Check legal status of foreign tenants, ICA advises

SINGAPORE — The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) today (July 10) reminded homeowners to exercise due diligence in checking the status of their prospective foreign tenants to ensure that their status in Singapore is legal.

Three men were convicted in June of harbouring immigration offenders under Section 57(1)(d) of the Immigration Act (Cap 133) and were each sentenced to no less than six months of imprisonment, the ICA said in a release.

TANJONG KATONG

On June 11, Singapore Permanent Resident Jia Hongran, 34, was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for harbouring two Chinese nationals at a unit on Tanjong Katong Road for a monthly rental of S$200 each.

The two Chinese national immigration offenders were arrested on Aug 27 last year. The male offender, 47, was charged and convicted on Sept 4, 2012, for remaining unlawfully in Singapore for a period exceeding 90 days. He was sentenced to six weeks’ imprisonment and four strokes of the cane.

The female immigration offender, 48, was charged and convicted on Aug 28 for remaining unlawfully in Singapore not exceeding 90 days. She was sentenced to a fine of S$2,000 in default of two weeks’ imprisonment.

JALAN KAYU

In the second instance, Singaporean Yip Weng Wah, 38, was arrested on Dec 10, 2012, for harbouring three female immigration offenders at a unit in Jalan Kayu.

The Vietnamese women — aged 20, 28 and 31 — had each paid him S$15 daily to rent a bed space at his unit. Yip was convicted to six months’ imprisonment on June 17 while the three women were convicted and each sentenced to a fine of $2,000 in default of two weeks’ imprisonment.

YISHUN RING ROAD

On June 26, Singaporean Kwek Seng Leong, 49, was sentenced to seven months’ imprisonment for harbouring three male Chinese nationals who had overstayed.

Kwek was arrested on May 16 at his home on Yishun Ring Road, where he the three immigration offenders had paid him a monthly rental of S$190 each to stay at his unit.

The three immigration offenders, meanwhile, were each sentenced to six months’ imprisonment each, with some receiving caning and/or fines.

REMINDER

Under the Immigration Act, homeowners who are found guilty of harbouring immigration offenders may be sentenced to prison for between six months and two years and fined an amount not exceeding S$6,000, or both.

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 S$6,000.

The ICA advises homeowners to perform mandatory checks which include: Checking a tenant’s original immigration/work pass; cross-checking the particulars on his/her pass against the particulars on his/her original passport; and verifying 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).

The validity of immigration passes can be verified using the ICA online system, iEnquiry, which is available through the ICA website at www.ica.gov.sg.