Looking abroad to weed out unqualified foreigners

IN an unusual move, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is turning to an overseas firm to ferret out foreigners who lie about their qualifications in work pass applications.

Last month, the ministry hired Dataflow Services (India) – a firm in New Delhi – to conduct random checks on education certificates and employment history declared by Indian nationals working in Singapore.

Even marriage and birth certificates are scrutinised, The Straits Times has learnt.

When contacted, the MOM said that although it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that the documents in work pass applications are genuine, the ministry will use “independent verification channels” like Dataflow to conduct its own random audits.

The latest move is part of a crackdown by MOM on the use of false educational certificates in such applications after the law was changed in 2012 to make it a stand-alone offence.

Applicants from India are not the only ones targeted.

Since February last year, employers who submit tertiary certificates from China when applying for work passes for foreigners have to show proof that the paper qualifications are authentic. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network