A 60-year-old woman from China in Singapore was sentenced to 6 months in jail and a fine of SGD2,000 (~RM6,563) for staying in the country much, much longer than she was supposed to.
She overstayed her visa for over 28 years after obtaining a student’s pass back in April 1995, which she regularly renewed in the beginning.
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60-year-old Chinese national sentenced to 6 months’ jail for overstaying her visa in Singapore for over 28 years
Despite her student’s pass expiry date in September 1996, the woman planned to stay in the country illegally until her first arrest a month later. She was then granted a special pass by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Oct. 17, 1996, pending the outcome of the investigation.
While on the pass, Yu was expected to report regularly to the immigration department, but failed to do so.
The woman, Yu, was also nowhere to be found when the pass expired in November of the same year.
According to investigations, Yu’s daughter, who was 8 years old in 1997, applied for a student pass so that she could stay in Singapore to study. Yu, however, decided to continue her illegal stay to take care of her daughter.
Yu’s daughter obtained permanent resident status in May 2008.
Yu stayed in Singapore illegally for 10,268 days
According to Lian He Zao Bao, the charge sheet stated that Yu stayed in Singapore illegally from November 20, 1996, until December 30, 2024. The start date was counted from the day of the expiry date of her special pass.
Yu initially wanted to return to China, but then turned herself in to the Immigration department.
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On Monday (September 1), Yu pleaded guilty in court and said that she regretted her actions and chose to plead guilty as soon as possible, begging the judge for a lenient sentence.
The Judge pointed out that although the defendant had pleaded guilty, the court still sentenced her to jail and fined her, given the tremendously long overstay, which was done intentionally.
