A Taiwanese woman, who claims out of "deep love" for her Singaporean boyfriend, purchased an illegal work permit to enter Singapore and live with him during the Covid-19 pandemic period.

The illegal work permit was obtained by indicating to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in her work pass application that she would be working as a clerk, though she had no intention of working as one upon her arrival in Singapore.

Instead, she worked as a nightclub hostess for a while before marrying her then-boyfriend.

She was soon caught by MOM after a series of investigations, beginning in 2021, uncovered similar cases of foreigners purchasing work permits from a syndicate by making false declarations in their applications. 

MOM reportedly found a prevalence of such cases during the pandemic period when foreigners faced restrictions on entering Singapore.

Wang I-Ting, 44, was sentenced to six weeks imprisonment for one count of conspiring with her boyfriend, Derrick Ong Yong Jit, to make a false statement in her application for a work permit, according to a judgment released on Jun. 25, 2024.

Wang also admitted and consented to having one charge of engaging in the trade of providing hostess services at a nightclub without a valid work pass from January 2021 to March 2022 to be taken into consideration for sentencing.

Freedom work permits

Wang had previously worked in Singapore from 2015 to July 2020 as a “waitress” or “entertainment artiste”, according to a judgment dated Jun. 18.

She met Ong in 2019 through mutual friends while she was working in Singapore, and they started dating in January 2020.

Wang, however, returned to Taiwan in July 2020 during the Covid-19 circuit breaker period due to her work permit expiring.

Wang re-applied for a work permit, but her application was rejected by MOM, likely due to the ongoing pandemic at the time.

Wang and Ong subsequently pursued a long-distance, "serious" relationship. During this period, the couple explored ways for Wang to come back to Singapore despite the restrictions in place due to the pandemic.

That was when a friend of the couple introduced them to a company, Oleegey Pte. Ltd, offering so-called "freedom work permits".

Clouded by their emotions

"Misguided and clouded by their emotions", the couple purchased one such "freedom work permit" for Wang to return to Singapore.

Ong liaised with an agent named "Lin" in the documents to purchase the permit.

An application for a work permit was then received by MOM on Nov. 23, 2020, declaring that Wang would be working as a clerk at Oleegey Pte. Ltd.

Wang subsequently received a permit, though she had no intention of actually working as a clerk at Oleegey when she arrived in Singapore in November 2020.

The couple, instead, paid Lin S$1,300 a month to maintain Wang's work permit so that she could remain in Singapore under the auspices of her illegally obtained permit.

Worked at a nightclub instead

Wang explained that due to her relationship with Ong, she did not immediately resume working in the nightlife scene in Singapore.

That being said, from January 2021 to March 2022, Wang worked as a hostess at a nightclub along Prinsep Street about one to two times a week, from about 7pm to 10pm, and earned about S$200 a night. 

She explained that she did so on a "freelance basis" to help her friends at the nightclub, who were apparently "shorthanded." The money she earned was from tips.

Derrick proposed to Wang in February 2022, and they got married on May 17, 2022.

The couple had their honeymoon abruptly cut short, however.

On May 19, just two days after their marriage, Wang's offences were uncovered, and she was arrested, along with her work permit being cancelled by MOM.

Wang has since been on a special pass pending the investigation. Ong later purchased an HDB flat in his sole name on Feb. 16, 2024, which Wang said would be the couple's matrimonial home once ready.

"A moment of folly for love"

The prosecution sought six to seven weeks' jail for Wang, while the defence argued for a fine of S$3,500 or not more than four weeks' jail.

The defence argued that Wang only committed the offence due to her "deep love" for Ong and that she was not seeking to circumvent both the employment and immigration policies in Singapore to obtain employment in Singapore.

It was also noted that Wang only worked at the nightclub to help out her friends and that she was not involved in any vice activities.

The defence claimed that no one suffered any detriment as a result of Wang's deception to MOM, though she concedes to having "made a mistake which was done in a moment of folly for love".

The defence also pointed out that a jail term might result in Wang's deportation and that she might not be able to return to Singapore, making such a punishment "too harsh".

The prosecution, on the other hand, submitted that the fact that Wang and Ong had eventually gotten married ought not to be given much weight. They noted that the couple only got married two years after Wang received her work permit.

District Judge Lorraine Ho, who presided over the case, concurred with the prosecution on the matter and said:

"Any decision on the potential deportation of a convicted offender is not within the purview of the courts but the relevant authorities like the ICA.

The courts play no part in this.

The courts also do not play a part in deciding whether anyone’s special pass issued by the ICA would be cancelled at any time."

Sentencing

Wang was sentenced on Jun. 25, 2024, to six weeks imprisonment.

Wang's early plea of guilt, as well as her full cooperation with authorities, were taken into consideration, the judge noted in her judgment, and that Wang also had no prior criminal record and was "remorseful" for the offences committed.

That being said, the judge noted that Wang's conspiracy with Ong to illegally obtain a work permit was "well-planned and deliberate".

She said Wang would have also known that obtaining such a permit would be illegal as she had worked in Singapore before with a work permit.

The judge also pointed out that Wang purchased the permit "in defiance of public authorities" who had previously rejected her work permit application.

The couple also maintained the deception for "an extremely long time" of one year and five months, added the judge, and neither did Wang surrender on her own accord.

Wang is appealing against the sentence and is currently on bail.

Top photo from SGCourts.