Singapore Charges 2 People, Agency Over 14 False Work Pass Declarations

1 articles · Updated · CNA · May 28

Singapore charged Zhao Yanxiao, Hu Yuping and Wonderful Agency over 14 allegedly false work pass declarations and a S$500 kickback taken from a migrant worker.
MOM said applications filed between December 2024 and August 2025 claimed the workers were food-processing staff earning S$2,000 a month, but they were instead sent to massage parlours, beauty salons and spas.
Zhao faces 12 charges over false employment declarations and two over salary declarations, while Wonderful Agency faces the same 14 counts; Hu is accused of abetting one false declaration and taking the kickback.
False work pass declarations can bring fines of up to S$20,000 and two years' jail, while kickback offences carry penalties of up to S$30,000 and two years' imprisonment; convictions can also trigger bans on hiring foreign workers.

Is Singapore's foreign worker levy system inadvertently pushing employers toward illegal kickbacks and exploitation?

As an 'ethical' agency faces fraud charges, will expanding worker schemes protect migrants or create new avenues for exploitation?