Sha Tin Magistrates' Courts have sent a Mainland man to jail for 12 months over a bogus marriage.

On November 12, Luo Miaosheng, 28, arrived at a Lok Ma Chau checkpoint seeking clearance. He said he was going to visit his resident spouse, Lee Tse-ying. Officers had doubts about the purpose of his visit, and detained Luo for questioning.

He admitted under caution that in June, he had agreed with his clansman to enter into a bogus marriage with a Hong Kong resident at a cost of 30,000 renminbi to obtain an exit endorsement to visit the city.

On September 18, Luo and a Chinese woman, purported to be Lee Tse-ying, contracted a bogus marriage on the Mainland. Luo then made use of the bogus marriage to apply for an endorsement to travel to Hong Kong.

To deter non-Hong Kong residents from using bogus marriages to obtain permission to stay in the city, the Immigration Department has set up a task force to gather intelligence.

It will conduct an investigation and prosecute offenders if there is enough evidence.