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International Employment and Education Verifications
Inquest Pre Employment Screening is able to provide employment and education verifications in virtually every country in the world. We have a multi-lingual staff, and when necessary we utilize an outside translation service to facilitate verifications. There are some challenges in obtaining international verifications. Beside the obvious time and language barriers, the largest hurdle is reaching an operator to connect a call to remote areas. It has been our experience that with a lot of persistence, it is possible to get through to most areas. But the time involved in getting through to remote areas must be taken into consideration when evaluating turnaround time. Another challenge is obtaining telephone listings for businesses and educational institutions. It is very helpful when applicants provide as much information as possible. Differing laws relating to privacy can also make data less accessible. In recent months, we have found more European Union based companies and schools sighting the EU Data Protection Directive as a reason to not provide verifications. However, the vast majority of institutions will still provide this information without hesitation.

International Criminal Background Investigations
Employee background checks, as we know them in the United States, are generally unavailable in other countries. Most countries do not provide the same level of accessibility to court records as the United States. Criminal conviction information is generally available only to government officials and the individual themselves. Each country has its own laws, procedures and customs making each a unique situation. Keeping that in mind, there are other ways to conduct investigation into the criminal behavior of foreign nationals. InquestPre Employment Screening only conducts criminal employee background checks through official government agencies.

Many companies offer international employee background checks that are obtained through "confidential sources". "Confidential sources" can be co-workers, neighbors, friends, or family members. None of who have the legal authority to determine if an individual has a criminal record. These types of investigations are better classified as Reputation Reports not criminal background checks. Other companies claim to have "inside contacts" at police department or justice departments. If the information that is being obtained is not publicly available information, it could lead to legal problems for the prospective employer and the pre employment screening company. As a consumer-reporting agency, Inquest Pre Employment Screeing must be able to verify the accuracy of information that we provide to our customers. We must also provide the source of information to the consumer, so that they can dispute the information if they feel that it is inaccurate. Using "confidential sources" or "inside contacts" would therefore, in our opinion, be in violation of the FCRA. Another means by which companies obtain criminal background checks is through enforced subject access.

Most countries have a freedom of information law. These laws give individuals the right to access their records, including police, court and prison records. From country to country, the kind of information that is maintained and available varies greatly. For example, in Mexico, persons who have been incarcerated may obtain records from the Laboratory of Criminology and Identification, Police Headquarters in Mexico City, or from the Municipal President or Police Headquarters of the area of residence. However, police records are not readily available.

In many countries an individual can request a Police Record Certificate. Inquest can facilitate the ordering of these Certificates. The US Department of State provides a comprehensive listing of country specific requirements. It also provides a detailed explanation by country of what information is included and excluded from the Police Certificate, prison records and court records.

This information can be found at www.travel.state.gov. Although this site is intended for persons applying for Immigrant visas, it provides a great deal of information that is pertinent to obtaining Police Certificates. Upon receipt of a Police Certificate, many consulate offices will confirm the authenticity of these documents. It is also possible for many foreign nationals to obtain these Police Certificates from local consulate or embassy offices within the Unites States. It is our opinion that this is the most accurate means of conducting employee background checks, when a country does not provide public access. All of these factors do make it much more difficult to obtain criminal background information internationally, adding to the cost and time it takes to obtain information.

Click on the links below for detailed information on some of the more common countries in which employee screening services are requested.

• Canada
• Philippines
• Central & South America
• Asia
• India
• Great Britain
• European Union Countries (EU)
• Other Areas