On 21 May 2026, three individuals were charged by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) for harbouring and employing immigration offenders, as well as intentionally aiding the possession of unlawfully altered visit passes.

Case of Song Yi Da (“Song”)

2.         Song, a 37-year-old Singaporean, was charged for employing a 39-year-old Indian man, Rajappa Raju (“Rajappa”), whom he knew did not possess a valid work permit to work and remain in Singapore. Rajappa had remained unlawfully in Singapore after the expiry of his work permit on 10 May 2025.

3.         Investigations by ICA found that Song had employed Rajappa to work in his company, Phyllis Engineering Pte Ltd, from 18 November 2019 to 10 May 2025 but allegedly failed to apply for a new work permit upon its expiry and continued to employ Rajappa until his arrest. Rajappa was issued with a stern warning for his overstaying offence. He has been deported and is barred from re-entering Singapore.

Case of Suba Priyadarshini D/O Ananthan Jothi (“Suba”)

4.          Suba, a 32-year-old Singaporean, was charged for employing a 26-year-old Indian man, Muniyan Selvaraj Prakash (“Muniyan”), whom she knew did not possess a valid work permit to work and remain in Singapore. Muniyan had remained unlawfully in Singapore after the expiry of his Short-Term Visit Pass (STVP) on 24 February 2025. Suba was also charged for intentionally aiding Muniyan to be in possession of unlawfully altered visit passes.

5.          Investigations by ICA found that Suba had employed Muniyan but allegedly defaulted on levy payments, resulting in the cancellation of his work permit. Muniyan was then issued with an STVP but Suba reportedly failed to successfully apply for a new work permit before the expiry of the STVP. Suba purportedly continued to employ Muniyan until his arrest. Suba had also allegedly obtained unlawfully altered STVPs, and on four occasions, misled Muniyan into believing that he had a valid pass to remain in Singapore. Muniyan was issued with a stern warning for his overstaying offence. He has been deported and is barred from re-entering Singapore.

Case of Kanojiya Riken (“Kanojiya”)

6.          Kanojiya, a 26-year-old Indian national, was charged for harbouring 13 other Indian immigration offenders, aged between 19 to 44 years old, without conducting due diligence checks to ensure that they held valid passes to remain in Singapore. The 13 immigration offenders had remained unlawfully in Singapore after the expiry of their visit passes.

7.          Investigations by ICA found that Kanojiya had allegedly allowed the 13 immigration offenders to stay in a unit at Block 405 Hougang Avenue for varying periods between December 2025 and March 2026. The 13 immigration offenders were issued with stern warnings for their overstaying offence. They have been deported and are barred from re-entering Singapore.

Firm Action Against the Employment and Harbouring of Immigration Offenders

8.          ICA takes a firm stance against any person who employs or harbours immigration offenders.

• Employing Immigration Offenders: A person found guilty of employing overstayers and/or illegal immigrants may be sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than six months and up to two years and a fine of up to S$6,000.
• Harbouring Immigration Offenders: A person found guilty of recklessly or knowingly harbouring overstayers and/or illegal immigrants may be sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than six months and up to two years and a fine of up to S$6,000. A person found guilty of negligently harbouring overstayers and/or illegal immigrants may be sentenced to a fine of up to S$6,000 or to imprisonment for a term of up to 12 months, or to both.

9.          Those who wish to rent out their premises must exercise due diligence in checking the immigration status of their prospective foreign tenants to ensure that their stay in Singapore is legal. They are required to:

• Check the tenant’s original immigration/work pass;
• Cross check the particulars on his/her pass against the particulars on his/her original passport; and
• Verify the validity of his/her pass by checking with the issuing authority (i.e. Ministry of Manpower for work passes and ICA for immigration passes – Student’s Pass and Long-Term Visit Pass).

IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY

21 MAY 2026