Some Employers Misusing India Visas By Applying For Excess Workers, Minister Byron Camilleri Warns
Some employers are misusing the Indian visa system by applying for more workers than they actually need, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri warned.
Speaking in Parliament today, Camilleri gave a brief update on the visa gridlock situation that the Chamber of SMEs has said is leaving several businesses short-staffed and costing the economy “several millions”.
He re-confirmed the government’s pledge to hire more staff at the India High Commission – which deals with visas more India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives – to address this backlog but said the misuse of visa applications had to be addressed too.
“We could also note that some people were applying for more workers than they actually needed,” Camilleri said. “This only helped aggravate the situation further by creating more unnecessary backlog.”
“This must be addressed because Malta has obligations, including Schengen-related ones. While the Maltese economy must be served as well as possible, we must also address our obligations with regards to Schengen and other rules. If it results that some people are doing these sort of things, then the situation must be addressed too.”
Many workers are currently 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 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.
Cover photo: Left: Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri, Right: The Malta High Commission in New Delhi, India (Photo: High Commissioner Reuben Gauci)
Have you been impacted by this gridlock in visa processing? Feel free to reach out on [email protected]
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