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International Background Screenings

                      Special Report: International Background Screenings

Many firms are finding that they have a need to conduct background screening on individuals from other countries. This can occur in two situations:

An American company is considering a job applicant who was born abroad, and has not been in the United States long enough to rely solely upon checking American references and records;

An American company is hiring an individual in another country to work in that country, such as outside sales or marketing representative.

Types of International screenings

There are two types of international services an employer may utilize.  The first type is an international employment screening.  The  second  type is an in-depth investigation.   

For most employers an international employment screening involves verifications of supplied information, as opposed to an active investigation to discover information about the applicant.  In other words, an employer will have  already obtained from an applicant the name, addresses and phone numbers numbers of previous  employers or schools.  Also, the employer will have obtained locations where an applicant has lived, worked or studied, which is important to know where to conduct criminal searches.  The employer may not need to hire an international  investigator to locate that information.

A typical international screening will consist  of contacting the employers   and school that have  been supplied, and conducting a criminal check check to the extent possible in that country.  A screening may also include if available a driving record and credit  report if available. 

If an employer is filling a highly sensitive potion, or is conducting a  due diligence investigation of a potential business partner, then the services of a qualified investigation firm may be  needed.  ESR only conducts  employment  screening.   If an investigation is required, ESR will assist the employer in obtaining qualified professional assistance. 

Special challenges when performing international backgrounds screenings:

When performing international checks, the following are some of the special challenges that are faced:

Each and every country is completely different. Techniques and information that are taken for granted here in the United States are often times not available abroad. Outside of the United States, there is generally very limited access to public records and the types of information needed for background screening. Each country has its own laws, customs and procedures for background screenings. Criminal records can be a challenge.   In many countries, it is extremely difficult  to obtain criminal records. There are parts of the world where such record are not available  without retaining  a local private investigator that has their own resources. In other countries, such as Canada, a person may apply themselves for a certificate of good conduct from a local police agency.

Practical difficulties:

Language barriers: Although all investigators utilized by ESR can communicate in English, that is not normally their first language. In addition, technical words can lead to some confusion. In addition, language can become an issue in communication with foreign schools and employers.  The can also be language issues in reviewing court documents for criminal record searches, although ESR criminal  researchers will provide translations of any court documents.

Differences in courts and criminal systems: In doing international criminal searches, each country has its own legal codes, definition of crimes and court system.  International criminal checks requires an understanding of each country's court system, how criminal records are  created and maintained, where searches should be conducted, the type of records that are available and what the records mean. 

Time differences: When communicating with researchers, past employers or schools   around the world, there can be delays due to time differences. This can add lag time to the reporting process.

Means of communications: Each country  will have different means of commination. Although e-mail would be preferable, not all countries have reliable e-mail delivery. Communications are normally done by fax machine.

Calendar: Since each country has its own holidays, sometimes communications are delayed because of a country's calendar, or some other internal problem.

Locating phone numbers for employment and educational checks:  To conduct an international verification efficiently, it is important to have the applicant provide as much information as possible.  It is not practical, for example,  for an American firm to attempt to call a foreign country to locate the past employer's phone number.  ESR will typically  need permission to contact the applicant directly in order to obtain any additional necessary information. 

Payment: If ESR needs to help an employer arrange for the services of an investigator abroad, then in  many countries, payment must be made in that country's currency. Some investigators require that some or all be paid in advance. ESR can arrange payment through an international wire transfer (which currently costs $40.00, depending upon the bank). Or, ESR can obtain a money order in the foreign currency (currently at a bank fee of $7.50) and send it by means of DHL.

Costs: International screenings are normally much more expensive then a comparable investigation in the United States. Because an employment screening will normally consist of verifying supplied information, the pricing can be kept more reasonable. However, even verifying supplied information can be expensive for the reasons indicated above.   For  some countries, there is also a translation fee.

Exact fees vary by counties. In many countries, criminal searches must be conducted in each relevant location where a person has lived worked or studied.  There  are very few countries that have a true "national" or "official" criminal search. The searches are usually limited to felonies or serious matters.  However, even though the system for international  criminal checks is not perfect, this still allows an employer to both demonstrate  due diligence in the hiring process, an to also discourage applicants with something to hide, since all checks are conducted pursuant to a signed release under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.  

Please contact ESR to for  pricing for each country where a criminal record check is needed. 

In addition, ESR charges a set  fee for each international employment and educational verification, plus long distance phone charges and interpreter services where necessary.  This service requires  that an applicant provide the correct phone number of the employer and school to be contacted.

Countries where ESR can assist an employer include:   India, most European countries, Philippines, Japan, South Africa, Hong Kong, numerous countries   in Central and South America, Indonesia, Canada, Mexico, Israel, Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia,  and numerous others. 

Please contact Employment Screening Resources for further information about performing International Background Screening.

 

For  more information, see the ESR Fee schedule for International Background Checks

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