Two Singaporeans and One Vietnamese Charged for Harbouring Immigration Offenders
On 18 December 2025, ICA brought charges against three individuals for harbouring immigration offenders. In the first two cases, a 33-year-old Singaporean man, Jonathan Supramaniam (“Supramaniam”) and a 39-year-old Vietnamese female Long-Term Visit Pass holder, Le Huynh Thien Ly (“Le”), were charged for harbouring a 37-year-old Vietnamese woman and a 34-year-old Vietnamese woman respectively. In the third case, a 42-year-old Singaporean man, Chen Xuanbo (“Chen”), was charged for harbouring and also illegally employing a 27-year-old Chinese woman.
2. Supramaniam was charged for harbouring a 37-year-old Vietnamese woman, Hoang Thi Oanh (“Hoang”), with reckless disregard as to whether Hoang’s stay in Singapore was valid. Hoang was arrested in July 2025 for remaining unlawfully in Singapore since 31 January 2025.
3. Investigations by ICA found that in September 2024, Supramaniam had moved in with Hoang in a room at Hotel Supreme, Karamat Road, where Hoang had been staying, and subsequently rented the said room under his name. Supramaniam had allegedly allowed Hoang to stay in his rented hotel room until her arrest in July 2025.
4. Le was charged for harbouring a 34-year-old Vietnamese woman, Doan Thi Ngoan (“Doan”), with reckless disregard as to whether Doan’s stay in Singapore was valid. Doan was arrested in February 2025 for remaining unlawfully in Singapore since 7 October 2024.
5. Investigations by ICA found that Le was the main tenant of a unit at Whampoa East, where Doan was staying. Le had allegedly allowed Doan to stay at the said unit until her arrest in February 2025.
Case of Chen
6. Chen was charged for harbouring a 27-year-old Chinese woman, Cao Jingfang (“Cao”), with reckless disregard as to whether Cao’s stay in Singapore was valid. He was also charged for illegally employing Cao. Cao was arrested in January 2025 for remaining unlawfully in Singapore since 3 October 2024.
7. Investigations by ICA found that Chen was the main tenant of a unit at Anchorvale Road, where Cao was residing. Chen had allegedly allowed Cao to stay at the said unit until her arrest in January 2025. Chen had also allegedly employed Cao for parcel deliveries despite her illegal immigration status.
8. 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).
9. 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.
IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
18 DECEMBER 2025