28th August 2026 – (Hong Kong) The Immigration Department, in collaboration with the Labour Department, the Hong Kong Police Force, Hong Kong Customs, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, has concluded a series of territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations conducted from 21st to 27th August. These efforts, codenamed “Twilight”, “Rainbow” and “Champion”, involved coordinated raids on multiple premises, including restaurants, markets and warehouses, leading to significant arrests. A total of thirty-one suspected illegal workers—twenty-one men and ten women aged between 20 and 60—were apprehended. Among them, three men and one woman were found holding recognisance forms that specifically bar them from undertaking any form of employment. Four men between the ages of 23 and 51 were arrested on suspicion of employing illegal workers, while three women between 32 and 58 years old were detained as overstayers. Investigations into the suspected employers are continuing and further arrests have not been ruled out.
Alongside enforcement activity, Immigration Department officers distributed leaflets to employers attending a large-scale job fair in Mong Kok, reminding them of the legal requirement to refrain from employing individuals without lawful entitlement to work and promoting the dedicated hotline for reporting illegal work practices.
A department spokesperson underlined the seriousness of the offences, reiterating that anyone who breaches their conditions of stay, or works in Hong Kong without permission from the Director of Immigration, is liable to criminal prosecution. Convicted offenders may face a maximum fine of fifty thousand dollars and up to two years’ imprisonment. The spokesman stressed that anyone aiding or abetting such offences also risks prosecution and significant penalties.
The spokesman further noted that according to section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, illegal immigrants, those subject to removal or deportation orders, overstayers and persons refused permission to land are strictly prohibited from any form of employment or the establishment of businesses, whether paid or unpaid. Breaches of these provisions can result in fines up to fifty thousand dollars and imprisonment for as long as three years. In addition, section 20(1)(a) of the ordinance empowers the Chief Executive to make deportation orders for individuals convicted of offences punishable by not less than two years’ imprisonment.
Emphasising the increased severity of penalties, the Immigration Ordinance now stipulates a maximum fine of five hundred thousand dollars and imprisonment for up to ten years for employers who engage people not lawfully permitted to work. Individuals in managerial or directorial roles within the company can also be held criminally liable, with High Court sentencing guidelines requiring immediate custodial sentences for convicted employers.
Employers are legally obliged to take all practicable steps to verify a prospective employee’s right to work, which includes checking identity documents and making sufficient enquiries to ensure employability. Failure to conduct proper checks or to inspect a job seeker’s travel documentation when a Hong Kong permanent identity card is not available is also an offence, carrying a maximum penalty of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars and imprisonment for one year.
During these operations, the Immigration Department also undertook the routine screening of vulnerable individuals, including all those arrested, to assess for indicators of trafficking in persons or forced labour. Any person identified as a potential victim is offered immediate support, including urgent intervention services, shelter and counselling. The department urges anyone who suspects they may be a victim of trafficking or forced labour to report their situation to the authorities promptly.