An ICA officer interviewing a man (left) suspected of being in a sham marriage during a raid on Dec 11, 2024. A Vietnamese woman suspected of being in a sham marriage was also arrested. - ST PHOTOS: NG SOR LUAN
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): According to marriage documents, a man living in a Bukit Batok flat had been married to a Vietnamese woman for several years and was living with her there.
But the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) got word that it was a sham marriage.
On Dec 11, ICA officers raided the Singaporean man’s flat.
When they entered the room of the 33-year-old, they found no evidence of a married couple living there. There were no women’s clothes, and his mother told ICA officers that she did not know her son was married.
When queried, the man claimed his wife was living with him, and that her clothes were elsewhere.
He was arrested for allegedly making false declarations in applications for immigration facilities.
His wife, 31, was also arrested that morning during a raid at her residence in Potong Pasir.
The man was arrested for allegedly making false declarations in applications for immigration facilities. - ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Between January and September in 2024, there were 32 cases of marriage of convenience, up from four cases during the same period in 2023.
A marriage of convenience is when two people tie the knot for the sole intention of acquiring an immigration advantage.
Before the raid at the man’s Bukit Batok flat, which The Straits Times was invited to, a briefing was conducted at the ICA Building in Kallang to discuss the identities of the couple and locations to be raided.
Investigations revealed they had allegedly solemnised their wedding but were not living together.
The man had also allegedly sponsored his wife’s applications to extend her long-term and short-term visit passes, and they had declared that they were living together at the same residential address.
While the ICA was holding its briefing on the raid at 5.30am, teams of officers were already deployed to the two locations.
At around 6am, when ST arrived in Bukit Batok, the flat was silent, but just outside, a hive of activity was taking place.
Three ICA officers gathered outside the unit, while several others acted as lookouts from the opposite block.
After around an hour, the lights in the unit were switched on, signalling to officers that someone was awake.
ICA officers then entered the unit and arrested the man.
Simultaneously, another team of ICA officers in Potong Pasir arrested his wife.
ICA officers showing the man’s mother a photo of her son’s wife during the raid. - ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
When ICA officers knocked on the door of the apartment, her flatmates claimed they had never seen her before. But officers found her squatting behind the toilet door.
Investigations into the couple are ongoing.
Inspector Mark Chai, deputy officer-in-charge of ICA’s intelligence division, said sham marriages in Singapore often involve a foreign woman paying a Singaporean man money for a union to be arranged, so she can get a permit to stay or work here.
Insp Chai said the increase in such cases was concerning as it could lead to a social problem in Singapore, where these foreigners could get involved in illicit activities.
He attributed the increase to more foreigners wanting to extend their visit passes to continue staying and working here.
“The idea of such marriages is often spread through word of mouth. And to some Singaporean men, it can be seen as easy money,” said Insp Chai.
“But it is illegal, and ICA is stepping up enforcement efforts to bust such arrangements.”
Those convicted for their involvement in a marriage of convenience can be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to $10,000, or both.
Superintendent Goh Wee Kiat, a senior assistant director at ICA’s intelligence division, said most marriage of convenience cases were flagged to ICA by tip-offs from the public.
He said: “The couple can try to hide the fact that their union is a marriage of convenience, but there are telltale signs that our officers are able to spot.
“In this incident, the mother of the Singaporean man claimed to be unaware of her son’s marriage, which is usually not the case for such a milestone event in someone’s life.”
He encouraged the public to report any suspected cases of marriage of convenience here, noting that all information provided will be treated with the strictest confidence.
In June 2024, 13 people – six Vietnamese women and seven Singaporean men – were charged over their alleged links to marriages of convenience.
ICA said their arrests followed vigorous investigations into a suspected syndicate arranging such sham marriages. - The Straits Times/ANN
