Batam Immigration Authorities Detain 29 Chinese Nationals for Misusing Residence Permits
Batam (ANTARA) - The Class I Special Immigration Office for TPI Batam in the Riau Islands (Kepri) has detained 29 foreign nationals (WNA) from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) who misused their residence permits in a development project area in the city.
Head of the Class I Special Immigration Office for TPI Batam, Wahyu Eka Putra, stated that the foreign nationals were found performing physical work activities in the construction area.
“In total, 29 WNA were identified at the location, with their residence permit statuses comprising five holders of limited stay permits (ITAS), 17 holders of visit stay permits (ITK), and seven holders of visas on arrival (VoA),” he said in an official statement received in Batam on Thursday.
The joint immigration supervision operation was carried out on 21 April 2026 in the Marina City Waterfront area for a luxury apartment development project.
Based on initial examinations, there are indications that some of the WNA were engaging in activities not in accordance with their held residence permits.
“The WNA were found performing work such as welding, finishing tasks, and installing building materials at the development project,” he said.
Subsequently, the Batam Immigration Office will schedule further examinations of the other WNA.
“We are also conducting in-depth investigations into the project managers and guarantors to ensure the immigration data matches the on-site conditions, including the registered number of foreign workers and the activities carried out at the project,” he stated.
Wahyu emphasised that this activity represents the Immigration’s commitment to consistently and measurably upholding immigration law.
“Every indication of a violation will be followed up professionally in accordance with applicable legal provisions,” said the Head of Immigration.
Immigration also urges individual and corporate guarantors to ensure that all activities carried out by WNA comply with their residence permits.
He hopes that the public will actively participate in reporting suspected immigration violations through official channels, such as the hotline +6282180889090 for reporting foreign violations.