Hong Kong’s Immigration Department, Labour Department and three other agencies wrapped up a series of joint operations—codenamed “Silver Wing”, “Dawn”, “Light-Shadow”, “Rainbow” and “Champion”—between 14 and 18 December, arresting 34 suspected illegal workers, four overstayers and five employers.
Raids targeted 10 restaurants, laundries, renovation sites, logistics warehouses and more than 100 delivery-platform hotspots. Among those detained were 15 imported labourers caught working outside their contract locations and three food-delivery riders holding recognisance papers that prohibit employment. Officers also seized a fake Construction Worker Registration Card.
For organisations that need to stay on top of these strict immigration rules, VisaHQ offers a convenient way to manage Hong Kong work-permit applications and renewals. Its online portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) centralises document submission, provides status alerts and helps HR teams verify that staff hold the correct visa class before assigning them to a project—reducing the risk of costly compliance missteps.
![43 Arrested in Territory-Wide Crackdown on Illegal Workers]()
The swoop reflects mounting political pressure to police the city’s recently expanded Labour Importation Scheme, which allows up to 20 000 overseas workers to fill shortages in construction, aviation and care homes. Employers found exploiting loopholes by relocating staff without approval face fines of HK$350 000 and up to three years’ jail.
Corporate mobility teams should ensure secondees and contractors work strictly at locations listed on their employment visas. The Labour Department advises companies to keep on-site visa copies and to use its free “WorkPassCheck” mobile app for spot verification. Repeat offenders risk being black-listed from future import-labour quotas.
Unions welcomed the arrests but demanded heavier penalties for delivery platforms that, they claim, routinely accept riders with irregular status. A legislative bill to raise maximum fines for illegal employment to HK$500 000 is scheduled for first reading in January 2026.
Raids targeted 10 restaurants, laundries, renovation sites, logistics warehouses and more than 100 delivery-platform hotspots. Among those detained were 15 imported labourers caught working outside their contract locations and three food-delivery riders holding recognisance papers that prohibit employment. Officers also seized a fake Construction Worker Registration Card.
For organisations that need to stay on top of these strict immigration rules, VisaHQ offers a convenient way to manage Hong Kong work-permit applications and renewals. Its online portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) centralises document submission, provides status alerts and helps HR teams verify that staff hold the correct visa class before assigning them to a project—reducing the risk of costly compliance missteps.
The swoop reflects mounting political pressure to police the city’s recently expanded Labour Importation Scheme, which allows up to 20 000 overseas workers to fill shortages in construction, aviation and care homes. Employers found exploiting loopholes by relocating staff without approval face fines of HK$350 000 and up to three years’ jail.
Corporate mobility teams should ensure secondees and contractors work strictly at locations listed on their employment visas. The Labour Department advises companies to keep on-site visa copies and to use its free “WorkPassCheck” mobile app for spot verification. Repeat offenders risk being black-listed from future import-labour quotas.
Unions welcomed the arrests but demanded heavier penalties for delivery platforms that, they claim, routinely accept riders with irregular status. A legislative bill to raise maximum fines for illegal employment to HK$500 000 is scheduled for first reading in January 2026.
