In a separate but overlapping initiative, the Immigration Department teamed up with Hong Kong Police for a five-day “Champion” operation that concluded late on 29 January, media outlet Sing Tao Daily reported in the early hours of January 30. Officers raided restaurants, guest houses, retail shops and renovation sites across the territory, detaining 29 suspected illegal workers—most of them mainland Chinese visitors—and six local employers.
Investigators say three of the arrested women were asylum seekers holding recognisance forms, which do not confer work rights but have been widely abused in the gig economy. One male suspect allegedly used another person’s Hong Kong identity card. Employers are being probed for failing to inspect right-to-work documents; additional arrests are possible.
Companies unsure about the validity of a candidate’s travel status can outsource the verification process to specialists like VisaHQ, which maintains an up-to-date database of Hong Kong entry categories and work authorisations. The firm’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) allows HR teams to run instant eligibility checks and even arrange the correct visas for incoming staff—services that can mitigate the risk of inadvertent breaches spotlighted by the latest raids.
![City-wide ‘Champion’ sweep nets 35 illegal workers and employers]()
The sweep illustrates the government’s dual-track strategy: targeted undercover stings (as in the RedNote case) and broad compliance raids across high-risk sectors. Facilities-management, F&B and small-retail operators should expect visits without notice and maintain readily accessible copies of employees’ IDs and visa conditions.
Labour lawyers note that convictions for employing persons unlawfully here can trigger exclusion from government tenders—a sharp deterrent for cleaning and security contractors dependent on public-sector work. Insurance carriers may also hike premiums for firms flagged in Immigration Department press releases.
With unemployment edging below 3 percent and public frustration over wage suppression, analysts predict more politically visible enforcement right through the Lunar New Year travel surge, when cross-boundary passenger numbers typically exceed three million per long weekend.
Investigators say three of the arrested women were asylum seekers holding recognisance forms, which do not confer work rights but have been widely abused in the gig economy. One male suspect allegedly used another person’s Hong Kong identity card. Employers are being probed for failing to inspect right-to-work documents; additional arrests are possible.
Companies unsure about the validity of a candidate’s travel status can outsource the verification process to specialists like VisaHQ, which maintains an up-to-date database of Hong Kong entry categories and work authorisations. The firm’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) allows HR teams to run instant eligibility checks and even arrange the correct visas for incoming staff—services that can mitigate the risk of inadvertent breaches spotlighted by the latest raids.
The sweep illustrates the government’s dual-track strategy: targeted undercover stings (as in the RedNote case) and broad compliance raids across high-risk sectors. Facilities-management, F&B and small-retail operators should expect visits without notice and maintain readily accessible copies of employees’ IDs and visa conditions.
Labour lawyers note that convictions for employing persons unlawfully here can trigger exclusion from government tenders—a sharp deterrent for cleaning and security contractors dependent on public-sector work. Insurance carriers may also hike premiums for firms flagged in Immigration Department press releases.
With unemployment edging below 3 percent and public frustration over wage suppression, analysts predict more politically visible enforcement right through the Lunar New Year travel surge, when cross-boundary passenger numbers typically exceed three million per long weekend.
