FAQs - Global Partners Consulting

Frequently asked questions

Find out everything you need to know about our background verification process. You may browse through our FAQs sections which you may find the answers to your questions.

1. Who is GPC Gateway and which countries/regions are you able to verify qualifications?

GPC Gateway is a Japanese rooted professional corporate advisory firm. We are committed to helping our clients make the “fair decisions” and achieve “sustainable growth”, manage business by providing seamless consulting services in Asia, based on our extensive experience and local knowledge.
One of our services is providing Corporate & HR Intelligence solutions to assist our clients expanding from overseas into Singapore by conducting the related background checks and due diligence services to identify the right partners and make the right decisions in hiring the right talent for the right position fairly based on merit.
According to the press release published on 30 June 2023, GPC Gateway has been selected by Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM), as one of the background screening companies and is the only Japanese company selected out of a total of 12 companies that can issue a “Third-party Certificate of Educational Verification”, which will become a mandatory procedure for new Employment Pass applications in Singapore from September 2023.

At point of writing, GPC only provides verification of qualifications for foreign candidates awarded by an educational institution in Japan.

2. What are the changes to verification requirement on the documents required for Employment Pass Application?

With the implementation of COMPASS, post-secondary diploma and above qualifications declared to MOM will have to be supported with a verification proof. This requirement applies to new EP applications from 1 September 2023, and renewals from 1 September 2024.
Employers who need points from these qualifications in COMPASS have to declare them in the EP application. Otherwise, there is no need to declare qualifications.
According to the verification proof requirements, employers must ensure that their candidates’ qualifications are authentic (Authenticity checks) and if applicable, they were awarded by accredited educational institutions (Accreditation checks).
We provide the one package service with authenticity checks and accreditation checks. In order to eliminate our client’s hassle of having to go through in the verification process, our service as a default contains accreditation checks of the awarding institution. The separate service of authenticity checks and accreditation checks are not available on our one package service.

3. What is the difference between Authenticity checks and Accreditation checks?

Authenticity checks– To confirm that the candidate was awarded the qualification.
Completed tertiary qualification will be directly sent to our designated address from the instituion and verified by our staff.
Accreditation Check – To confirm the accreditation status of the institution which is recognised by the local government authority.

4. When will Accreditation Check be applicable?

Access the Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) on Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower’s website and click “Educational Qualifications”. If the awarding institution on your certificate is not in the drop-down list shown in the SAT, accreditation check is required. We provide the one package service with authenticity checks and accreditation checks. In order to eliminate our client’s hassle of having to go through in the verification process, our service as a default contains accreditation checks of the awarding institution. The separate service of authenticity checks and accreditation checks are not available on our one package service.

5. Is there any option just to get authenticity checks? And how much it is?

We provide one package price with BOTH authenticity checks and accreditation checks. The separate service of authenticity checks and accreditation checks are not available in our service. Since accreditation checks for Japanese universities can be done quite quickly using government’s online system, our fee is basically the cost of the authenticity check.

6. What are the required documents in general for verification service?

In general, a colour copy of passport and Family Registry “Koseki Tohon” (if applicable for Previous known name/alias) are required to be uploaded by the candidate on our online platform. Your candidate’s graduation certificate directly sent from the awarding institution to GPC Gateway’s designated address either in Japan or Singapore is also required via courier or mail. As for benefits to clients having the education certificate sent from the institution directly to GPC Gateway, you can receive our verification proof on time without any delay. Even if the candidate’s institutions do not accept the verification request by a third-party verification agency according to with the Act on the protection of Personal Information Act in Japan, GPC Gateway will utilise the certificate which received without the candidate’s compilation and editing regarding the issuance to receipt as a proof of document.
Please note that in compliance with the Act on the protection of Personal Information Act in Japan, certain educational institutions in Japan are no longer accepting verification checks by third-party. Hence, we will require the candidate to arrange for their physical graduation certificate to be mailed directly from their awarding institution office to our designated address. GPC Gateway will then verify the uploaded documents against the documents sent directly to us from the institution.

7. Is the candidate also required to arrange a direct delivery of Academic Transcript together with the Graduation Certificate issued by the educational institution?

Only Graduation Certificate issued by the educational institution directly send to GPC Gateway’s designated address via courier or mail is required.

8. What is the general verification process by GPC Gateway?

Step 1: After selecting the desired services and agreeing to our terms and conditions of our service, complete your order via online payment with a valid credit card on our website.
Step 2: Candidate to submit their details by uploading a copy of Passport and Family Registry “Koseki Tohon” (if applicable for Previous known name/alias) via a dedicated web link provided in a confirmation email to the candidate.
Step 3: Candidate to arrange a direct delivery of Education certificates from the awarding institution to our designated office either in Japan or Singapore. (*)
Step 4: We will deliver our report to you in PDF via email once the verification process has been completed.

(*) In compliance with the Act on the protection of Personal Information Act in Japan, certain educational institutions in Japan are no longer accepting verification checks by third-party. Even if the institution accepts the third-party verification, different institutions (and sometimes each faculty department) have different operation flow that might cause the client’s human resources department and the candidate shall go through the hassle of checking these procedures each time.

As for benefits to the client or the candidate having the education certificate sent from the institution directly to GPC Gateway, you can receive our verification proof on time without any delay not affected by these uncertainties. Even if the candidate’s institutions do not accept the verification request by a third-party verification agency according to with the Act on the protection of Personal Information Act in Japan, GPC Gateway will utilise the certificate which received without the candidate’s compilation and editing regarding the issuance to receipt as a proof of document.

9. Why our candidates need to arrange a certificate from the institution directly to GPC Gateway while other verification vendors do not ask the candidate to do so?

Based on more than 20 years of background screening knowledge and experience in Japan of GPC Gateway and our partners, in compliance with the Act on the protection of Personal Information Act in Japan, certain educational institutions in Japan are no longer accepting verification checks by third-party. Even if the institution accepts the third-party verification, different institutions (and sometimes each faculty department) have different operation flow that might cause the client’s human resources department and the candidate shall go through the hassle of checking these procedures each time.

10. What is the timeframe for completion of the verification process?

The standard timeframe is 3 to 10 business days from the receipt of payments and all the documents to be provided by your candidate (i.e completion of Step 1 to 3).
Please note that your candidate’s physical educational certificate should be mailed directly from the awarding institution office to our designated address in order to complete our verification process. In some instances, it will not be possible to complete the verification within the stipulated timeframe due to government closures of educational institutions because of Covid 19 restrictions, public holidays, or staff absences at educational institutions.
Please wait for 10 business days before reaching out for a status update. We will be in contact if we require additional information.

11. What is the fee for verification?

Standard Service: SGD108.00 with GST for both Authenticity checks and Accreditation Check (processing time between 3 to 10 working days)
Express Service: SGD162.00 with GST for both Authenticity checks and Accreditation Check (guaranteed processing time within 3 working days)

Please note that the processing time refers to the time required for the delivery of our report upon completion of Step 3.

Please note that any processing fees charged by professional organisations, universities and third parties may be payable by the candidate and/or the employer in addition to the charges for our verification services. GPC Gateway will advise and/or inform you in advance of any additional fees that may be applicable via email.

9% GST will be added to all services supplied in Singapore as of 1 January 2023. This is subjected to changes according to prevailing government rates.

12. How do I make the payment?

Upfront payment for our verification is required via the checkout page on our website using a valid credit card.

13. What is the purpose of the Letter of Authorisation?

You will be required to sign an electronic Letter of Authorisation (LOA), which is a mandatory document that provides permission for GPC Gateway to conduct the verification process and to allow the relevant institutions to provide your student information to GPC Gateway.

Our LOA is electronically signed but there are still a number of educational institutions that will require a signature on an original document. In such case, our verification manager will email you our LOA which you will be required to print, sign and return via mail.

14. What kind of other services does GPC Gateway provide?

As we are also employment agency recognised by MOM, we can handle whole process of Expats relocation (MyCareerFuture advertisement, Verification Service, EP application and other services in respect of relocation process).

15. Can I enjoy corporate rates with GPC Gateway?

Corporate customers who would like to engage more than 30 applications per year for our verification service for EP candidates awarded by Japanese educational institutions,
The Express Service will be offered at SGD 130 (SGD 140.4 including GST). The usual price for Express service is SGD 150 (SGD 162 including GST),
For Standard Services, the standard rate of SGD 100 (SGD 108 incl. GST) will be offered.
For more details, please reach out to us directly.

16. Should I create a dedicated corporate account (sign up) to apply the service?

To make the process as simple as possible, the employer or/and candidate can apply our services on our website without account creation.

17. How do we receive the verification proof?

You receive an email with a link provided to download the report. You can download the report in a PDF format.

18. Will this requirement also apply to S Passes?

There will be no changes to the existing S Pass application process, as S Pass applications are not subject to COMPASS. S Pass applications with declared educational qualifications from institutions not found in MOM’s database must submit their work pass applications with a valid verification proof.

19. Will MOM accept verification proof from background screening companies that are not selected?

No. MOM will not accept verification proof from background screening companies not listed on the MOM website.

20. Can the application for verification services be done by an employment agent or candidate directly?

Yes. The employment agent or candidate must ensure that they do their part by submitting all necessary information and complete all necessary steps required properly and promptly.Having an Employment Agency in the group, we are 100% committed to abide by the Tripartite Guidelines of Fair Employment Practices. However, please note that this service is only focused on provision of Educational Verification report, and we do not provide you any hiring advise, work-pass related advise or advised based on Fair Employment Practices by this service. Compliance with Fair Employment Practices is solely the responsibility of the customer.

21. How long is the validity of the verification certificate?

Based on MOMs’ explanation, there is no valid period for the verification certificate. Employers are only required to verify each candidate’s qualifications once, when submitting the EP application. They are not required to submit further verification proof for the candidate’s subsequent EP renewals. MOM will also accept verification proof that has been obtained from the selected background screening companies before 1 September 2023.

22. How should I proceed with the application of the verification certificate, in relation with EP application process?

Based on the Tripartite Guidelines of Fair Employment Practice, all employers need to ensure a fair selection of candidates during recruitment. When a recruitment need arises, the employer should first advertise the position on MyCareersFuture, a Singapore Government job platform for a minimum of 14 days. Only after a fair screening of all local candidates who apply for the position, and if no suitable candidate is found, the employer can start considering the recruitment, screening and hiring of foreign nationals and EP application.
The overall flow is as follow;
(1) Recruitment needs arise.
(2) Post a job advertisement for the position on MCF for at least 14 days (can be used in conjunction with other recruitment methods)
(3) Fairly screen the candidates who applied for the position
(4) If no suitable candidate is found, start the selection of a foreign candidates
(5) Once foreign candidates have been identified, prepare documents for EP application. Apply for Education Verification Certification at this stage.
(6) Submit EP application when all documents are ready.

Please note that this service does not check the entire process above stated above, but only provides the Educational Verification Certificate mentioned in (5).
Compliance with Fair Employment Practices is solely the responsibility of the customer.

23. When and to where should I arrange the delivery of graduation certificate?

The graduation certificate must be sent after you have completed the order and payment on our website. After order is complete, we will send you information on the address (in Japan or Singapore) to which the graduation certificate should be sent.
Please only send it to us after the order is complete. We appreciate your understanding that we do not store or forward any graduation certificate without any record of order or sent to different address. Such certificate will be discarded by our end.

24. How can I find out how many points my graduating university can get on the COMPASS and whether I can get 40 points on the COMPASS?

Please refer to MOM website regarding COMPASS information.

25. Can you refer any agency I can contact for universities outside of Japan?

Please refer to MOM website and contact the eligible agency accordlingly.

26. Will GPC return the original graduation certificate?

Upon the delivery of your report, you will receive an email with a link to download a copy of the graduation certificate that we have scanned. The copy of the graduation certificate can be downloaded in PDF format for use in your EP application. Please note that we do not return original graduation certificate. The information we receive will be disposed of appropriately in accordance with the agreement with the Singapore Government and in accordance with Singapore’s Data Protection Act.

27. I already have a original graduation certificate in my hand. Can GPC do the verification using this?

We would like your kind understanding that we only accept graduation certificates sent directly from the university to our designated address. This is to eliminate any room for tampering the certificate by the candidate and to ensure fairness and transparency in the authentication process.

28. I have not been informed by GPC Gateway after the purchase order is processed.

After you are purchase is completed, you will receive an automated email. Please also check your junk mail box as it may have arrived due to your company’s email settings.

29. How can I know my qualification level in UK (MOM) standard?

We will verify which qualification level you have obtained under MOM criteria (UK-equivalent) during our verification process and final result will be provided with the verification report. Please refer to the “MOM qualification” colum in the general comparison table below when you make an order with us.

(Please click on the image to view it on mobile devices.)

30. Do Japanese universities accept direct delivery of education certificate to 3rd party address?

In most cases, universities do accept direct delivery of education certificate to 3rd party address, as long as they can confirm candidate’s ID when the delivery request is made. However, some universities state a policy that certificates can only be sent to the candidate’s residential address in order to ensure personal data protection. In such cases, please provide background explanation to universities, and they will often be able to handle direct delivery. Please approach us separately if universities require additional documents, such as letter of attorney, where additional action is required from our end.

31. What should I do if the school I graduated from has already been discontinued (closed)?

Even if the school has already closed, local authorities should usually have taken over the records and can issue a graduation certificate, so please contact the local authority of education.

32. Can GPC process verification of junior college or national institute of technology?

Yes. Please note that only Bachelor’s degree or above is generally eligible for points in COMPASS system. You can refer to this table to get a general idea of how your qualification is likely to be recognized by MOM. *Additional verification period and fees are applicable for verification of; Professional and Vocational University, Professional and Vocational Junior College, Professional Graduate School, Professional Graduate School for Education. Please approach us before you make an order. [email protected]

(Please click on the image to view it on mobile devices.)

33. The name printed on my graduation certificate differs from the name on my passport, e.g. due to marriage. What information should I submit additionally?

If the name printed on your graduation certificate differs from the name on your passport due to marriage, etc., please submit a certificate of name change in English. Examples of English name change certificates:

・Translated Koseki-Tohon (please make sure to submit copy of Japanese Koseki-Tohon, English translated Koseki-Tohon and certificate of translation duly signed by professional translation service provider. We do not accept English translation done by candidate him/herself)

・English marriage certificate (with both maiden name and new name clearly indicated)

・Deed poll

+81-050-1808-0238

[email protected]

© 2024 GPC Gateway Pte. Ltd., a private limited incorporated under the Companies Act in Singapore and a member firm of the Global Partners Consulting Inc., (“GPC Group”), a Japanese entity. All rights reserved.