Property firm busted for selling foreign worker quotas in RMB1 million scheme

A property management company conspired to “sell” foreign worker quotas, generating about RMB1 million in the process and resulting in 11 arrests, the Judiciary Police (PJ) said.

The company, whose business had allegedly shrunk, helped mainland Chinese individuals apply to work in Macau as foreign workers while actually taking on private jobs.

Four members of the company and seven alleged fake foreign workers were arrested, and the case has been referred to the Public Prosecutions Office.

The alleged mastermind, surnamed Leong, 56, is a Macau resident who owns the property management company. The second suspect, surnamed Lao, 66, is a Macau resident who manages the company. The third suspect, surnamed Zhao, 37, is a mainland Chinese man and a supervisor at the company. The fourth suspect, surnamed Tan, 48, is a mainland Chinese man and a former employee of the property management firm.

The seven foreign workers are all mainland men aged between 25 and 59. They work in maintenance and renovation on the mainland. Their “blue cards” — the identification documents issued to nonresident workers — are registered under job types including administrator, cleaner and maintenance worker.

According to the PJ, the case came to light during its investigation of a separate illegal employment case involving another company.

In May, the PJ solved that illegal employment case, and after investigating, suspected that the property management company owned by Leong was involved in fake employment. Officers then conducted a more in-depth investigation.

The inquiry found that several foreign workers registered under the company’s name had no records of salary payments. Each person’s entry and exit times also differed from the normal working hours of a general property management company.

At the same time, the PJ discovered that these foreign workers did not report to work at their claimed workplaces, leading police to suspect that Leong’s company was acting illegally.

Police formally took action on Wednesday, and officers intercepted the seven suspected fake foreign employees at the Border Gate checkpoint.

The four suspected ringleaders were brought back to PJ headquarters for investigation after being intercepted at the Northern District and Qingmao checkpoint.

Documents related to the case were seized at the company’s office in the Northern District.

The PJ found that Leong’s company’s business began to shrink in early 2024, causing some foreign worker quotas to go unused. A scheme was then allegedly devised to “sell” the idle quotas for profit, continuing until police uncovered it recently.

According to the investigation, each fake foreign worker first paid RMB45,000 in the first year. They then paid RMB36,000 each year to renew the “blue card.” From 2024 to now, the scheme is believed to have generated about RMB1 million.

After arriving in Macau, the fake foreign workers took private jobs in various districts, engaging in work such as cabinet installation, interior renovation and demolition waste removal.

The police will file charges against each person under Article 78 of Law No. 16/2021 and transfer the case to the Public Prosecutions Office for follow-up.

The article covers persons who enter into a bogus marriage, de facto marriage, adoption or employment contract with the intent of obtaining residency or authorization to stay in Macau for themselves or others, and who make relevant applications to the authorities. Such offenses can result in imprisonment for two to eight years.

When asked about the division of the proceeds and whether others were involved in the case, the PJ said the investigation is still ongoing. The PJ also said the case has been reported to the Labour Affairs Bureau.