Summary

China’s Ministry of Education has recently announced it will stop issuing the ‘Certification for Returned Overseas Students’, with the aim of simplifying the procedures involved for returning overseas students. Education sections of Chinese Embassies in foreign countries will stop accepting applications from 01 November 2020.

The ‘Certification for Returned Overseas Students’ has served as a supporting document for returned overseas graduates for a number of years. The certificate supports students to apply for favourable treatment in areas such as household registration or purchasing cars/houses etc. The certificate was one way in which employers and other relevant departments could evaluate applicants overseas study experience. The MoE has recommended that alternative methods can still be used to ascertain this experience, including:

• admission documents of universities/colleges or scientific research institutions
• degree certificates or diplomas awarded by foreign education/research institutions
• verification certificates of foreign academic qualifications and degrees that students can voluntarily apply for from the Chinese Service Centre for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE).

According to the announcement, the duration of study abroad could also be tracked via passports and visas, immigration information, return itinerary records, etc.

Analysis

Although registering an overseas degree is not a legal requirement, the ‘Certification for Returned Overseas Students’ and CSCSE’s foreign academic qualifications and degrees verification service have been used by many employers – especially government departments and state-owned companies – to verify candidates’ overseas qualifications. These changes will therefore be relevant to most Chinese graduates who return to China after graduation. Universities that provide support to Chinese alumni may wish to update their guidance on this process.

Sources:

Announcement by MoE (in Chinese): http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xxgk/s5743/s5744/A20/202009/t20200917_488440.html