[nonethewiser]

> Another woman I met on a plane said that the people who ran the school she taught at threatened to revoke her visa trapping her in China. She said she was leaving for "vacation" but was not going to go back. She was also visibly shaken.

I know someone working as an architect in China and apparently his company holds onto his college degree. Hes concerned he won’t get it back if he doesn’t remain on good terms. I was told this is a common arrangement.

[WheatMillington]

This reads like it was written by someone cosplaying as an adult. A college degree is not an irreplaceable piece of paper to be guarded with your life - otherwise it would live in a vault somewhere. You can trivially have the certificate reprinted.

[Animats]

Less true than it used to be. Here's Stanford's duplicate diploma ordering portal.[1] It's a big deal, there's a lot of verification, and it costs at least US$100.

There's an easier way.[2] "But now it's easier than ever to purchase a fake copy of your diploma. At Same Day Diplomas, we provide high-quality copies of your college diploma. Our products are crafted to match the design, seals, and color of your university's diploma."

Which is why it's become much harder to get a duplicate real one.

There's online third party diploma verification, and it probably works about as badly as most other online credential services.

[1] https://studentservices.stanford.edu/diplomas/how-do-i-order...

[2] https://samedaydiplomas.com/blogs/news/oops-i-lost-my-colleg...

[adastra22]

…so? I never even received my degree certificate. It is a meaningless piece of paper. If an employer wants to verify my credentials, they don’t ask for it. They call/email the school.

[bee_rider]

A $100 cost seems like weak leverage to keep a person in a country.

[nonethewiser]

Do you think I’m lying? Asking because the cosplaying comment. Your reasoning is not lost on me but I see no reason to suggest Im being dishonest.

If it’s that simple he will be relieved to here it. Frankly I’m not sure why it’s such a big deal either.

[hayst4ck]

He is not understanding the mechanics of it.

In America a degree is a piece of paper. I could go to my college and ask for a replacement and they'll give me one for $50-100.

A company could call my college and verify I earned a degree without ever seeing a piece of paper.

I know I've read something similar to what you are saying, so I don't think your comment was bad faith, but I forget the specific mechanics of the type of coercion you are talking about.

I suspect it might be China invalidating a Chinese citizens degree if they do the wrong thing or China invalidating the verification of a degree that's respected in China, leaving a person in China without credentials that are respected in China. Alternatively it might be about controlling people who earned a degree in China.

I couldn't find the type of coercion you were talking easily with google. A simple article explaining the mechanics of what you're talking about would likely clear everything up.

[TMWNN]

> This reads like it was written by someone cosplaying as an adult.

Not necessarily. From my understanding, in Asia the actual diploma is often used as a credential for obtaining employment. (The context is reading about a con man who set up a fake job listing to attract Western job candidates, obtained copies of applicants' diplomas, then used them to construct a fake diploma that he used to get a job for himself.)

[s1artibartfast]

What does that mean? College degrees aren't like passports. Can't you just order a new copy? I haven't seen my college degree in 15 years

[mschild]

I'm not sure I understand this. How are they holding on to his degree? A physical copy? Couldn't he just ask his University for another one?

[jhanschoo]

This is so weird, universities have a service that will clarify the enrolment of its alumni for a small fee, or replace diplomas.