Hong Kong’s Immigration Department (ImmD) has dismantled what officials describe as the city’s largest cross-boundary illegal-work syndicate to date, arresting 102 people in a series of raids conducted over the past week. According to Senior Principal Immigration Officer Tang Ka-fai, the operation followed a four-month joint investigation with mainland police that traced the syndicate’s activities on both sides of the border.
Investigators say recruiters used encrypted mainland chat groups to lure construction and restaurant workers to Hong Kong with the promise of cash wages and accommodation. Upon arrival, the workers were allegedly handed high-quality but counterfeit Hong Kong identity cards, housed in dormitories rented by the syndicate, and dispatched to jobs arranged through middlemen. The forged IDs allowed them to bypass routine employer checks and electronic access systems at many worksites. Officials estimate the criminal network collected fees for the fake documents, charged monthly rent, and skimmed roughly 10 percent of each worker’s salary—earning more than HK $20 million in its year-long run.
The arrests include two alleged masterminds, 83 suspected illegal workers aged 32-58, and 17 local employers accused of hiring them. Police on the mainland arrested a further 17 accomplices who were responsible for document forgery and recruitment. Officers seized stacks of counterfeit ID cards hidden inside hollowed-out books and food cans, as well as ledgers that showed cash transfers among shell companies.
![Hong Kong Immigration Department Busts 102-Person Illegal Worker Ring]()
Companies looking to stay safely on the right side of Hong Kong’s employment-visa regulations can enlist VisaHQ for help. The firm provides real-time guidance on work-permit eligibility, document preparation and submission timelines, and can manage entire applications on behalf of employers or individual professionals—reducing the risk of costly compliance missteps. Details are available at https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/
Tang stressed that the quality of the seized IDs was “visually crude” and advised businesses to examine security holograms and micro-print more carefully. He also warned that employers found knowingly hiring illegal workers face fines of up to HK $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment—penalties that have been imposed with increasing frequency since Hong Kong resumed full cross-border flows in early 2024.
For global mobility managers, the case is a reminder that Hong Kong’s post-pandemic talent shortages have created a lucrative black market for low-skilled labour. Companies are urged to tighten right-to-work checks, use the government’s free online ID verification tool, and audit subcontractors that provide cleaning, catering or logistics staff. ImmD says it will step up unannounced workplace inspections in the run-up to the busy Lunar New Year holiday, when seasonal demand traditionally spikes.
Investigators say recruiters used encrypted mainland chat groups to lure construction and restaurant workers to Hong Kong with the promise of cash wages and accommodation. Upon arrival, the workers were allegedly handed high-quality but counterfeit Hong Kong identity cards, housed in dormitories rented by the syndicate, and dispatched to jobs arranged through middlemen. The forged IDs allowed them to bypass routine employer checks and electronic access systems at many worksites. Officials estimate the criminal network collected fees for the fake documents, charged monthly rent, and skimmed roughly 10 percent of each worker’s salary—earning more than HK $20 million in its year-long run.
The arrests include two alleged masterminds, 83 suspected illegal workers aged 32-58, and 17 local employers accused of hiring them. Police on the mainland arrested a further 17 accomplices who were responsible for document forgery and recruitment. Officers seized stacks of counterfeit ID cards hidden inside hollowed-out books and food cans, as well as ledgers that showed cash transfers among shell companies.
Companies looking to stay safely on the right side of Hong Kong’s employment-visa regulations can enlist VisaHQ for help. The firm provides real-time guidance on work-permit eligibility, document preparation and submission timelines, and can manage entire applications on behalf of employers or individual professionals—reducing the risk of costly compliance missteps. Details are available at https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/
Tang stressed that the quality of the seized IDs was “visually crude” and advised businesses to examine security holograms and micro-print more carefully. He also warned that employers found knowingly hiring illegal workers face fines of up to HK $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment—penalties that have been imposed with increasing frequency since Hong Kong resumed full cross-border flows in early 2024.
For global mobility managers, the case is a reminder that Hong Kong’s post-pandemic talent shortages have created a lucrative black market for low-skilled labour. Companies are urged to tighten right-to-work checks, use the government’s free online ID verification tool, and audit subcontractors that provide cleaning, catering or logistics staff. ImmD says it will step up unannounced workplace inspections in the run-up to the busy Lunar New Year holiday, when seasonal demand traditionally spikes.
