7 December 2023
A female student from the Mainland was charged at the Sha Tin Magistrates' Courts with two counts of making false representation to an Immigration Department (ImmD) staff member and two counts of using a false instrument, and was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment today (December 7).
The 34-year-old defendant was granted student entry permit to study in a master degree course in Hong Kong in June this year and applied to the ImmD for dependent entry permits for her husband and daughter in July. For such applications, the defendant submitted a water bill and an electricity bill as her residential proof in Hong Kong. In the course of assessment, as the authenticity of the abovementioned documents was in question, ImmD staff verified with the relevant public utilities and confirmed that the utility bills submitted were false. During the interview with the defendant by ImmD staff, she insisted she was residing at the address shown on the utility bills. An investigation against the defendant thus began.
In the course of the investigation, the defendant admitted under caution that she was in fact not residing in Hong Kong. However, in order to have the entry dependant permit applications of her family members approved, she submitted the false utility bills to the ImmD and made false representation to the ImmD by falsely claiming she was residing at the address shown on the utility bills.
The defendant was charged of making false representation to ImmD staff and using false instruments. The defendant pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment by the Sha Tin Magistrates' Courts today.
"Under the laws of Hong Kong, any person who makes false representation to an Immigration officer commits an offence. Offenders are liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, subject to the maximum penalty of a fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years. Moreover, any person who makes, uses or has in his custody a false instrument commits an offence and is liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, subject to imprisonment for 14 years," an ImmD spokesman said.