Common DataFlow Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Primary Source Verification is the process of confirming, directly with the institutions that issued them, that your qualifications, registrations and employment records are genuine. DataFlow performs this verification as part of the wider licensing process, and SCHS uses the result when considering professional registration and classification in Saudi Arabia.

Because verification depends on third parties responding accurately, the parts you control matter enormously. The mistakes below are the ones that most often turn a straightforward case into a slow one.

1. Inconsistent personal details

Verification is a matching exercise. If your name, date of birth or qualification title appears differently across your passport, degree certificate, registration and employment letters, an institution may not be able to confirm the record.

• Compare every document side by side before submitting anything.
• Prepare supporting evidence for any legitimate difference, such as a name change.
• Use the exact spelling shown on your passport wherever a form allows it.

2. Poor-quality or incomplete scans

• Scan in colour at a readable resolution rather than photographing documents at an angle.
• Include every page, including the reverse of a certificate where information appears there.
• Check that stamps, seals and signatures are visible and not cut off at the edge.
• Avoid cropped, shadowed or watermarked images that obscure details.

3. Wrong or outdated institution contacts

Verification requests go to the issuing institution. If the department, email address or postal address is out of date — or if the contact is a personal one rather than an official one — the request can go unanswered for a long time.

• Confirm the current official verification or registrar contact before you submit it.
• Use institutional contact details, not a former manager's personal address.
• If an institution has merged, renamed or closed, note that clearly and provide the successor body where you can identify one.

4. Employment history that does not line up

Employment records are verified against what the employer holds. Rounded dates, informal job titles or omitted short roles can create a mismatch.

• Use exact start and end dates as recorded by your employer.
• Use the official job title on your contract, not the informal one used in the department.
• Explain gaps openly rather than leaving them unaddressed.
• Make sure your experience letters state role, department and dates clearly.

5. Treating submission as the end of the process

Once a case is submitted, requests for clarification are common and normal. Slow responses are one of the largest avoidable sources of delay.

• Check your email and case portal regularly, including spam and promotions folders.
• Respond fully the first time; partial answers usually trigger another round.
• Keep copies of everything you submit, with dates.
• Let your employer or recruitment contact know if something material changes.

6. Assuming another candidate's experience applies to you

Verification requirements differ by profession, qualification, country of training and individual history. Advice from a colleague in a different profession — or from an online group — may simply not apply. Confirm anything that affects your application through official sources.

A practical way to prepare

• Build one organised folder containing every certificate, registration and experience letter.
• Create a one-page summary of your career with exact dates, titles and institutions.
• List the official verification contact for each institution.
• Review the whole set for consistency before you submit anything.
• Set a weekly reminder to check the status of your case.

Where to go next

You can review current roles on our opportunities page, see the full step-by-step pathway in our licensing toolkits, or ask a question through the general enquiries section or at career@healthcareprojectcareers.com.

Healthcare Project Careers provides independent career and licensing guidance. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or certified by SCHS, DataFlow, Prometric or any government authority. Nothing here guarantees a verification result or licensing outcome, and requirements vary by profession, qualification and application. Always confirm current requirements through official sources.