The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has recently prosecuted an employer for engaging an unlicensed employment agent (EA). This is the first prosecution case since the revised EAA came into force in 2011 to get even tougher against persons who engage unlicensed EAs at the expense of law-abiding and compliant ones.
On 21 March this year, a 23-year-old Indian national Sadh Aakash Raman (Sadh) pleaded guilty to one charge of engaging the services of an unlicensed EA and was fined $2,000 by the court. Sadh had engaged Balaguru S/O Amirthalingam, who did not have a valid EA licence, to submit an application for an Employment Pass for his uncle.
Please refer to our press release on the MOM website for more details.
Under the EAA, it is an offence to use the services of unlicensed EAs. MOM will not hesitate to take stern actions against persons who use unlicensed EAs so as to uphold the professional standards and integrity of the EA industry. Under the EAA, offenders can be fined up to $5,000 for each employee engaged through the unlicensed EA.
We would also like to remind all EAs that they should ensure their EA licences remain valid, and that all EA Personnel are registered with MOM. The full list of licensed EAs and registered EA personnel can be found at the EA Directory (www.mom.gov.sg/eadirectory).