12 firms picked to screen background of job applicants when new EP submissions open on Sept 1
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The Manpower Ministry will also accept verification proof that has been obtained from the selected background screening companies before Sept 1.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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SINGAPORE – Twelve background-screening companies have been selected to verify educational qualifications when new Employment Pass (EP) applications are submitted from Sept 1, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Friday.
It was first announced in March that employers submitting new EP applications, where qualifications are declared to earn points under a Complementarity Assessment (Compass) framework, must be able to provide verification proof of diploma and higher education credentials from Sept 1.
Employers must verify each candidate’s qualifications only once when submitting the EP application.
MOM will also accept verification proof obtained from the selected background-screening companies before Sept 1.
The proof can be obtained through any of the methods listed on MOM’s website.
The verification requirement for renewal of existing EPs which were not previously assessed under Compass will be implemented from Sept 1, 2024.
Subsequent renewals will not require verification.
The 12 companies picked are AIM Screening (Sterling Risq), Avvanz, Background Screening (HireRight) Singapore, Cisive Singapore, CrossCheck (Dataflow), eeCheck, First Advantage, GPC Gateway, Risk Management Intelligence, Verity Intelligence (S), Veremark and Vero Screening.
They got the nod based on criteria such as scale of operations and geographical coverage, cost and time taken to verify qualifications, processes to ensure quality of verifications and confidentiality of client information, and strong customer support capabilities.
Aside from having worldwide operations, they also provide authenticity checks on educational qualifications and accreditation checks on educational institutions.
All the companies offer a range of fees and processing times, depending on which country the qualification is derived from.
The fees range from $30 to $60 per verification check, with most of the checks being completed within one to two weeks.
MOM reminds employers to plan early and factor the checks in their hiring timeline.
To further help employers, it is developing a Compass guide.
Apart from educational qualifications, Compass gives points for range of diversity and support for local employment.
As at December 2022, around 187,300 workers hold an EP.
Mr Sim Gim Guan, executive director of the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), said the cost of and processing time for verification services were “taken into account in selecting the background-screening companies”.
“This will ensure that the verification requirement would not substantially increase employers’ recruitment costs or delay their hiring. SNEF will work with MOM to brief our members and employers to help them familiarise themselves with the new process when making EP applications.”
