The gridlock is causing frustrations among employers in Malta, as well as workers in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives, all of whom must pass through the Maltese High Commission in New Delhi to acquire a visa.

Many workers are being forced to wait months for a visa, even when they pay extra for their applications to be fast-tracked, despite having a job contract with a Maltese employer and a work permit issued by Identity Malta.

People who try to book appointments through the VFS Global platform for visa services are often being told that no slots are available.

Some have even been denied a visa for spurious reasons, such as that they haven’t provided justification for their intention to visit Malta or that there is a reasonable doubt that they intend to leave Malta before their visa expires… even though they would have sent the High Commission their job contract.

An Indian man who landed a job with a major Maltese hospitality firm but who has been waiting months for his visa (despite having paid the premium fee) was recently informed by his new employer that he would lose his job unless he receives an update on his visa status by the end of May.

“I called the High Commission and the lady on the phone was very rude,” he said. “When I told her that my employer wants me before May and they will drop me out if I don’t make it on time, she said in a rude manner that I should find another job.”

“I am a skilled professional and  have worked in many countries, including Maldives, Qatar and Mauritius but this is the worst time I have ever had.”

An Indian man seeking to work in the hospitality industry said he has so far paid Identity Malta €841.50 for three separate work permit application fees (€280.50 per fee).

His first application was rejected due to COVID-19 reasons and his second was rejected on the grounds that he had no experience to justify having a skilled job in Malta.

This confused the worker because he had provided the High Commission with an employment letter from his new Maltese employer as well as proof of prior experience in food and beverage services.

When he tried to apply for a third time, he was automatically rejected because he hadn’t filed an appeal against the initial rejection.

“My refusal letter didn’t state that an appeal is mandatory but when I tried to bring it up with the High Commission, they told me that the appeal still needs to be done,” he said.

“I have emailed the Appeal Board, the Central Visa Unit and the High Commission but none of them have given me a clarification on that matter. This is very frustrating… paying €280.50 per application is not a small deal for us, especially in these hard times.”

Another Indian man said he has been waiting since December for an update on his visa.

“I don’t have a proper job in India so it will be very difficult to help my family,” he warned.

On the other side of the fence, the gridlock has left several Maltese employers struggling as a result of being short-staffed.

The Chamber of SMEs recently warned that businesses are facing “unprecedented” human resource pressures, quoting a recent internal study that ranked the problem of finding workers on par with inflationary pressures.

“Malta is facing a very serious problem. The estimated cost on business and the economy as a whole runs up to several millions,” the Chamber said, calling for “drastic” intervention.

“If one had to use the analogy of a patient, we cannot just treat a patient in critical condition and requiring immediate surgical intervention with a diet. The time to treat the patient with a diet is long past and the patient is now dying.”

The pool of available Maltese workers is extremely limited, with the number of people registering for work retell recently dropping to a historic low of 963.

Also, not enough EU workers – who don’t need to go through the visa application process – are being attracted to the jobs that are crying out for staff. Malta’s extremely high rent prices and relatively low salaries have often been cited as a reason.

Lovin Malta has asked the Foreign Affairs Ministry for specific numbers to the following questions but has yet to receive a response.

•How many people does the High Commission in India employ to directly handle visa processing?

•How many Maltese visas has the High Commission issued since the start of 2022?

•How many Maltese visa applications has the High Commission rejected since the start of 2022? 

•How many visa applications are currently pending? 

Cover photo: Main photo: The Malta High Commission in New Delhi, India (Photo: High Commissioner Reuben Gauci), PNG photo on right: Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg