Hong Kong man jailed 16 months over sham marriage
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A 32-year-old Hong Kong resident was sentenced at Sha Tin Magistrates’ Courts on August 31 to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud and making a false statutory declaration. Investigators said he accepted about HK$50,000 in an arranged sham marriage with a mainland Chinese woman and falsely declared he was the father of her unborn child to help her obtain a booking confirmation for delivery at a private hospital in Hong Kong.
Key Points
- The defendant married the mainland woman in Hong Kong in February 2025, but immigration officers later questioned whether the marriage was genuine.
- After the marriage, the woman obtained a private hospital booking confirmation as a so-called “double non-permanent resident” pregnant woman seeking to give birth in Hong Kong.
- She tried to enter Hong Kong in June 2025 for childbirth, but Immigration Department officers refused her entry because they doubted the authenticity of the marriage.
- The woman later gave birth in mainland China, while the man admitted under caution that a middleman had arranged the sham marriage for about HK$50,000.
- He also admitted knowingly making a false declaration at the Home Affairs Department, claiming he was the unborn baby’s biological father to help secure the delivery booking confirmation.
Why It Matters
The Immigration Department said it is highly concerned about non-local pregnant women attempting to enter Hong Kong for childbirth through illegal means and will continue enforcement at control points and against those who assist them. The department also said it is still investigating other people involved and has not ruled out further arrests