I’m Stuck In Malta Without A Work Permit And I Can’t Even Go Back To My Country
My name is Nina Morse and I’m telling my story because I want to be heard. When people enter Malta, the government asks them to prove they have enough money to live here. Why then is nobody interested in how I’ve had to live for nine months without any work or income?
I was born and grew up in a port-city in the south of Ukraine but I moved to Malta in 2012. I got married to a British citizen and had two gorgeous children with him, but unfortunately the marriage didn’t last long and we ended up separating.
In 2015, my new life in Malta as a non-EU mother with two European minors started. It was really hard at the beginning and I had to rely on local people for help and support. I’m really sorry that it’s impossible to name everyone who was kind to me, but I’m very thankful for you all who helped me through those years. Also, it would have been impossible to survive in Malta without the great support of my family.
I started looking for a job but I couldn’t leave my children at a child care centre because they were too young and often sick. In this kind of situation, no employer would have accepted me often taking sick leave.
I applied for a Self-Employment license and luckily JobsPlus, understanding my circumstances, gave it to me. As a result, I was working from home and taking care of my children.
Furthermore, my non-EU single work permit needed to be renewed every year which wasn’t easy and stressed me out because I needed to beg for it to be renewed.
This situation lasted for 3-5 years and kept me in a state of limbo but I had to be strong for my kids’ sake. As the children grew up and became healthier, I decided to start looking for work as an employee, which would have brought me more income.
I found a job, signed a contract and applied for a single work permit on the 23rd October 2018. From that moment (nine months ago), I haven’t been able to work while waiting for my work permit to arrive. I am currently living off charity thanks to the help of the Food Bank and the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation, court-imposed maintenance payments and family support.
Because of a decision by the Maltese courts in my separation case, my kids have to reside in Malta and I’m not allowed to change their country of residence. If I leave Malta, I will have to leave my children behind and no mother can do that.
I would like to thank LEAP, Mr Vince Tonna, the Food Bank and the Community Chest for their help, as I do not currently have the possibility of work. I would find it impossible to manage my life with dignity without their help.
I would like to explain that being a responsible mother of two minors is not only a privilege but a duty and that I keep to this duty fully in spite of all difficulties I face. All I’m asking for is to be heard out, and to acquire my legal right as a resident mother of two EU children.
I want to work and give my children a normal life. I have been waiting nine months and during this time I haven’t received any social benefits besides the children’s allowance which was kindly provided to me a couple of times.
I don’t want to live on charity and the help of others. I’m able and willing to work, which is why I expect Identity Malta to let me do it by providing me with what I have legal rights for.
All my words are confirmed by documents which were provided to the publisher.
Lovin Malta had previously published an edition of Nina Morse’s story which claimed that she had been living in Malta for five, and not seven, years, and that her husband wasn’t providing her with financial maintenance. We are retracting these allegations.