A 60-year-old Chinese national, Yu Zefang, overstayed in Singapore for more than 28 years before surrendering herself in December 2024.
Her case, believed to be the longest of its kind, has prompted scrutiny in Parliament over how such a prolonged violation could occur undetected.
On 1 September 2025, Yu was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and fined S$2,000 under the Immigration Act.
During a Parliamentary session, Workers’ Party Member of Parliament Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs about systemic lapses that allowed the overstay.
He also questioned how Yu’s daughter later secured permanent residency (PR), and what reforms have been implemented to prevent similar incidents.
In response, Minister K Shanmugam said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) treats overstaying and the harbouring of offenders seriously.
He explained that while ICA conducts regular enforcement operations, some individuals intentionally evade detection.
Referring directly to Yu’s case, Shanmugam stated that she deliberately maintained a low profile to avoid being found. She had no fixed address, did not hold formal employment, and avoided government services such as public healthcare, all of which could have triggered identity verification.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, Yu overstayed for 10,268 days—between 20 November 1996 and 30 December 2024—after initially entering Singapore on a student pass in April 1995.
Her legal status changed after she was arrested for drug use in October 1996, leading to her passport being confiscated. She was then issued a special pass by ICA, which allowed her to remain temporarily pending investigations. However, Yu failed to report back and absconded after the pass expired in November 1996.
In January 1997, her daughter, who was eight years old at the time, obtained a student pass to continue schooling in Singapore. Yu decided to remain illegally to care for her child.
The Minister confirmed that ICA is investigating the circumstances surrounding the daughter’s eventual PR status, which was granted in May 2008. While details of the application were not disclosed in court, Shanmugam said action would be taken if any fraud or immigration offences were identified.
Yu remained undetected for nearly three decades until voluntarily surrendering to ICA on 30 December 2024, stating her desire to return to China.
During court proceedings on 1 September 2025, Yu was accompanied by family and friends and pleaded guilty. Her lawyer requested leniency, citing her remorse and the fact that she had turned herself in.
The judge acknowledged her voluntary surrender but emphasised the severity of the offence, noting that Yu had knowingly overstayed for an extended period.
Singapore’s immigration laws impose stiff penalties on overstayers. Under the Immigration Act, offenders can be fined up to S$6,000 and imprisoned for up to six months. In more serious cases, male offenders may also be subject to caning.
Minister Shanmugam assured Parliament that ICA is working to improve its enforcement and detection mechanisms.
These include reviewing vulnerabilities that allowed Yu to live in the country without detection and strengthening controls to prevent PR applications from being exploited.
Although the Minister did not disclose specific new measures, he reiterated that ICA continues to refine its capabilities to identify overstayers, particularly those who deliberately conceal their presence.
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