JAKARTA - Hong Kong’s Immigration Department arrested 13 people in territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations targeting renovation work, according to a June 4 government release. The operations, codenamed “Contribute,” were carried out from June 2 to June 3 and resulted in the arrest of 12 suspected illegal workers and one suspected employer.
Immigration officers said suspects had recently used social media platforms to advertise renovation services in Hong Kong. After intelligence analysis and investigation, officers posed as customers on a social media platform to ask about and book the services. Four suspected illegal workers, all men aged 33 to 53, were arrested when they provided services in Hong Kong.
Officers also raided several target locations, including industrial buildings and residential flats under renovation. Eight more suspected illegal workers were arrested in those raids, comprising six men and two women aged 28 to 54. A 45-year-old woman suspected of employing illegal workers was also arrested. The department said the investigation into suspected employers was continuing and further arrests had not been ruled out.
An Immigration Department spokesman said “visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid” without permission from the Director of Immigration. People who breach a condition of stay face prosecution and, upon conviction, a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and up to two years in prison. Aiders and abettors may also face prosecution and penalties.
The department said section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance prohibits illegal immigrants, overstayers, people subject to removal or deportation orders, and people refused permission to land from taking employment, paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining any business. Convicted offenders face a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and up to three years in prison.
The department said the maximum penalty for employing a person who is not lawfully employable has been raised from a HK$350,000 fine and three years in prison to a HK$500,000 fine and 10 years in prison.
Hong Kong’s Immigration Department enforcement statistics show that 1,084 illegal workers, excluding sex workers, were prosecuted in 2025, up from 1,013 in 2024. Employers of illegal workers prosecuted rose from 169 in 2024 to 179 in 2025, and total prosecutions instituted increased from 4,973 to 5,279.
