When a Chinese woman's visit pass expired on Mar. 27, 2004, she decided to stay in Singapore without applying for a visa extension.

The woman, Lu Ailan, subsequently remained in Singapore unlawfully for more than 20 years until she surrendered herself at the Repatriation Branch of the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Aug. 20, 2024.

Lu, now 55 years old, was arrested on the same day when she could not produce any evidence to show that she was staying legally in Singapore.

Lu overstayed for over 20 years

After Lu's arrest, she was referred to the investigation branch at ICA for investigations, according to court documents seen by Mothership.

Investigations revealed that Lu arrived in Singapore by flight via Changi Airport Terminal 1 on Mar. 13, 2004, when she was granted a visit pass that was valid till Mar. 27, 2004.

However, upon the expiry of her visit pass, Lu remained in Singapore unlawfully "for the purposes of seeking and engaging in illegal employment to earn monies".

From Mar. 28, 2004 till the day of her arrest, Lu had overstayed in Singapore for 7,451 days, or 20 years, four months, and 24 days.

Lu jailed and fined

Lu was sentenced to a six-month jail term and a S$2,000 fine in lieu of caning by a Singapore court on Aug. 29, 2024, after admitting to overstaying, reported Lianhe Zaobao.

When delivering the verdict, the judge stated that while Lu had surrendered herself and pleaded guilty, her sentencing would need to take her extended overstaying period into consideration.

Court proceedings did not reveal why Lu decided to surrender herself, according to Zaobao.

Those convicted of overstaying in Singapore for a period exceeding 90 days could be jailed for up to six months and receive at least three strokes of the cane.

Individuals who are not punishable with caning, such as women like Lu, could be fined up to S$6,000 in lieu of caning.

Overstaying a serious offence with severe penalties: ICA

In a statement on Lu's case, the ICA reiterated that the law treats overstaying "as a serious offence" and "the penalties are correspondingly severe".

"ICA conducts rigorous and regular in-land enforcement checks with other law enforcement agencies, such as the Singapore Police Force, to arrest offenders, including overstayers," the statement read.

The authority also reminded the public to do its part to deter overstaying, adding:

"Employers and homeowners must exercise due diligence and ensure that prospective foreign employee/tenant's status in Singapore is legal before offering employment or renting out their premises. This includes checking their original immigration/work pass, cross-checking their particulars on their pass against their passport, and verifying the validity of their pass through the issuing authority's website."

Members of the public are advised to report suspected cases of immigration offenders to ICA here.

Harbourers or employers of immigration offenders could be jailed for up to 24 months, fined up to S$6,000, or both upon conviction, added ICA.

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