Two Singaporeans and One Foreigner Charged for Harbouring Immigration Offenders
On 26 March 2026, ICA brought charges against three individuals for harbouring immigration offenders. In the first case, a 26-year-old Singaporean man Phang Kang Rui (“Phang”) and a 32-year-old Singaporean woman Chia Kai Hui (“Chia”) were charged for harbouring a 33-year-old Malaysian man. In the second case, a 40-year-old Chinese female work permit holder, Xie Shenghua (“Xie”), was charged for harbouring a 42-year-old Chinese man.
Case of Phang and Chia
2. Phang and Chia were both charged for harbouring a 33-year-old Malaysian man, Ho Aik Chuan (“Ho”), with reckless disregard as to whether Ho’s stay in Singapore was valid. Ho had remained unlawfully in Singapore after the expiry of his visit pass on 22 November 2015.
3. Investigations by ICA found that Phang and Chia allegedly allowed Ho to stay at their unit at Bukit Batok West Avenue 8 from 1 October 2024 until his arrest on 10 June 2025. Ho was convicted and sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and three strokes of the cane. He has been deported and is barred from re-entering Singapore.
Case of Xie
4. Xie was charged for harbouring a 42-year-old Chinese man, Zhang Xiaoling (“Zhang”), with reckless disregard as to whether Zhang’s stay in Singapore was valid. Zhang had remained unlawfully in Singapore after the expiry of his special pass on 12 September 2024.
5. Investigations by ICA found that Xie had allegedly allowed Zhang to stay at a unit in 10 Prinsep Link from mid-March 2025 to 14 January 2026. Zhang was convicted and sentenced to 10 weeks’ imprisonment and three strokes of the cane. He has been deported and is barred from re-entering Singapore.
6. ICA takes a firm stance against any person who harbours immigration offenders. 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 conduct three mandatory checks:
(a) Check the tenant’s 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 (i.e. the Ministry of Manpower for work passes and the ICA for immigration passes – Student’s Pass and Long-Term Visit Pass).
7. 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.