A Singaporean director of manufacturing and cleaning companies has been charged with multiple offences under Singapore’s Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA), including illegally importing labour, making false employment declarations, and hiring workers unlawfully.

Qin Xiaoxi was the director of Xpress Manufacture and Express Manufacture as well as the sole proprietor of Xpress Cleaning & Service.

According to the Ministry of Manpower, investigations found that from May to September 2022, Xiaoxi allegedly obtained work passes for 20 foreigners to work for Xpress Manufacture and Express Manufacture, in exchange for monetary payment. The two companies were non-operational, did not require the employment of foreigners, and failed to employ them after they arrived in Singapore.

Between June and December 2022, Xiaoxi also allegedly employed two foreigners without valid work passes to work for Xpress Cleaning & Service. The two foreigners had obtained work passes under Xpress Manufacture and Express Manufacture, as Xpress Cleaning & Service did not have the quota to hire more foreign employees.

Xiaoxi had also allegedly declared that one other foreigner would be employed by Xpress Manufacture when there was no intention for her to be employed. Investigations against the foreigners involved in the alleged offences are ongoing.

Overall, Xiaoxi is facing 20 charges under the EFMA for engaging in a conspiracy to obtain work passes for foreign employees for a business that does not exist, that is not in operation or that does not require the employment of such a foreign employee and fails to employ the foreigner. Xiaoxi is also facing one charge for falsely declaring that a foreign employee would be employed at Xpress Manufacture and two charges for employing foreign employees without a valid work pass at Xpress Cleaning & Service.

Under the EFMA, persons convicted of obtaining work passes for foreign employees for a business that does not exist, that is not in operation or that does not require the employment of such a foreign employee, and fails to employ the foreign employee, may be liable to a term of imprisonment of up to two years, and may be fined up to SGD 6,000 (USD 4,386) per charge.

If convicted of six or more charges, caning may also be imposed. Caning remains a widely used form of corporal punishment in Singapore and is inflicted by specially trained prison staff using a long and thick rattan cane.