WORK PERMIT MALTA SERVICES

01 WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Third-country nationals who receive a job offer from a company registered and operating in Malta are eligible to apply for a Single Permit that enables them to be employed in the job specified on the application. The employer must also be registered with Jobsplus.

Third-country nationals cannot directly submit an application for a single permit, but their prospective employer needs to apply online on their behalf.

The Expatriates Unit will only proceed with applications where at the time of application the third-country national is, either still in the country of residence (Still Abroad), or holds legal status in Malta, by means of a valid residence permit or Visa.

Should it ensue, during the processing of the application, that the third-country national is not eligible as per the criteria of Subsidiary Legislation 217.17, the application will be refused with no recourse to refund.

Persons who are residing in the Schengen area, including Malta, on the basis of being beneficiaries of a protection certificate (refugee, subsidiary, and temporary humanitarian protection), including those awaiting a decision on their immigration status, are not eligible to apply for a Single Permit.

Crew Members

When a crew member joins a vessel in Malta, the crew member is considered to be abroad. Crew members are given a departure stamp on the passport as soon as they are listed on the crew list. Should any crew member apply for a single work permit, the prospective employer must submit a still abroad application.

Once the applicant is authorized to proceed to Malta in order to take up employment, should the applicant require a visa to enter the Schengen area, the applicant is required to present the Approval in Principle letter together with the visa application form, and other required supporting documents, to the pertinent Maltese Embassy or Maltese Consulate within 180 days of receipt of the approval in principle letter.

02 APPLYING FOR A SINGLE PERMIT

Single Permit applications may only be submitted by the employer, in the capacity of the Maltese organisation entrusting the carrying out of specific employment to the non-EU national.

Live-in carers may apply directly, provided that the application is endorsed by the employer.

Employers may apply for a third-country national through the Single Permit Online Portal. Follow these guidelines to apply and gain access to the portal.

Once access is approved by Identità, the employer can log into the Single Permit Online Portal. Guidelines to submit and manage existing applications can be found here.

Once the employer submits an application, the third-country national receives a link to confirm the application and validate the data submitted. Once confirmation is submitted, the employer will receive a notification for the final submission of the application.

Final submissions may only be done if the payment has been submitted online, by either the employer or the third-country national.

Applicable fee: €300.

03 PROCESSING PERIOD

Employers have the facility to view and modify all submitted applications from the Single Permit Online Portal. The real-time status of an application is visible from the application dashboard. The meaning of each status can be found in the section Online Portal-Status Description within the User Manual.

Third-country nationals, on whose behalf an application is submitted, may also view the status of their own application by following the same link they had received by e-mail.

Subsidiary Legislation 217.17 allows four (4) months for the processing of a Single Permit application, however the average processing time is closer to two (2) months, from the date of submission of applications accompanied by all required documents

04 RENEWAL

The single permit is generally renewed annually, and the administrative process follows the same single permit procedure.

Renewal of applications may only be submitted while their current permit is still valid. If a renewal application is not submitted before the expiry date of the previous, the third-country national may fall in an irregular migration status and would be in violation of the Immigration Act (Cap. 217) of the Laws of Malta.

To allow sufficient processing time, the renewal process should start 90 days from the date of expiry. If the third-country national renewing the permit requires a health screening, as specified by the Maltese Public Health Authorities, application can only be submitted 30 days prior to expiry.

The updated version of Health screening requirements for single permit renewals may be found on: https://hpdp.gov.mt/idcu/health_screening_for_renewal_of_work_permit.

Applicable fee: €300.

05 GUIDELINES ON REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

The below are the most common documentation required for the submission of a Single Permit Application (including Renewals and Change of Employer).

Some specific application types may include additional or different documentation.

Identità may also request additional supporting documentation in certain circumstances.

Passport and a copy of the same full passport:

• Original passport must always be presented at Identità offices;
• A copy of the whole passport in (.pdf) format, including blank pages must be presented;
• Passport must be valid for at least six (6) more months from the date of application;
• Visa on passport (Schengen or other) is valid for at least the application period.

Curriculum Vitae:

• CV is to be provided in the Europass CV Format – https://europa.eu/europass/en/create-europass-cv
• CV must be signed by the non-EU national.

Insurance Policy:

• Must be a comprehensive insurance policy and valid for at least one (1) year.

Health Screening:

• Some non-EU Nationals might require a health screening certificate. The updated criteria and requirements for first-time applicants may be found on: https://hpdp.gov.mt/idcu/work_permits_for_first_time_applicants ;
• The requirements for subsequent renewals can be found on: https://hpdp.gov.mt/idcu/health_screening_for_renewal_of_work_permit ;
• The document required by Identità is the final health approval certificate issued by health authorities after the tests have been carried out. Proof of application only is not sufficient for the purpose of a single permit application.

Employment Contract:

• A copy of the original has to be submitted and presented;
• Document must be signed by both employer and the non-EU national applying for the Single permit;
• Position of employment must be the same in all the submitted documentation.

Declaration of Posting:

• Declaration of Posting;
• Applicable where employer is classified by Jobsplus as a Temping Agency.

(Jobsplus) Declaration of Suitability:

• https://jobsplus.gov.mt/resources/fileprovider.aspx?fileId=4374;
• Must be wholly filled out and signed by employer;
• For Recruitment applications only, where reason is:
  • Academic certification – certificates;
  • Reference letters – include e-mail contact address to all referees.

Position Description:

• https://jobsplus.gov.mt/resources/fileprovider.aspx?fileId=57263;
• Must be filled out and signed by both employer and applicant.

Proof of Advertisement:

• Advertisement is not older than six (6) months from the date of application.

Qualifications of the applicant (Non-EU National):

• All qualification certificates are to be accompanied with the recognition from the Malta Qualifications Recognition and Information Centre (MQRIC). Should the recognition by MQRIC still be pending, their receipt is to be attached instead.

Accommodation agreement (Lease or Rent):

• An original contract is to be presented with the original signatures of both landlord and tenant;
• Details of landlord and tenant on the contract should include name, ID card number, and the rent address;
• The contract is to be accompanied by the Declaration by Landlord form;
• If Landlord is not Maltese, a purchase agreement of the same premises needs to be presented;
• Contract must not have details crossed off in pen or white-out and written over.

Housing Authority Approval Letter:

• A copy of the approval letter issued by the Housing Authority for the registration of property as a rental as per Cap. 604 of Maltese legislation.

06 CHANGE IN DESIGNATION OR EMPLOYER

The permit issued to a non-EU National is specific to the Employer and the Designation as applied for and as listed on the residence document.

Any changes occurring in either of these criteria render the permit null and void, irrespective of the date validity showing on the same document and necessitate a new application.

CHANGE OF EMPLOYER

A Change of Employer application may be submitted by the new employer, prior to the non-EU National terminating previous employment. The process follows the same  procedure through the Expatriates Online Portal.

If the third-country national is already terminated from the previous employment, should an application by a new employer be submitted within a 10-day period it may be considered for processing, even though the migration status of the third-country national is considered irregular as per the Immigration Act (Cap 217). It is to be emphasized that the 10-day period is a grace period and does not emanate from any legislation.

If the third-country national has been terminated for longer than 10 days, any application should be submitted following the eligibility and legality criteria as delineated in Subsidiary Legislation 217.17 and as summarised here.

Applicable fee: €300

CHANGE OF DESIGNATION

In the eventuality of a change of designation with the same employer, the employer must submit an online Change of Designation application through the Single Permit Online Portal. Guidelines in submitting this type of application may be found in section ‘How to submit a Change in Designation application’ on the User Manual.

Applicable fee: €300.

Failure to notify Identità of a change of position or of a change in employer may result in the revocation of the residence permit.

01 WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Third-country nationals who have secured an employment offer in Malta, and who meet all the criteria of the Single Permit Regulations as delineated in Subsidiary Legislation 217.17, but do not meet the criteria of the Key Employee Initiative, may be eligible for this fast-track route to obtain their Single Permit.

Only third-country nationals who have a signed contract with a Maltese-registered company are eligible to apply.

Eligibility criteria for the Specialist Employee Initiative:

• an annual gross salary of at least €25,000 per annum;
• possession of:
  • either an MQF Level 6 or higher in an area directly related to the employment position being offered in Malta; or,
  • other academic, vocational or other certified qualified skill qualifications, which equate to an MQF level lower than MQF Level 6, but which are directly related to the position being offered by the Maltese employer, together with, a minimum of three (3) years’ experience in a position directly related to the one being offered in Malta.Proof of experience must be presented in the form of either or a combination of the below:
    • previous employment contracts (signed by both employer and employee);
    • employment history issued and officially certified (stamped or legalised) by the official employment authority in the country where employment was held; or
    • reference letters by former employer/s. Reference letters must show the start and end dates and details of the work carried out. The letters should contain clear contact details of the referee including a valid email address, postal address and contact number.

Identità may request additional documentation to ascertain eligibility, should the documentation submitted not be deemed sufficient for further processing.

Applicable fee: €300.

02 APPLICATION PROCEDURE

• The employer submits a duly filled application via e-mail, attaching all the required documents as per the applicable checklist. E-mail should be sent on address sei.identita@gov.mt and the applicant (third country national) on whose behalf application is being submitted must be in copy at all times.
• Identitá will request the approval of the applicant for the documents and application submitted.
• Once this approval is received, the application will be processed in line with established procedures. An acknowledgment and informative email is sent to both the applicant and the employer including further guidance on how to settle the application fee during biometrics stage.
• If the application is missing any required documentation, the application will not be processed and should such documentation remain unsubmitted, application will be rejected.
• Once application has undergone through the established processing, both the applicant and the employer are informed with the outcome via e-mail:
  • If the outcome is positive, an Approval in Principle letter is sent to both applicant and employer with details on finalizing the single permit process,
  • If the outcome is negative, a refusal refusal letter will be sent to both applicant and employer.

Applicants whose applications are approved will be issued with a residence permit which will be valid for a period of one year in its initial year. This permit may be renewed for a longer period (up to three years), provided that the employee continues to satisfy the eligibility criteria and his employment contract covers all the validity period.

03 APPLICATIONS AND CHECKLISTS

Go to: https://identita.gov.mt/expatriates-unit-specialist-employee-initiative-applications-and-checklists/

An EU Blue Card gives highly qualified workers from outside the EU the right to live and work in an EU country, provided they have higher professional qualifications, and an employment contract or a binding job offer with a high salary compared to the average in the EU country where the job is. The EU Blue Card applies in 25 of the 27 EU countries. It does not apply in Denmark and Ireland.

To this links:

https://identita.gov.mt/expatriates-unit-highly-qualified-individuals-blue-card/

https://immigration-portal.ec.europa.eu/eu-blue-card/malta_en