An acquaintance of John reached out to Lovin Malta to share his story with his consent, because, as he explained, “this story has to be told and must be heard”. It was also shared on a popular Facebook page for expats on the island.

“I am tired, I am hungry, I am lonely,” the heart-wrenching message prefaces.

John explained that he came to Malta back in March 2021 with a student visa that would expire on 9th July 2021, and on 4th June, he signed a work contract with a local company.

Just over two weeks later, he claimed to have paid €280.50 for his work permit application, “well within the time frame” of his student visa.

“I was excited to finish my course and ready to work hard and improve my skills. My life was good, I was happy. I was living with my girlfriend in our rented accommodation. Everything was perfect,” he recounted.

Throughout this process he came to find out that he was not supposed to work before his permit came through. He claimed that no one ever advised him of this regulation “not even the school” he attended.

Consequently, he began reaching out to his employer to figure out why he hadn’t yet received his papers despite paying for his application. At this point, he knew he needed the permit to earn a sustainable living.

Then, five months after the payment, on December 6th, he alleged to have finally received correspondence regarding his application. But he claimed that just two months later, he was told devastating news that could define the future of his residency in Malta, a country where John built a new life that he strongly loved.

In February, he said that he was informed that his visa was in the hands of the Immigration Police. He was flagged as an irregular migrant because his application showed that he had not applied within the confines of his student visa – he was five months over.

“I knew this had to be a mistake as I had done nothing wrong. I checked and double checked my dates, and I knew my application was done well within the timeframe allowed.”

“It was then that the company I worked for, yes worked for – I have the wage slips, told me they no longer needed me.”

John subsequently filed a report at the Department for Industrial and Employment Relations and eventually made contact with a woman who wanted to help him.

Unfortunately, his situation became significantly more complex once he found out that his employer had allegedly filed his work permit application five months after he signed the contract and paid for the application.

“So here, the nightmares began.”

“I could not work; I could not pay my bills. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months of despair with no light at the end of the tunnel.”

Eventually, he was allegedly told by a third party that his case had been heard by the Principal Immigration Officer – he was regularised on the 10th May 2022. However, he still hasn’t received official acknowledgment of his regularisation and has since been endlessly waiting to be appropriately informed.

John desperately tried to sort things out. In fact, he contacted Identity Malta who told him that they had no information, advising him to wait.

“I went everywhere with the same story and was always told to ‘wait’. How long did I have to wait? I was now 9 months into this game. I could not survive much longer. I was caught in the middle of a situation that I had no way out of. I couldn’t work and I couldn’t leave because I would face a three to five year EU ban.”

“My relationship broke down, I am now sleeping where I can and I’m surviving with the limited assistance from friends and family. Why? Why have I been put into this position?”

“I came to Malta with the best of intentions as a young man with his whole life ahead of him and now I have nothing. I am destitute and apart from one person who still believes this can be fixed, I am sinking fast into a black hole.”

He and his friends call, email and push his case every single day.

“ID Malta quotes GDPR, even though it has my signed permission. They never once attempted to help.”

Meanwhile, he said, calls to the Immigration Police go unanswered making it seem as if he has “never existed here”.

“It feels like the authorities are quite happy to ignore my existence until I am picked from the street for having no paperwork, and with great fanfare, deported.”

“How am I expected to live like this? How are others in my situation expected to live unsalaried for so many months?”

“I am telling my story now as I have nothing else to lose. They have taken everything from me. I am lost and drained from the whole thing. 17 months and counting.”

Lovin Malta will reached out to Identity Malta for confirmation and with additional questions. We are currently awaiting a response.

If you have ever been in a situation like this, reach out to [email protected]