A 27-year-old Sri Lankan man has been arrested in Singapore after overstaying for approximately 10 months without a fixed address, according to a Straits Times report carried by Ada Derana.
The man was found sleeping in a garden above an HDB multi-storey carpark in Woodlands when plainclothes officers from Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) surrounded him during a pre-dawn operation on April 8.
Eleven ICA officers had received intelligence that the man was an overstayer whose social visit pass had expired on June 28, 2025. He was spotted at Block 574 Woodlands Drive 16 with another foreigner.
Officers observed the two men for several hours before blocking all escape routes and moving in to make the arrest. Both men’s identities were checked against ICA’s Mobile Automated Verification and Identification System, which allows fingerprint and facial recognition screening via handheld devices. The second man was released after producing a valid work pass.
According to ICA figures, overstayers account for the majority of immigration offenders arrested in Singapore. The city-state imposes strict penalties for overstaying, including caning for those who overstay by more than 90 days under the Immigration Act.
The case serves as a reminder for Sri Lankans working or travelling abroad to ensure their visa documentation remains current, particularly as migrant worker flows to Singapore and other destinations continue to grow.
Sources: Ada Derana
