Why Chinese Credential Verification Deserves Its Own Process
China is well known for having its own unique systems and way of life. Be it in terms of its transportation, technologies, or citizen services, the way China does something is often drastically different from the rest of the world.
It is hardly surprising, then, that the way that China awards and handles educational qualifications is also very different from other countries. For potential employers in Singapore and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)-endorsed background check providers they engage for Employment Pass (EP) academic verification, this means there are specific processes in place for the verification of Chinese university degrees.
With Chinese foreign talent being the second largest source of EP holders in Singapore behind India, knowing how the Chinese university verification process works in Singapore is key to sourcing great foreign talent to work in Singapore.
Official verification channels for Chinese educational credentials
There is a fundamental difference in verification processes between Chinese university degrees and degrees from Western universities. Whereas Western verification is typically carried out directly with the registrars of an awarding university, in China, all verification and authentication comes solely from one official source: the Centre for Student Services and Development (CSSD).
CSSD is an official department of China’s Ministry of Education, and it is officially responsible for managing and verifying all academic records from universities in China.
The relationship between CSSD and CHSI
While the CSSD has authority over all university verification in China, you may find that you, or your background check provider, are applying instead to a place called CHSI (China Higher-Education Student Information).
CHSI is an online portal, run and maintained by CSSD, through which all educational qualification checks are submitted. It taps into the CSSD’s database and is the single source of truth for potential employers and background check providers alike.
Step-by-Step: Verifying a Chinese degree for an EP application
To verify a prospective candidate’s Chinese degree for an EP application, you will need to submit an application with the required prerequisite documents to the CHSI portal. Do note that Chinese degree qualifications usually have two components, both of which need verification: the Graduation Certificate (毕业证书), which proves an individual completed a degree and graduated, and the Degree Certificate (学位证书), which is the actual conferred degree with any earned honours alongside it.
Additionally, you may encounter mention of CDGDC in your candidate’s documents, or in MOM’s older pages and forms. Do note that this was originally the Chinese government body in charge of awarding the actual degrees, while CSSD was only in charge of student particulars and course/graduation details. Since 2022, the two have been merged, so any mentions of CDGDC in documents now indicate the CSSD.
These factors usually mean that for a rigorous candidate integrity check, you will need to submit two applications for two verification reports: one for the Graduation Certificate, and one for the Degree Certificate. However, do note that for MOM’s EP requirements, the verification report required is the one for the Degree Certificate.
Documents to collect
According to the CHSI website, to apply for both Graduation and Degree Certificate verification, you will need to submit clear, legible photocopies of both of your prospective hire’s respective certificates, as well as a copy of their ID card or passport, in order for CHSI to process and generate an official Chinese government verification report for you.
How to submit
Because the verification process is completely centralised, the good thing is that the submission and verification process is relatively simple and uniform.
- Step 1: Go to the CHSI Archive and either create an account or log in with an existing account.
- Step 2: Click “Online Verification Report” at the top to enter the verification application and request for a Chinese verification report.
- Step 3: Click “Report Delivery” to request an English translated version, which MOM requires to accompany non-English language documentation and certifications.
Reading the verification report
The Verification Report, if your prospective hire’s details are indeed verified and true, will be a single page certifying the information of the prospective candidate. It will state their name, place of study, major, course length, and graduation date. MOM accepts the Degree Certificate version of this report for EP applications.
Turnaround time and cost
Typically, a CHSI verification report application costs RMB 30 per certificate and has an estimated turnaround time of 10–20 days.
However, you have to take this estimate with a very generous pinch of salt. There are a wide range of factors that can drag out the turnaround for an applicant based in Singapore, such as language barriers (as the CHSI Archive is in Chinese), or pre-2000 certificates that may not have been digitised completely and require CSSD to manually contact the issuing university.
Applying for verification during May to August, when most Chinese graduates are job seeking, can also slow down the verification process due to overwhelming demand.
Thus, you should ideally commence your candidate’s educational verification at the earliest possible time, even before commencing the EP application. To play it safe, assume the worst case and budget for the verification process to take a month.
Mapping Chinese qualifications to COMPASS
Chinese universities on the MOM qualifying list
Under the 40-point COMPASS framework that Singapore’s MOM uses to judge eligibility for an EP application, educational qualifications alone can make up 20 points of the total. However, for a university to score 20 points, it must belong to a fixed list of qualifying institutions, usually top universities worldwide and in Asia.
There are just a few Chinese universities on this list, namely:
- Fudan University
- Peking University
- Shanghai Jiaotong University
- Tsinghua University
- Zhejiang University
Harbin Engineering University is also on the list but is recognised only for Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering degrees. Shanghai Maritime and Dalian Maritime Universities are also awarded 20 points, but only for Logistics Engineering, Ocean Science and Engineering, and Maritime Law degrees.
When a Chinese degree falls outside COMPASS tiers
If your candidate’s university or institution does not fall within the abovementioned list, then MOM will need to assess if the university can be considered degree-equivalent in comparison with a bachelor’s degree in the UK system. This check is part of a stringent system to prevent the increasing number of under-qualified candidates who may have obtained qualifications from diploma and degree mills. If your candidate’s university is degree-equivalent, it will be awarded 10 points. If it does not, it will not be awarded any points.
Do note that even if you check and find that your candidate’s Chinese university scores zero points under COMPASS, it does not mean that your candidate will fail their EP application. There are 6 categories in COMPASS under which an applicant can score up to 40 points, and education is just one of them.
How RMI verifies Chinese credentials for EP applications
As a veteran of the academic qualification landscape in Singapore, and an MOM-endorsed background check provider accredited to conduct verification for EP applications, RMI is deeply familiar with verification processes around the world, including China’s. It is also fully compliant with Singapore’s data privacy laws, as well as the equivalent laws in China and other countries where it conducts verification.
With proactive planning, timely communication, and person-centric processing that respects both you and your candidate, you can safely leave the complexities of verification of your candidate’s educational credentials to RMI. A partnership with a trusted background screening provider like RMI will help you achieve peace of mind and the fastest possible turnaround times.