MORE companies are checking the educational qualifications of their foreign hires, with a “significant increase” in demand for background-screening services since the new assessment framework for Employment Passes (EPs) kicked in last year.

Yet, the added cost means that some firms still avoid the verification process where possible, background-screening companies told The Business Times.

Since Sep 1 last year, new EP applicants must score at least 40 points under the Complementarity Assessment Framework (Compass). There are four foundational criteria, with a possible zero, 10 or 20 points to be scored.