainee is physically in the identified market.
Remember that OMIP funding sits alongside your normal employer duties. A Singapore company paying an employee posted overseas still needs to work through CPF, payroll and tax questions; our note on CPF responsibility when payroll and work locations differ is a useful starting point. Check the host country’s work permit and tax rules separately: OMIP does not deal with immigration in the target market.
For the accounting side, OMIP reimbursements are government grants and need to be recognised and taxed correctly. See our guide to the tax treatment of government grants in Singapore.
How does OMIP fit with other overseas expansion support?
OMIP pays for people. Other schemes pay for activities. Companies expanding overseas often combine them, as long as the same cost is not claimed twice.
- EDGE Grant (Enterprise Singapore): supports internationalisation activities such as market entry and trade fairs. See our guide to EDGE funding for overseas expansion.
- Double Tax Deduction for Internationalisation: a tax deduction for qualifying overseas market expansion costs, covered in our DTDi guide.
- Global Ready Talent Programme: an Enterprise Singapore programme focused on student internships, which is a different route from OMIP’s support for employees. Our Global Ready Talent Programme guide explains it.
For a full map of what is available, start with our directory of Singapore government grants for companies.
Common reasons applications fail
- Salary below $4,000. The fixed monthly salary must be at least $4,000 at the point of application. The test is the fixed monthly salary, so do not rely on allowances or variable pay to reach it.
- No real expansion plan. A general wish to “explore Asia” without defined KPIs does not meet the requirement for a clear market expansion or transformation plan.
- A recycled role. An existing employee’s overseas role must differ clearly from their previous job.
- A thin career plan. SWDA asks for progression over 24 months with quantifiable short-term KPIs. A one-paragraph promise of promotion is not enough.
- Claiming allowance for time outside the market. Allowance support only applies while the trainee is physically in the identified market.
- Poor records. Because funding is reimbursed, missing payslips or allowance evidence can delay or reduce your claims.
Frequently asked questions
Can a non-SME apply for OMIP?
Yes. SWDA lists OMIP as open to both SMEs and non-SMEs, with the same published support levels.
Is OMIP paid upfront?
No. It is a claim-based reimbursement programme. You pay salary and allowances, then claim the supported portion.
How long does the salary support last?
Salary support is available for up to 9 months per trainee, capped at $5,000 a month.
Does OMIP cover the employee’s housing overseas?
Housing is one of the recurring expenses SWDA lists under the overseas allowance, together with meals, transport, hardship, mobile and medical or insurance costs. Support is up to 70%, capped at $3,000 a month, and only while the trainee is in the target market.
Who is the programme partner?
SWDA names the Singapore Business Federation as its OMIP programme partner. SBF helps you scope the training plan before the posting.
Where can I check the official terms?
See SWDA’s OMIP page on OurWorkforce and MOM’s 3 March 2026 announcement on the planned expansion.
Information checked against official sources on 6 November 2026.
Free grant consultation: is OMIP right for your company?
Raffles Corporate Services has in-house certified grant consultants who are experienced with Singapore grant applications and the full grant process, from checking eligibility and preparing the proposal and supporting documents to submitting claims and meeting the conditions after approval. We can arrange a free consultation to review your company and identify which grants, including OMIP, may be applicable.
Email [email protected] or WhatsApp +65 8501 7133 to book a time. SWDA decides every application, and no consultant can guarantee approval.
Rachel Sim, Raffles Corporate Services