More caught for lying in work pass applications

11 February 11 The Strait Times
by Teh Joo Lin
More caught for lying in work pass applications
MORE foreigners have been caught for falsely declaring that they are 'foreign talent', with offences such as lying about their academic qualifications.
In the first nine months of last year, 141 foreigners were convicted for lying in their work pass applications, up from 137 in the whole of 2009, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

In a bid to sieve out dubious applicants, the MOM has engaged the help of private screening agencies since 2008 to supplement its own checks.
Such agencies say they have also witnessed growing demand in recent years from companies here, which approach them to help screen applicants and verify their qualifications.
Some common tactics employed by dishonest applicants include using fake degrees and diplomas as part of their employment pass (EP) and S-Pass applications.
MOM told The Straits Times that it found more cases involving forged certificates last year, but it could not provide specific figures. Offenders were also found to have lied about their salaries and job details.
On why more cases have been detected, MOM said it could be due to its heightened fraud detection capabilities, which include checks with internal databases and educational institutions.
The use of fake academic qualifications in work pass applications attracts a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $15,000 fine.
In a recent case exposed by MOM, Bangladeshi national Nowaz Sharif Abul Kashem, 39, was found to have submitted a forged arts degree from the country's National University to apply for an EP to work here as a construction site supervisor for $2,600 a month. He was jailed for eight weeks in October last year.
In another case, Chinese national Li Zhichang, 37, used a forged diploma in food manufacturing from China's Jilin University in his S-Pass application. He had paid an employment agent in China for the fake certificate to work in a Korean restaurant as an assistant food and beverage manager. Li, who earned $1,800 a month, was jailed for four weeks last month.
Foreigners caught for using fake certificates were detected across various industry sectors, including professionals and technicians in the services sector, said a MOM spokesman.
While MOM has stepped up its checks, employers must also do their part, said Mr Then Yee Thoong, divisional director of MOM's work pass division.
He said: 'While we do our part as regulator, employers are strongly encouraged to exercise due diligence and verify the qualifications of foreigners they wish to hire. Employment agencies...should also do the same.'
Between 2009 and September last year, 113 employers were fined or jailed for false declarations in work pass applications.
Employers who fail to inform the ministry despite knowing that false information has been submitted are also held liable.
As employers here become more aware of such cases, the demand for employment verification services has grown over the past few years, noted Mr Wayne Tollemache, executive managing director of screening agency First Advantage.
'Increasingly, companies are now recognising the high dividends of going through stringent employment verification procedures,' he said.
Companies in the information technology and finance-related sectors make up a large part of the demand.
At OCBC Bank, for example, pre-employment checks are run on 'all candidates across all positions to validate the information that they have declared', said Ms Jacinta Low, the bank's head of human resource planning and employee communications.
Common checks done by employers usually include contacting the school that issued the certificates and checking with the relevant authorities in the applicant's home country.
joolin@sph.com.sg
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_633727.html

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