In the past, seafarers would seek a safe harbour to protect themselves from the forces of Mother Nature such as fogs or thunderstorms. Harbourers who offer safe havens to such travellers were often at risk as they had no way to check if the strangers they were helping would bring them any harm. Today, with the advent of technology, it is not difficult to check if the person you are opening your doors to is legal or not. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) advises everyone to conduct due diligence before offering ‘safe habour’ to anyone as it could bring about dire consequences.

2.         A female Singaporean, Mariam Bte Abdullah, 50, was arrested on 9 October 2013 by ICA officers at her place of residency for harbouring a male Bangladesh national. The Bangladesh national was established to be an immigration offender who had remained in Singapore illegally. He claimed that he is a work permit holder and paid Mariam a monthly rental of $250 to stay at her unit in Sims Drive. Mariam failed to check with ICA or the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) regarding his status in Singapore before renting out her unit to him.

3.         Mariam was convicted to 7 months’ imprisonment on 17 October 2013 while the 23-year-old immigration offender was sentenced to 10 weeks’ imprisonment and 5 strokes of the cane on 24 October 2013.

 
4.         The ICA would like to advise homeowners to exercise due diligence in checking the status of their prospective foreign tenants to ensure that their status in Singapore is legal.  Those who wish to rent their premises to foreigners are required to conduct the three mandatory checks:

        (a)          Check his/her ORIGINAL immigration/work pass;
        (b)          Cross check the particulars on his/her pass against the particulars on his/her ORIGINAL passport; and
        (c)          Verify the validity of his/her pass by checking with the issuing authority (either ICA for student’s pass and visit pass or the Ministry of Manpower for work passes).  You can also verify the validity of the immigration passes using the ICA online system, iEnquiry, which is available through the ICA website at www.ica.gov.sg.

5.         Under the Immigration Act, homeowners who are found guilty of harbouring immigration offenders may be sentenced to an imprisonment of between six months to two years, and a fine not exceeding $6,000 or to both.

 

6.         The ICA takes a serious view of attempts by foreigners to overstay, enter or depart Singapore illegally. Under the Immigration Act, the penalties for overstaying more than 90 days or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months and a minimum of three strokes of the cane.  In lieu of caning, the offenders shall be sentenced to a fine not exceeding $6,000.

 
7.         Everyone has a part to play in keeping Singapore safe and secure.  We urge members of the public to contact the ICA at Tel: 1800-391 6150 during office hours if they have information regarding immigration offenders.

IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY

30 October 2013