An immigration tribunal has refused an appeal by a Filipino man who was denied entry clearance due to his previous employment with a company linked to organised crime.
Tiejun Zhao applied to come to the island as a worker migrant in May 2025, having secured a job with A2D Entertainment.
However, the Immigration Officer refused the application on the grounds that his presence would not be conducive to the public good.
The refusal was based on research indicating that Mr Zhao’s former employer, Yabo in Manila, was “a company under the auspices of a Chinese criminal organisation linked with human trafficking and illegal gambling”.
Mr Zhao appealed, arguing that immigration officials had made an “unsupported leap” from his employment to an assumed association with criminality.
He stated he had never witnessed or taken part in such activities.
However, Adjudicator James Brooks dismissed the appeal and found that Mr Zhao held a senior position at Yabo for a considerable time and noted attempts to “muddy the waters” regarding his role.
he concluded: “The evidence is compelling, indeed one might say overwhelming, that the appellant was involved with known criminals.”