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Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a series of territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations codenamed “Contribute”, “Rally” and “Twilight”, on May 26, 28, and yesterday (May 29) respectively. A total of 15 suspected illegal workers and three suspected employers were arrested.

During the anti-illegal worker operations, ImmD Task Force officers raided 294 target locations including a construction site, residential buildings and restaurants. Fifteen suspected illegal workers and three suspected employers were arrested. The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised 10 men and five women, aged 26 to 67. Among them, seven men and three women were holders of recognisance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment. In addition, two men and two women were also suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card. Three men, aged 29 to 59, were suspected of employing the illegal workers and were also arrested.

An ImmD spokesman said, “Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him or her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties.”

The spokesman warned, “As stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment. As stipulated in section 20(1)(a) of the Immigration Ordinance, the Chief Executive may make a deportation order against an immigrant, prohibiting the immigrant from being in Hong Kong at any time thereafter if the immigrant has been found guilty in Hong Kong of an offence punishable by imprisonment for not less than two years. Under the prevailing laws, it is an offence to use or possess a forged Hong Kong identity card or a Hong Kong identity card related to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $100,000 and up to 10 years’ imprisonment.”

The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.

According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee’s identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker’s valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.

Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the ImmD officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threats and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter or temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

​The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) today (May 30) urged members of the public to be vigilant against fraudulent social media accounts impersonating the Chief Executive of the HKMA, Mr Eddie Yue. The HKMA clarified that its latest news and work priorities are only disseminated through official channels, including the official website and social media accounts (for details, please visit www.hkma.gov.hk). Any other personal social media accounts or pages claiming to represent the HKMA Chief Executive are fake.

The public should disregard any information disseminated on suspicious websites, social media accounts or pages.

The incident has been reported to the Police for follow up.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui met financial officials in Ottawa on Wednesday and business representatives in Vancouver yesterday, as he continued a five-day visit to Canada.

Mr Hui met Canadian Deputy Minister of Finance Chris Forbes on Wednesday. They discussed the challenges posed by unilateralism and protectionism, and how Hong Kong and Canada might collaborate to achieve mutual benefits in areas such as the gold market and virtual assets.

Mr Hui told Mr Forbes that as global economic gravity continues to shift eastwards, Hong Kong has been exploring new growth areas and expanding international co-operation. He said this includes efforts by a working group to promote gold market development.

In a meeting with Canada’s Superintendent of Financial Institutions Peter Routledge, Mr Hui spoke of Hong Kong’s perseverance in upholding a robust regulatory regime across different financial institutions and financial products.

Mr Routledge praised Hong Kong for its advanced development in the area of digital assets, stating that it sets an example for other regions.

Mr Hui then met Senator Woo Yuen-pau at Parliament Hill and brief hum on Hong Kong’s effort in maintaining its status as an international financial centre through various measures.

He mentioned the recent affirmations of Hong Kong’s credit ratings by Fitch, S&P and Moody’s, adding that these fully demonstrate Hong Kong’s resilience in maintaining stability amid increasing global economic and financial uncertainties.

During his short stay in Ottawa, Mr Hui also paid a courtesy call to China’s Ambassador to Canada Wang Di.

Mr Wang said Hong Kong has its own distinctive advantages which can enable it to be a bridgehead in driving closer ties between China and Canada in addition to fostering direct co-operation between Hong Kong and Canada.

In Vancouver yesterday, Mr Hui met Fraser Institute Board Chair Mark Scott and some other prominent business figures to update them on Hong Kong’s financial development.

Mr Hui welcomed the think-tank’s ranking of Hong Kong as the world’s freest economies in its Economic Freedom of the World 2024 Annual Report.

Later, he spoke at a business lunch hosted by the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association (Vancouver Chapter), and participated in a fireside chat.

Mr Hui then met representatives of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and briefed them on development in areas such as wealth management and digital assets in Hong Kong.

The day concluded with a business networking reception and seminar organised by Invest Hong Kong (Canada).

Addressing the audience, Mr Hui highlighted the Government’s dedication to integrate Web3 innovations into the real economy by introducing a licensing regime for fiat-referenced stablecoin issuers, and to foster the development of Web3 and digital assets.

He also mentioned Hong Kong’s determination to expand the financial value chain to sustain the world-class status of its financial markets. Two forward-looking moves are to build an international gold trading market and create a commodity trading ecosystem in Hong Kong, he said.

Mr Hui added that, with Canada enjoying a prominent position in the global gold market and the Toronto Stock Exchange being the world’s pre-eminent stock exchange for mining companies, co-operation between Hong Kong and Canada can establish an East-West financial corridor for the world.