Number of overstayers arrested fell by over 40% between 2013 and 2018: Shanmugam
SINGAPORE — Between 2013 and last year, the number of overstayers arrested in Singapore fell by over 40 per cent, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam on Tuesday (3 September).
The number of people arrested went from 1,690 in 2013 to 940 in 2018, he said in a written reply to a parliamentary question raised by Nominated Member of Parliament Anthea Ong.
She had asked what proportion of the overstayers nabbed last year were Social Visit Pass or Work Pass holders. Ong had also enquired about the duration of overstaying these offenders had committed.
Shanmugam said that 510 of the overstayers arrested were Short-Term Visit Pass holders, while another 107 were Work Pass holders. “Another 283 were holders of Special Passes, which were issued to them for specific purposes such as assisting in an investigation or attending court,” he added.
The remaining overstayers held other passes such as Long-Term Visit Passes and Student’s Passes. Shanmugam also noted that the median overstay duration is about two months.
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