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| Those arrested included 12 suspected illegal workers |
Two recognizance paper holders seeking asylum in a third country were among 15 people arrested last week in the latest anti-illegal work sweep by the Immigration Department.
Of those arrested, 12 –
six men and six women - are suspected of having worked illegally. The remaining
three, aged 34 to 46, are believed to have acted as employers.
The operations which were carried out from April 2 to 9 targeted multiple locations including restaurants, warehouses and massage parlors.
A statement issued by Immigration said an investigation of the suspected employers is continuing, and the possibility of further arrests cannot be ruled out.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
The statement also warned all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers.
“The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences,” said the statement.
Employers are subject to a maximum fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for up to 10 years.
Sentencing guidelines make it the employer’s duty to take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment.
Apart from inspecting the jobseeker’s identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make inquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers do not cast any reasonable doubt as to the applicant’s employability.
In the statement, Immigration also warned that engaging in illegal work is a serious offence in Hong Kong, for which the maximum sentence is two years’ imprisonment and a fine of $50,000.
If the offender is a recognizance paper holder subject to removal or deportation, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, the maximum jail term is three years.
Further, the Chief Executive may issue a deportation order against an immigrant who has been sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years, which carries with it a permanent ban on the offender.
