Surge in people arrested for harbouring, hiring immigration offenders in Singapore

31.6% spike in first 9 months of 2024; most of those held were Singaporeans

- Nadine Chua

More people were arrested for providing lodging or jobs to immigration offenders in the first nine months of 2024, with official figures showing a 31.6 percent spike in cases compared with the same period the previous year.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said the trend is concerning, adding that it is working to clamp down on offenders.

ICA said most of the immigration offenders were holders of work passes that had lapsed or were cancelled.

Instead of leaving the country, they overstayed, and during that time, some of them also worked illegally in Singapore.

ICA said 166 people were arrested for harbouring immigration offenders between January and September in 2024, while 138 people were arrested for hiring such offenders.

Most of those arrested were Singaporeans.

ICA said 231 individuals were arrested for such offences over the same period in 2023. In 2022, a total of 226 people were arrested for harbouring and employing immigration offenders.

Inspector Mark Chai, deputy officer-in-charge of ICA's intelligence division, said many of the cases were uncovered through tip-offs from members of the public and groundwork done by the agency.

Noting the spike in cases in 2024, he said: "This trend can potentially be dangerous because we would not know if these immigration offenders are committing any illicit activities here.