Overstayers in Singapore

The following question stood in the name of Mr Arthur Fong –

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number of overstayers currently in Singapore; (b) what are the annual figures for overstayers caught in the last five years; and (c) what are the procedures, processes or actions taken against these overstayers.

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Madam, the number of overstayers arrested in Singapore has been on a downtrend over the past five years. It dropped by about 49%, from 3,760 in 2009 to 1,930 in 2013.

Overstayers are immigration offenders who have contravened section 15 of the Immigration Act. They are investigated in accordance with the procedures set out in the Criminal Procedure Code. Depending on the circumstances of each case, these offenders could be prosecuted, given a stern warning or fined. They are also liable to be removed from Singapore by order of the Controller of Immigration.

Persons removed under such orders are required to seek permission from the Controller of Immigration should they wish to enter Singapore in the future.

Mdm Speaker, I just wanted to ask the Minister how long is the ban to disallow such overstayers from coming back to Singapore and is there a timeframe after which overstayers can come back. I do have residents whose spouses have been banned and they want to know when their overstayer spouse can be allowed back in Singapore.

Madam, I thank the Member for his questions. In general, I think a lot depends on the nature of the offence, how egregious the overstaying offence was, and any other factors that would be relevant in determining whether a person should be re-admitted or be allowed to re-enter Singapore, and if so, after what duration.

Madam, a supplementary question. I would like to ask the Minister whether he could share the nationality of these overstayers and which nation has the most overstayers in Singapore.

Madam, in general, the overstayer pattern in Singapore is not different from our immigration flows. Most of the overstayers come from Asian countries.

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