Rigorous, regular enforcement checks conducted

We refer to the letter by Mr Ang Ah Lay (Law enforcement agencies must do better to deter overstaying; Jan 31).

The law treats overstaying as a serious offence and the penalties are correspondingly severe – a jail term of up to six months, and a minimum of three strokes of the cane or a fine of up to $6,000. Arrested immigration offenders are also deported and barred from re-entering Singapore after sentencing and/or payment of fines.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) conducts rigorous and regular inland enforcement checks with other law enforcement agencies such as the Singapore Police Force to arrest offenders, including overstayers. This includes visiting the last known residential and employment addresses of foreigners who have remained in Singapore beyond the validity of their passes.

With the deployment of multi-modal biometrics checks in recent years, we have also been able to better detect foreigners with multiple identities or impersonated identities at our checkpoints and deny them entry. This minimises the risk of them entering Singapore and becoming immigration offenders subsequently.

We also take stiff actions against anyone who abets the offenders, whether knowingly or negligently. Harbourers or employers of immigration offenders face jail terms of up to 24 months and/or a fine not exceeding $6,000.

The public must also do its part to deter overstaying. Employers and home owners must exercise due diligence and ensure that a prospective foreign employee or tenant’s status in Singapore is legal, before offering employment or renting out their premises.

This includes checking their original immigration or work pass, cross-checking their particulars on their pass against their passport, and verifying the validity of their pass through the issuing authority’s website.

Members of the public should report suspected cases of immigration offenders to ICA at https://go.gov.sg/icafeedbackio.

Patrick Ong
Head, Strategic Communications and Media Relations
Corporate Communications and Service Division
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority

<Original Letter>

The Straits Times
31 January 2023

Law enforcement agencies must do better to deter overstaying

It is rather inexplicable that two Chinese nationals managed to stay here illegally for more than 10 years after their employment passes were cancelled by the Ministry of Manpower before they were arrested and convicted (Jail, fine for 2 Chinese nationals who overstayed for over 10 years, Jan 26).

Surely there is enough information on overstayers, perhaps starting with their last known addresses or places of employment, to enable the authorities to track them down.

I wonder if the enforcement of the laws on overstaying is too lax, and how many other overstayers are still here.

Reports like this may encourage some foreigners to overstay, since they may think that it takes years for the law to catch up with them, and they may not find the punishment meted out to be enough of a deterrence. The risk and benefit trade-off seems to favour the offenders.

Our law enforcement agencies must do much better in stamping out overstayers, some of whom might resort to illegal activities to survive. Since all overstayers need housing and some work illegally, those who provide them with accommodation or employment should be dealt with severely for abetting in the offence. This would widen the net to more easily and quickly weed out and deport overstayers.

Ang Ah Lay