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Island-Wide Raids Nabbed 45 Immigration Offenders
In the early morning of 1 August 2007, enforcement officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) mounted an island-wide operation on seven HDB residential units, arresting a total of 45 Immigration Offenders (IOs) and one harbourer. The IOs and the Singaporean harbourer were caught by surprise and did not have time to react before they were arrested.
2 Preliminary investigations revealed that the IOs were generally illegal immigrants and overstayers. They were mainly nationals from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the People’s Republic of China. The IOs admitted that their purpose of coming to Singapore was for illegal employment. Aged between 22 - 53 years old, they had worked as general workers, earning an irregular income of about $14 - $80 daily. The Singaporean harbourer is a 53 year-old Chinese male.
3 The IOs and the harbourer were subsequently referred to the Police for further investigations.
Related penalties
4 ICA takes a serious view of attempts by foreigners to overstay or enter Singapore illegally. Under the Immigration Act (Cap 133), the penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane.
5 ICA would also like to remind the public that it is an offence to offer shelter and employment to immigration offenders. Homeowners can make use of ICA’s online checking system, called “VERIFI” (or Verification of Foreigner Immigration Status) to verify the immigration passes of their prospective tenants. VERIFI can be accessed through ICA’s internet website: http://www.ica.gov.sg and allows users to receive an instantaneous reply on the validity of the immigration passes presented to them. Similarly, MOM has a system to allow the checking on the validity of work passes at its website: http://www.mom.gov.sg. Everyone has a part to play in keeping Singapore safe and secure. We urge members of public with information regarding immigration offenders to call ICA at Tel: 1800-391 6150.
2 Preliminary investigations revealed that the IOs were generally illegal immigrants and overstayers. They were mainly nationals from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the People’s Republic of China. The IOs admitted that their purpose of coming to Singapore was for illegal employment. Aged between 22 - 53 years old, they had worked as general workers, earning an irregular income of about $14 - $80 daily. The Singaporean harbourer is a 53 year-old Chinese male.
3 The IOs and the harbourer were subsequently referred to the Police for further investigations.
Related penalties
4 ICA takes a serious view of attempts by foreigners to overstay or enter Singapore illegally. Under the Immigration Act (Cap 133), the penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane.
5 ICA would also like to remind the public that it is an offence to offer shelter and employment to immigration offenders. Homeowners can make use of ICA’s online checking system, called “VERIFI” (or Verification of Foreigner Immigration Status) to verify the immigration passes of their prospective tenants. VERIFI can be accessed through ICA’s internet website: http://www.ica.gov.sg and allows users to receive an instantaneous reply on the validity of the immigration passes presented to them. Similarly, MOM has a system to allow the checking on the validity of work passes at its website: http://www.mom.gov.sg. Everyone has a part to play in keeping Singapore safe and secure. We urge members of public with information regarding immigration offenders to call ICA at Tel: 1800-391 6150.