SINGAPORE – Five men have been arrested for suspected overstaying offences during an inland operation conducted by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

Preliminary investigations revealed that they had overstayed and were employed illegally in carpentry work after their visit passes and work permits expired, said the authority in a Facebook post on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi men, aged between 23 and 29, were arrested by ICA officers early in the morning on April 4 in Kim Chuan Road.

ICA said it takes a serious view towards overstaying in Singapore.

“As guardians of our borders, ICA is committed to safeguard Singapore’s security and will continue with inland enforcement efforts to keep the immigration offender situation under control,” it said.

According to the ICA Annual Statistics Report 2022, there was a dip of about 4 per cent in the total number of harbourers and employers of immigration offenders arrested by the authority in 2022.

In 2022, most immigration offenders employed by errant employers were working in the construction, maintenance and food and beverage industries, or were freelance house cleaners or odd-job workers, ICA said in the report.

It added that it will continue to come down hard on harbourers and employers of immigration offenders to deny these offenders shelter and means of subsistence, which will make it more difficult for them to stay here illegally.

If found guilty, overstayers can be sentenced to up to six months in jail and a minimum of three strokes of the cane.

To report any information on suspected immigration offenders, visit www.ica.gov.sg/feedbackform