FDHs targeted in Immigration’s latest anti-illegal work raids

 

All the workers arrested were all women working in restaurants or guesthouses

A total of 16 people were arrested in anti-illegal work operations conducted by the Immigration Department that targeted foreign domestic helpers working mainly in restaurants or guesthouses.

Arrested over three days, from Oct. 12 to 14, were ten suspected illegal workers aged 26 to 43, and six employers aged 41 to 63.

Pindutin para sa detalye

The 10 workers were all women. Five are current helpers, three were former helpers who had overstayed their visas, one visitor, and one imported worker.

Immigration said most of the suspected illegal workers were found working at restaurants or guesthouses doing dishwashing, cleaning and other odd jobs.

The employers were locals comprising five men and one woman.

An immigration officer displays the items seized during the operations

Immigration reminded the public that FDHs should only perform domestic duties for their contractual employer as listed in the "Schedule of Accommodation and Domestic Duties" attached to the employment contract.

“The helper should not take up any other employment, including part-time domestic duties, with any other person. The employer should not require or allow the helper to carry out any work for any other person," the Immigration statement said.

Basahin ang detalye!

Anyone who violates a condition of stay in their visas, including FDHs and tourists who are not allowed to take up any work in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, are guilty of an offence.

The maximum penalty for the offence is a fine of $50,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment.

If the illegal worker is an illegal immigrant, a person subject to a removal or deportation order os is a overstayer, face a maximum penalty of three years in jail, and fine of up to $50,000.

Employers who hired a person who is not lawfully employable could be jailed for up to 10 years, and fined a maximum of $500,000. Under sentencing guidelines imposed by the High Court, an immediate custodial sentence is prescribed for an offending employer.

The director, manager, secretary, partner or any officer of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability.

The sentencing guidelines require all employers to take “all practicable steps” to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. This means that apart from inspecting a job applicant’s identity card, the employer is also duty-bound to make enquiries to ensure the lawful employability of the person.

If the jobseeker does not have a permanent HK identity card the employer is required to inspect the applicant’s valid travel document to ensure compliance with the law. Failure to do this would make the employer liable to pay a maximum fine of $150,000 and could be jailed for up to a year.

Immigration warned employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers, saying it will continue “to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.”

 

Pinay jailed 6 months for almost $1m that passed through her bank account

 

File photo posted by another Filipina who was earlier convicted of money laundering

A Filipina domestic helper will spend the next six months in jail for allowing the use of her bank account in money laundering.

In a hearing at Kwun Tong Court Monday (Oct. 13), Acting Principal Magistrate Leung Ka-kie handed the sentence to Lea Callo, 32 years old, who pleaded guilty to the offense in an earlier hearing.

Pindutin para sa detalye

Callo was convicted of “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence,” in violation of sections 25(1) and 25(3) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

The charge arose from the $937,789.50 in crime proceeds that flowed in and out of her Bank of China account between May 24 and Oct. 26, 2022.

Basahin ang detalye!

The police had accused her of dealing in property that “in whole or in part, directly or indirectly represented any person’s proceeds of an indictable offence.”

Overstaying Pinay gets 5-day suspended prison sentence

She was under administrative detention for 37 days

A Filipina who lost her job as a domestic helper four years ago but stayed on in Hong Kong illegally, thus breaching her condition of stay, has received a combined sentence of five days for two counts of overstaying, suspended for 12 months.

Pindutin para sa detalye

But this does not mean that Prynne Montino, 42 years old, got off lightly after pleading guilty at Shatin Court on Thursday (Oct. 9),.

Before she was brought to court, Montino had been under “administrative detention” by the Immigration Department for 37 days.

Acting Principal Magistrate Cheang Kei-hong deducted these detention days from the 21-day imprisonment he meted for each of the charges. For the 5 days left, he ordered that Montino not be detained unless she reoffends in the next 12 months.

The first breach of condition of stay charge arose from Montino staying on until he was arrested on March 14, 2022, one year and three months after the two-week deadline for her to leave following the termination of her contract on Jan. 2, 2021.

Basahin ang detalye!

However, she could not be reached when sought again on July 21, 2022, resulting in her being charged with a similar case, in violation of section 41 of the Immigration Ordnance.

The second charge said that she overstayed between July 21, 2022 and Jan. 30, 2024.

During her overstay, Montino applied for non-refoulment, seeking to prevent the Hong Kong government from forcibly sending her back to the Philippines, resulting in her being issued a recognizance form as her identity document.

 

 

 

Bail hearing for Pinoy in $10B fake bank docs case reset

 

HSBC branch where incident was reported (Google Maps photo)  

An elderly Filipino facing a charge of “using a false instrument” after allegedly presenting fake documents purporting to show he had US$10 billion in deposits at the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp., was told he could apply for free lawyer’s services after he appeared unrepresented at the Eastern Court on Thursday, Sept. 11.

Acting Principal Magistrate David Cheung told Ramon Revillosa Jr., 69, to go to the Duty Lawyers Service at the court building after he failed to respond to a question of whether he wished to make a bail application. The elderly defendant has been in jail since his arrest last Feb. 10.

When Revillosa accepted the offer to avail of the services of a free counsel, the magistrate assumed that the defendant had reserved the right to a bail review and set a hearing on Sept. 19. By then, his  new lawyer could make a new application for bail on his behalf, and cite the reasons why the court should allow him temporary liberty.

Basahin ang detalye!

Magistrate Cheung also adjourned the case to Nov. 6, as requested by the prosecutor, for further investigation.

He earlier noted that Revillosa was represented in previous hearings by a private lawyer, apparently hired by the Philippine Consulate..

A routine auditing procedure, however, resulted in payments to the solicitor firm beng suspended by the Consulate, according to a source. Under Hong Kong law, legal services can be cut off if bills are not paid.

Revillosa is alleged to have presented a bank capability letter, guarantee letter and a certificate of balance, all purporting to have a value of US$10 billion and issued by HSBC, which he “knew, or believed to be, false”.

Using a false instrument is punishable under section 73 of the Crimes Ordinance with up to 14 years in jail.

He was the only one charged, although he was arrested with a Filipina woman lawyer, a Malaysian man, a Taiwanese man and a woman who used a Hong Kong and Macau Travel Permit to enter Hong Kong.

Last June 28, the same magistrate ordered psychiatric tests to be conducted on him in Siu Lam Hospital in Tuen Mun, which specializes in psychiatric care, to find out if he was fit to plead or needed to be hospitalized.

Overstaying twice gets 97-day jail term for Filipina

 

A Filipina who overstayed twice for a total of more than five years, was sentenced today to 97 days’ imprisonment, or 3 years and one week, after she pleaded guilty at Shatin Court.

Josielyn Tomas, 53 years old, admitted to the two charges of breach of condition of stay, in violation of section 4 of the Immigration Ordinance.

Pindutin para sa detalye

She admitted overstaying in Hong Kong for four years and two months, from when her visa had expired on Jan. 30, 2019, to when she was arrested on March 12, 2023.

Her second overstaying offence arose after she jumped bail on Sept. 3, 2024 until she was rearrested on May 2, 2025. 

For the first offence, Tomas was sentenced by Acting Principal Magistrate Cheang Kei-hong to 97 days; for the second offence, she got 16 days in prison.

But since Magistrate Cheang ordered that the two sentences run at the same time, the total term is 97 days.

Basahin ang detalye!

In a similar but separate case also at Shatin Court, Milagros Comilang was freed on bail of $500 after her case was adjourned by Magistrate Cheang to Nov. 20.

Comilang was charged with overstaying for 14 years, from the expiration of her visa on Oct. 10, 2005 to when she was arrested after being discovered between 9th and 16th of May 2019 to have remained in Hong Kong.

She arrived in Hong Kong as a visitor and received a two-week visa that expired on Oct. 10, 2005.

19 people arrested on Sunday in illegal work raids

 

The 6 Filipinas arrested for illegal dentistry practice were among the 19 rounded up 

Immigration officials have reported the arrest of 19 people at various locations on Sunday, as part of their operations against illegal work.

Those arrested, aged between 19 and 60, included the six Filipino domestic workers who were allegedly running an unlicensed dental clinic in a subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po.

Eight others were arrested on suspicion of working illegally at the restaurants.

Pindutin para sa detalye

The remaining five suspects are restaurant owners or managers.

Officers said they are not ruling out further arrests as they continue their investigation. 

The Sunday arrests should be reported as part of the weekly updates by Immigration on the result of their continuing crackdown on illegal work.

Those found violating their conditions of stay, like tourists or foreign domestic workers, face a maximum jail term of two months and a fine of $50,000.

If the illegal worker is an overstayer, illegal immigrant or subject to a deportation order, the maximum penalty is a jail term of three years, plus $50,000 fine.

Basahin ang detalye!

Employers of illegal workers can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined a maximum of $500,000. Owners and directors of companies that hire illegal workers can be held liable for the offence.

HK Immigration raids illegal dental clinic allegedly run by Filipino DHs

 

Immigration officers usher the 6 fake dentists from their 'dirty' clinic to a waiting van

Six Filipino domestic helpers have been arrested for allegedly providing illegal dental services from a subdivided unit in Sham Shui Po, which immigration officers have described as dirty and unhygienic

The six, all women aged 34 to 60, were providing the unlicensed dental treatments, with two of them acting as “dentists” while the other four served as their assistants.

Thirteen other Filipinos were found inside the makeshift clinic, apparently customers seeking treatment.

Pindutin para sa detalye

Chief Immigration Office Tai Koon-ho said at a press conference that none of those arrested possesses professional dental qualifications or training.

Some of them claimed to have learned dentistry through online videos, while one said she had worked as a dental assistant in the Philippines.

Yet, they provided dental services such as teeth cleaning, orthodontic treatment and even denture making to fellow FDWs, charging between $150 and $500 per procedure.-

Tai said initial investigations revealed the group operated in their secluded base every Sunday, attracting clients through word-of-mouth endorsements.

Seized in the raid were various instruments for teeth cleaning, braces and denture making.

Officers were appalled at the hygiene conditions in their place of operation, calling them “deplorable.”

Basahin ang detalye!

"The so-called surgery room merely contained a sofa, distilled water, tissues, towels, air fresheners, a wash basin and rudimentary surgical instruments.

"When we arrested the so-called dentists, they were wearing ordinary clothes. There was no evidence that their clothing, medical supplies or tools had undergone any sterilisation.

"Medical waste was also discarded haphazardly, posing a significant risk of cross-infection,” said Tai.

 The six are now being held on suspicion of violating their conditions of stay and for practicing dentistry without registration, and are expected to be charged.

 None of their employers were reportedly aware of their illicit activities.

Immigration warns more arrests could follow while they continue their investigation.

China-bound DHs among 38 Pinoys rescued from boat off Zamboanga

 

The rescued Filipinos were found inside this cramped boat headed out to sea

Four Filipinos recruited to work illegally in China as domestic helpers were among 38 Filipinos rescued by anti-human trafficking operatives aboard a wooden-hulled cargo vessel off Zamboanga City on August 8.

According to a Department of Migrant Workers’ Facebook post, eight of those rescued were all females, and were in possession of valid Philippine passports with tourist visas to China.\

Four of them said they were recruited to work as domestic helpers in China, with a promise that they would be paid 10,000 RMB (Php79,000) each monthly. They all had been previously offloaded or barred from leaving by Philippine immigration authorities.

The four others said they were bound for Malaysia, and were meant to travel using undocumented sea routes.

Pindutin para sa detalye

The other passengers on the cramped boat who were identified as victims of suspected human trafficking and illegal recruitment were 14 males (12 adults and 2 minors) and 16 females (22 adults and 2 minors).

The DMW statement did not disclose where the other passengers were headed.

The wooden boat at the wharf where 3 facilitators of the human trafficking were arrested

Three individuals arrested on the wharf were identified by the victims as the facilitators of the illegal recruitment and transport. They remain in custody while appropriate charges are being readied against them.

Further investigation is being carried out to identify and arrest other possible co-conspirators.

At least four of the rescued individuals have reportedly expressed willingness to testify against the recruiters and facilitators with support from the Women and Children Protection Center.

Basahin ang detalye!

Following the rescue, all victims were transported to the PDCP Facility in Barangay Mampang, Zamboanga City, where they were given temporary shelter, food and medical attention with psychological intervention through the efforts of the Department of Social Welfare in the region.

The victims were also given orientation on safe migration practices and on the government assistance programs they can avail of moving forward.

The boat they were on was identified as ML  J-Sayang. It was boarded by law enforcers at Taha Wharf in Baliwasan, Zamboanga City and was said to be bound for Taganak Island, from where the victims were to be moved through unauthorized channels for overseas employment.

The rescue operation was carried out through the combined efforts of the Zamboanga Sea-based Anti-Trafficking Task Force, of which the Department of Migrant Workers Regional Office IX is a member.

Several other government agencies including the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and the Philippine Coast Guard had a hand in the operation.

18 illegal workers arrested in raids that targeted FDHs

 

Immigration shows off fake documents used to obtain visas for the illegal workers

A four-day operation by the Immigration Department that specifically targeted foreign domestic workers doing illegal work has led to the arrest of 24 people, 18 of them illegal workers and six employers.

The operation which was carried out from August 2 to 5, led to the arrest of 14 women and four men aged 19 to 54, which reports said were predominantly from the Philippines and Indonesia.

Six Hong Kong residents aged 38 to 49, were also arrested for employing the workers or managing the businesses involved.

Among the arrested workers, three held current work contracts, six were overstayers, three came to Hong Kong on visitor visas, five held recognizance forms which signify their application for asylum, and one was an imported worker.

Investigators said most of the suspected illegal workers were doing various jobs, including dishwashing, cooking, and waiting on customers. They were paid in cash, earning between $200 and $500 each day.

Those arrested mostly worked in restaurants

In some of these cases, the employers and the helpers colluded to submit fake addresses, income proofs and employment contracts. After obtaining FDH visas, the employers made them to work as cooks or servers in restaurants.

There were also some who ended up working at unlicensed guesthouses operated by their employers, instead of the address indicated in their work contracts. They also did not do household work as stipulated in their contracts.

The operation covered 66 locations including restaurants, retail shops, guest houses, commercial buildings and residential units.

Basahin ang detalye!

The Immigration Department warned that helpers are only permitted to perform domestic duties at their employers’ residence as specified in their employment contracts.

FDHs found working illegally can be jailed for up to two years, and fined a maximum of $50,000.

Employers face more severe penalties, with a maximum jail term of 10 years and fines of up to $500,000. Company directors may also be prosecuted.

Both could also be held liable for making false statements, an offence which carries a maximum jail term of 14 years, and fines of up to $150,000.

Immigration said an investigation is continuing, with the possibility of further arrests.

 

Case of Filipina with 14 different names elevated to District Court

 

Scene of the alleged first offense (Google Maps photo)

Prosecutors dropped one of four criminal charges at Eastern Court today against two unemployed Filipinas, one of whom uses 14 different names and was subjected to a deportation order 37 years ago, but still applied for the elevation of their case to the District Court.

Jay-Ann Benlot, 30 years old, and Rebecca Quirante, 67 years old, were returned to jail by Acting Principal Magistrate David Cheung to await their next hearing at the District Court on Aug. 7.

Quirante is also known by the following names: May P. Topacio, May R. Topacio, Rosalie S. Baltazar, Bessie A. Valle, Isabel A. Castro, Malon P. Gonzales, Malou P. Gonzales, Malous P. Gorizhles, Malou P. Gorizhles, Malon P. Gorizhles, Jaqueune Dayandante Moristo, Nelrie A. Monte, and Annabelle Paqueros Sugcang.

PAANO SUMALI? BASAHIN DITO

Benlot and Quirante are accused of theft in the first charge, for allegedly stealing a wallet containing HK$2,000, 80 renminbi, Chinese travel and identity documents and four bank cards from a man who was inside the Brandy and Melville shop on the ground floor of Emperor Watch and Jewellery Centre in Causeway Bay on Nov. 10, 2024.

In the second charge, Quirante is accused of stealing one mobile phone while its owner was inside a shop on Cheung Sha Wan Road in Sham Shui Po on Nov, 14, 2024.

The third charge accuses Quirante of the serious offense of violating a deportation order issued on May 26, 1987, when she was arrested on  Nov. 15, 2024.

Basahin ang detalye!

This offense under Section 43 of the Immigration Ordinance, Cap. 115 occurs when a person who has been deported (or is subject to a deportation order) returns to Hong Kong in violation of the order. Such a breach is punishable with a maximum sentence of seven years in jail on an indictment.

Dropped from the case was a charge of theft agaisnt both of them, for allegedly stealing a wallet containing an Octopus card and $1,000 from a man who was inside Yoho Mall I on Long Yat Road in Yuen Long on Nov. 14, 2024. The prosecutor did not explain why the charge was withdrawn.

Filipinos applying for ESLS jobs urged to be cautious

 

Acting Labatt Tony Villafuerte with Vice Consul David Paje urges caution to jobseekers

Officers of the Philippine Consulate have warned Filipinos seeking employment under Hong Kong’s new labor import scheme for low-skilled workers to be very careful when dealing with agents or people offering such jobs.

The warning came as a number of employment agencies and individuals have begun advertising their services for foreign domestic helpers seeking to work as “office staff, waiter/waitress, bookkeeper, cashier, dishwasher,” etc.

One promoter said on a video that the jobs are available at a licensed recruitment agency in Central, while another agency in Sheung Wan merely promised to help process the job applications, indicating the jobseekers must look for possible employers themselves.

Commenting on these advertisements, Acting Labor Attache Tony Villafuerte said Filipinos who wish to be employed under Hong Kong’s Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) must first ensure that there is a job waiting for them.

 “The jobseekers must not pay the recruitment agency for the processing of the documents because the employers are supposed to do this,” said Villafuerte.

At most, he said that under Hong Kong’s labour laws they could be charged only 10% of their first monthly salary, which means they should have already secured the job before paying anything.

Villafuerte said the Labour Department has adopted strict measures to ensure that local workers are not displaced by those from overseas, like requiring them to undergo a four-week local recruitment exercise, which includes advertising the position in local newspapers.

Imported workers must also be paid at least the prevailing average monthly wages of comparable positions, and could be hired for no longer than 24 months in each application. Employers must also hire two fulltime staff for every imported worker, and must pay a levy for them.

Once the application is filed, it is vetted by first, the Labour Advisory Board and then the  government. The employer can proceed with applying for an employment visa once an approval for hiring the imported worker is issued.

This poster says FDWs can switch jobs under the ESLS but they must look for employers themselves

While the Hong Kong government says a total of 54,278 workers were allowed in under the ESLS as of March this year, Villafuerte says MWO records show that only 38 of them were Filipinos.

However, an employee of local company Hong Kong Aero Services Limited (HAESL) have told The SUN that about 600 Filipinos were hired by the company recently to work as aircraft mechanic. It appears the hiring was done directly by the company, including the filing of necessary paperwork with Immigration.

Villafuerte concedes this could be true, as the applications to hire foreign workers, including Filipinos, are directly filed with HK Immigration. It is only when the contracts are approved that they are forwarded to MWO for verification. And even this is often done only when the worker needs to go back to the Philippines for a vacation.

Pinay jailed 1 year for overstaying 27 years

 

Footbridge beside Worldwide House where Filipina was arrested (Google Maps photo)

A Filipina who has overstayed for 27 years after she was terminated from her work as a domestic helper in 1996, was jailed for 12 months yesterday, July 16, after she pleaded guilty at Eastern Court.

Since Josephine Rescate, 63 years old, has been in jail for almost two years because the court has rejected her applications for bail in prevous hearings, she is expected to be formally released immediately and deported.

The hearing of her overstaying case had to be delayed after she requested that her application for non-refoulement, or against being sent back to the Philippines on account of claimed torture, be dealt with first.

Rescate was convicted of breach of condition of stay, in violation of section 41 of the Immigration Ordinance, for overstaying her visa since Sept. 29, 1996, or 14 days after she was terminated from her job as a domestic helper.

Basahin ang detalye!

Acting Principal Magistrate David Cheung told her that she had overstayed for a substantial length of time and the sentence was net of the one-third discount she was entitled to for pleading guilty.

Rescate, who is an applicant for asylum as a torture claimant, has managed to remain underground until her arrest on Sept. 7, 2023 on the footbridge near Exit A of the Central MTR station and Worldwide House, during a routine police check.