Malta has the second-highest rate of first-time asylum applications in the entire EU, new figures have revealed, with migration now firmly under the microscope once again.

For the first six months of 2019, there were around 750 first time applicants. To put things into perspective, there were 2,035 first time applicants in 2018, and 1,610 first-time applicants the year before that.

The majority of applicants come from either Syria, Nigeria, or Somalia.

Only Greece has a greater ratio of first-time asylum seekers in the entire bloc.

On a European level, the number of first-time applicants is actually down, hovering at around 150,000 during the second quarter. France, Germany, and Spain account for close to 60% of all cases.

Issues surrounding migration in the Mediterranean have bubbled to the surface once again with a host of diplomatic standoffs between Malta and Italy taking place over the last year.

Years of little to no sea arrivals have come to a grinding halt jumping up from single digits to close to 1,500 in 2018, with boat arrivals occurring almost weekly over the summer months.

Ad-hoc agreements between member states have alleviated some of the pressure off of Malta. However, there are still no concrete and immediate plans for a long-term, sustainable solution.

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