Singaporean faces 23 charges in alleged involvement in illegal labour importation
On 9 January 2025, a 31-year-old male Singaporean, Qin Xiaoxi (“Qin”), was charged in Court for offences involving illegal labour importation, false declaration of employment and illegal employment under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (“EFMA”).
Case Details
2 Qin was the Director of Xpress Manufacture Pte Ltd (“Xpress Manufacture”) and Express Manufacture Pte Ltd (“Express Manufacture”), as well as the sole proprietor of Xpress Cleaning & Service.
3 Investigations revealed that from May to September 2022, Qin allegedly obtained work passes for twenty foreigners to work for Xpress Manufacture and Express Manufacture, in exchange for monetary payment. The two companies were in fact non-operational, did not require the employment of foreigners, and failed to employ them after their arrival in Singapore.
4 Between June and December 2022, Qin also allegedly employed two foreigners without valid work passes to work for Xpress Cleaning & Service. The two foreigners had obtained work passes under Xpress Manufacture and Express Manufacture, as Xpress Cleaning & Service did not have the quota to hire more foreign employees.
5 Qin had also allegedly declared that one other foreigner would be employed by Xpress Manufacture, when there was no intention for her to be employed. Investigations against the foreigners involved in the alleged offences are ongoing.
6 The details of the charges against Qin are set out in the Annex below.
Penalties for Illegal Labour Importation and Illegal Employment
7 Under the EFMA, persons convicted of obtaining work passes for foreign employees for a business that does not exist, that is not in operation or that does not require the employment of such a foreign employee, and fails to employ the foreign employee, may be liable to a term of imprisonment of up to two years, and may be fined up to $6,000 per charge. If convicted of six or more charges, caning may also be imposed.
8 If convicted, foreigners who work in Singapore without a valid work pass may be liable to a fine not exceeding $20,000, imprisonment for up to two years, or both. Upon conviction, MOM will also bar them from working in Singapore.
9 Members of the public who are aware of suspicious employment activities such as foreigners obtaining work passes under false auspices or working without valid work passes should report the matter to MOM via MOM’s eService “Report an infringement”. All information provided will be kept strictly confidential.
Annex
Charges against Qin Xiaoxi
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S/N
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Offence type
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Charges
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Penalties
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1
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Illegal Labour Importation
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20 charges under s 22B(1) r/w s 23(1) EFMA for engaging in a conspiracy to obtain work passes for foreign employees for a business that does not exist, that is not in operation or that does not require the employment of such a foreign employee, and fails to employ the foreigner.
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If convicted, individuals may be liable to a fine of up to $6,000 and imprisonment between six months and two years, per charge.
If convicted of six or more charges, caning may also be imposed.
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2
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False declaration of employment
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1 charge under s 22(1)(d) r/w s 20(1)(a) EFMA for falsely declaring that a foreign employee would be employed at Xpress Manufacture.
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If convicted, individuals may be liable to a fine not exceeding $20,000, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or to both, per charge.
Upon conviction, MOM will also bar them from employing foreign workers.
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3
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Illegal employment
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2 charges under s 5(1) r/w s 5(6) EFMA for employing foreign employees without a valid work pass at Xpress Cleaning & Service.
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If convicted, individuals who employ foreigners without a valid work pass may be liable to a fine of between $5,000 and $30,000, imprisonment for up to 12 months, or both, per charge.
Upon conviction, MOM will also bar them from employing foreign workers.
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