Just when we thought we are finally free from pandemic stories, this one is juicier than any K-drama I binged watched in those two miserable years.

Picture this: a Taiwanese woman so head-over-heels for her Singaporean boyfriend that she braved pandemic restrictions and the infamous Singapore bureaucracy, not by just writing letters or having zoom calls like the rest of us, but by getting herself an illegal “freedom work pass.”

Now, most of us coped with lockdown by baking or perfecting our dalgona coffee but 41-year-old Wang Ting-I was busy concocting a plan straight out of a soap opera itself. 

Trust me, compared to my own feeble attempts at whipping coffee powder into foam, this story is on a whole new level of dedication.

The Love Story

Wang Ting-I’s story unfolded when she moved to Singapore in 2015, where she worked as a waitress and “entertainment artiste” until July 2020.

In September 2019, she met Derrick Ong Yong Jit through mutual friends. Their relationship blossomed, and the pair officially started dating in January 2020.

However, as with many others, the Covid-19 pandemic and the circuit breaker measures in Singapore created a huge obstacle for their love.

Wang had to return to Taiwan in July 2020 after her work permit extension was rejected by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) as non-essential activities became prohibited.

Despite being miles apart, Wang and Ong’s relationship continued to grow stronger and desperate to be together, they started exploring various ways to bring Wang back to Singapore. Eventually, a friend introduced them to a company, and this is where things took a turn for the couple.

This company offered what was known as “freedom work permits”, which allowed foreigners to stay in Singapore without actually “working” for the company listed on the permit. The star-crossed lovers Wang and Ong decided to go ahead and purchase one of these permits for Wang with the help of an agent named Lin.

In November 2020, they submitted an application to MOM, declaring that Wang would be working as a clerk for the aforementioned company, which claimed to make pre-cast components. Wang was then issued a work pass, and the couple paid S$1,300 monthly to maintain it.

But Wang never intended to work as a clerk. Instead, she worked as a nightclub hostess from January 2021 to March 2022, earning between S$12,000 to S$24,000 in tips.

The plan was to purchase the work permit for as long as the couple needed to plan their marriage.

And just when it seemed to be working too well in their favour, MOM began investigating a series of similar cases involving foreigners buying work permits with false declarations.

MOM’s investigation began in 2021, where they cracked down on multiple foreigners purchasing work permits to bypass travel restrictions and stay in Singapore, and Wang ultimately became one of many caught in this act.

She was arrested on 19 May 2022, just two days after marrying Ong in Singapore (Yikes, not even a honeymoon?). Her work permit was also promptly cancelled.

The prosecution argued for a jail term of six to seven weeks, while Wang’s defence lawyer, Mr Ranjit Singh, pleaded for a lighter sentence of a S$3,500 fine and four weeks of jail. 

He argued that Wang’s actions were driven by her love for Ong and that she was not trying to take advantage of Singapore’s employment and immigration policies for financial gain.

Singh also claimed that Wang had only worked at the nightclub to help her friends who were short-staffed and not for personal profit.

Stating that a prison sentence is an unfairly harsh punishment that can potentially lead to severe outcomes like deportation, Singh expressed concern that it could hinder Ong and Wang’s plans to build a family together.

In response, District Judge Lorraine Ho noted that Wang and Ong’s plan was “well-planned and deliberate”, lasting for an extended period of one year and five months.

Moreover, Wang did not surrender out of her own accord but her deception was uncovered by the MOM.

On 25 June 2024, Judge Ho sentenced Wang to six weeks in jail, taking into account her early plea of guilt, full cooperation with authorities, and her lack of a prior criminal record.

However, she also pointed out that any decision regarding Wang’s potential deportation was beyond the court’s jurisdiction and lay with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

“The courts also do not play a part in deciding whether anyone’s special pass issued by the ICA would be cancelled at any time,” she added.

As of the afternoon of 26 June 2024, Wang is currently out on bail, appealing against her sentence.