Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on the Number of Work Pass Holders Who Have Been Arrested for Overstaying in the Past 10 Years, by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law

Question:

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in the past 10 years, what is the number of work pass holders who have been arrested for overstaying after the expiry of their passes; and (b) how many of these individuals have subsequently been charged and convicted.

Answer:

1.   From 2011 to 2020, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority investigated a total of 1,746 work pass holders for overstaying offences. Of these, 1,027 were subsequently charged and convicted.

2.   For the others, depending on the facts, such as whether they had reasonable cause for overstaying, and the duration they overstayed, ICA had imposed a composition fine or issued a warning.