Currently, only educational institutions which are not listed in MOM’s list of accredited institutions are required to provide verification proof for educational qualification issued by these institutions.
What Are the Changes?
From September 1, 2023, educational qualifications from any education institutions declared to MOM in new Employment Pass (EP) applications will have to be supported with verification proof from a background screening company. This is to ensure that qualifications used for EP applications are authentic. This will also take effect from September 1, 2024 for EP renewal applications.
This verification is to safeguard against submitting fraudulent educational qualifications. Employers are responsible for ensuring that their candidates’ qualifications are authentic and were awarded by accredited institutions before proceeding with the hiring process. Employers who wish to score points under Criterion 2 on “Qualifications” will be required to submit verification proof for qualifications declared on the EP application. MOM will implement this new process in September 2023 together with COMPASS, as part of the following two-stage eligibility framework for new EP applications:
- Stage 1: Meeting Qualifying Salary
- COMPASS – Stage 2: Passing a Points-Based Complementarity Assessment Framework
MOM ensures more details in due course, ensuring smooth implementation, and minimizing disruptions to employers’ hiring processes. Note: Educational certificates certified by a notary public and school letters are not accepted as a form of verification proof.
Please see below for a current list of background screening companies accredited by MOM:
- Avvanz International Background Checks
- Cisive
- Dataflow
- eeCheck
- HireRight
- Risk Management Intelligence (RMI)
- Sterling RISQ
- Veremark
Impact to Employers
Employers should factor the extra time to complete the verification process as part of the hiring and work pass application process, as the verification process may take up to a month or longer in some cases. Note: This verification proof was implemented at the end of 2019 for individuals possessing educational qualifications from China and for those possessing degrees from institutions not included in the selection list in MOM’s EPOL portal.
