19. (1) Subject to sections 9, 10, 22, 23, 31, 32, 33, 44, 45 and 47, the Minister may, on consideration of an application made to him or her, grant an employment permit.

(2) Subject to sections 27, 29 and 31, an employment permit granted under subsection (1) shall be granted to the foreign national concerned and shall, other than in a case referred to in subsection (3), operate to permit the employment in the State of the foreign national concerned—

(a) in the employment specified in the application, and

(b) by the person identified in the application in accordance with section 12(6) as the employer of the foreign national in relation to that employment.

(3) In the case of an application for an intra-company transfer employment permit, an employment permit granted under subsection (1) shall operate to permit the employment in the State of the foreign national concerned in the employment specified in the application in respect of which that foreign national is to carry out duties for, or participate in a training programme provided by, the connected person specified in that application.

(4) An employment permit shall specify the period for which the foreign national concerned may be employed in the State pursuant to the permit and the permit shall, subject to the provisions of this Act, remain in force for that period.

(5) An intra-company transfer employment permit shall specify the period for which the foreign national concerned may carry out duties for, or participate in a training programme provided by, the connected person, pursuant to the permit and the permit shall, subject to the provisions of this Act, remain in force for that period accordingly.

(6) The period that shall be specified in the employment permit shall, subject to subsections (7) and (8) and section 31, not exceed a prescribed period beginning on the date of the grant of the permit or, where a different date is specified in such permit as the date on which it is to come into force, that date.

(7) The period that shall be specified in a dependant employment permit shall be the lesser of—

(a) the period referred to in subsection (6), or

(b) the period beginning on the date of the grant of the permit or, where a different date is specified in such permit as the date on which it is to come into force, that date and ending on the date of the expiry of—

(i) the employment permit granted to the primary permit holder referred to in section 14(2)(a),

(ii) the permission, referred to in section 14(2)(b), given to the primary permit holder referred to in section 14(2)(b),

(iii) the permission referred to in section 14(3)(a), given to the research project researcher referred to in section 14(3)(a), or

(iv) the permission referred to in section 14(3)(b), given to the research project researcher referred to in section 14(3)(b).

(8) The period that shall be specified in—

(a) an intra-company transfer employment permit in respect of an employment referred to in section 9(2)(d)(ii) shall not exceed the period prescribed for the purposes of this paragraph,

(b) an internship employment permit shall not exceed the period prescribed for the purposes of section 9(2)(i), and

(c) a seasonal employment permit shall not exceed the period referred to in section 9(2)(j)(ii).

(9) A foreign national to whom an employment permit is granted shall commence the employment in respect of which the permit is granted within a prescribed period beginning on the date of the grant of the permit or, where a different date is specified in such permit as the date on which it is to come into force, that date.