The ministry said applications submitted prior to the existing Dec 31 deadline would still be accepted, while the special window would be for all sectors and subsectors previously approved by the government on Oct 1.

This includes the services sector under the domestic trade and cost of living ministry, for which applications had closed a week early.

In a statement, the home ministry said all applications submitted during the special window would be reviewed with the relevant ministries and were subject to existing conditions on foreign worker employment.

“All employers are required to submit applications directly to the One-Stop Foreign Worker Management Centre, without intermediaries or agents,” it said in a statement.

To streamline the process, appointments can be made beforehand through the ministry’s website starting Jan 16.

It added that this initiative was part of the government’s commitment to addressing industry needs and improving public service delivery.