Chinese court dismisses appeal of man jailed for illegal residence after taking Singapore citizenship
A man who acquired Singapore citizenship but continued living and working in China without completing the foreigner procedures has had his appeal dismissed by a Chinese court.
- A man was convicted for illegally residing and working in Shenzhen after acquiring Singapore citizenship.
- The court ruled that obtaining foreign citizenship automatically results in the loss of Chinese citizenship.
- His appeal was dismissed after judges found authorities acted in accordance with the law.
SHENZHEN, CHINA: A Chinese court has dismissed an appeal filed by a man surnamed Zhang, who was convicted of illegal residence and employment in China after acquiring Singapore citizenship without completing the required procedures for foreign nationals.
Zhang argued that he should still be considered a Chinese citizen, claiming he had never formally settled in Singapore and had not renounced his Chinese nationality.
However, the court rejected his claims.
Frequent travel and long-term work uncovered
According to local media reports, Zhang had applied for Chinese visas nine times over the past decade and entered and exited China 187 times using his Singapore passport.
In 2018, he transferred his household registration to Shenzhen as a student returning home.
Two years later, in 2020, Zhang entered Shenzhen on a short-term family visit visa issued to Singapore passport holders.
After the visa expired, he did not leave China and continued working for a Shenzhen-based company.
Household registration remained active
Authorities found that Zhang’s household registration remained registered in Shenzhen during the period he overstayed his visa and worked illegally. The registration was only cancelled in March 2023.
Investigations also revealed that Zhang had been employed by the same Shenzhen company since 2007, including after he had obtained Singapore citizenship.
Court rejects citizenship argument
Zhang claimed that he had lived in China for many years and had never established permanent residence in Singapore, arguing that he should still be recognised as a Chinese citizen.
However, the court reiterated that both China and Singapore do not recognise dual citizenship.
It stated that voluntarily acquiring foreign citizenship automatically results in the loss of Chinese citizenship, regardless of whether the individual formally renounced it.
The court further noted that Zhang had previously submitted proof of renouncing his Chinese citizenship to the Chinese embassy in Singapore when he obtained Singapore citizenship.
After reviewing the case, the court ruled that law enforcement authorities acted legally and in accordance with immigration regulations, and dismissed all of Zhang’s claims, upholding the original penalty.
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