How to prepare a clear document scan for verification?

Do you need to scan official documents for use with your application process?

The biggest reason for you to provide clear digital scans of your documents is for us to speed up the application and reviewing process of your documents. We need them, our agents need them, the clients need them and ultimately, we will need them for applying for your Work Visa once you have been offered a contract. All the more reasons to make sure that the scans are clear and complete.

Do you need to scan official documents for use with your application process?

Let's take a look at some of the best ways to digitize paper documents.

1. Multi-Function Devices

A multi-functional device (MFD) produces good quality digitized documents, but it requires some effort on your part. If you already have such a device, it should feature a built-in scanner with which you can digitize paper documents. However, even if your MFD can be sheet-fed automatically, this is still a rather time-consuming method of digitizing paper documents. If you have a large number of papers that need to be scanned, this method may take quite a while. Multi-function devices also tend to jam from time to time, which can lead to a lot of frustration and wasted time.

That all said, this is the prefered way of scanning your document as the quality that comes out of such a scan is the best.

2. Desktop Scanners

This is another simple, yet somewhat tedious, way to digitize paper documents. There are many varieties of desktop paper scanners available so you'll want to choose one to best suite your needs. A few things to keep in mind are the sizes of paper the scanner can handle, the speed, whether it can scan in color, and black and white, resolution options, and software capabilities. This option could be a good way to start on your document digitization but would be quite the undertaking if you have a large volume of papers to get through, or if some of them are irregular in size or type. This may not be the absolute best way to scan documents, but it can certainly get you started if you just have a handful of regular papers you want to digitize.

3. Apps

If you have a very small quantity of paper documents, one option is to simply scan them within a scanning app on your smartphone or tablet. For instance, the Google Drive app features OCR software that allows you to scan documents and save them onto the drive. Camscanner and Scanbot are other popular options. This method can be a great approach if you do not know how to digitize documents since most apps have pretty simple step-by-step instructions that inexperienced scanners can follow.

However, if you have more than just a handful of items you would like to save, this is definitely not the best way to scan documents. Scanning a high volume of papers will take time and a lot of storage space on your device.

Once again, go with this approach only if you want to digitize limited paper documents but make sure that the quality of the scans is high and the documents are saved in PDF format!

WHAT SHOULD YOU KEEP IN MIND

Keep the following tips in mind to prevent potential issues:

• It's not always necessary to scan every piece of paper but check with the Recruiter which documents we actually need.
• PDF. This is also the document format that we use to share information with authorities once we reach that stage.
• Give the file a very clear name so both you and us can find back quickly what it is that is in the file without having to open in first. Using the reversed date system [yyyy-mm-dd] in front of the filename can make life easier when it comes to finding the document date as well.
• Check the file on a normal computer screen to make sure it is a clear copy of the original and everything has been scanned.
• If you have questions, please check with us to see if the document is scanned properly. In case we cannot use it, we will let you know and you will need to provide a better copy.

Some extra pointers for when you are using your phone:

• Make sure that you only scan the document itself and not add half of the background to the document.
• Make sure that you have enough light on the document.
• Make sure that you use a white or black background on a flat table.
• Take the image from above and avoid any shades on the document.
• Take your time to make proper scans! Good quality is more important than speed!

We hope this helps with make clear PDF scans so we can process your information quickly.