Immigration Series: All About Malta’s Specialist Employee Initiative

Applicants must have an offer of employment in Malta linked to a gross basic wage of €25,000. (Photo: Ludovica Dri via Unsplash)

Malta’s Specialist Employee Initiative (SEI) that offers a fast-track application process for skilled foreign workers in the country is effective now. The move comes in the wake of the European island country’s skill shortages in the labour market.

The SEI is an extension of the Key Employee Initiative and is intended for specialised workers who do not currently meet the criteria of the existing schemes. Applicants must have an offer of employment in Malta linked to a gross basic wage of €25,000. This provision shall apply only in those instances where it is not possible to find a Maltese employee or a citizen of the European Union in order to fill that vacancy.

SEI applications are submitted under the Single Permit Regulations and the processing time for SEI applications is 15 working days, starting from the date of application submission. An application is deemed submitted only when all the requested documentation, as outlined in the relevant checklist, is submitted.

Third-country nationals who have secured an employment offer in Malta, and who meet all the criteria of the Single Permit Regulations but do not meet the criteria of the Key Employee Initiative, may be eligible for this fast-track route to obtain their Single Permit.

Established in 2013 by virtue of Subsidiary Legislation, Identità is responsible for Malta’s citizens’ identity management and the implementation of migration processes.

Eligibility: Only third-country nationals who have a signed contract with a Maltese-registered company are eligible to apply. The eligibility criteria includes:

• an annual gross salary of at least €25,000 per annum;
• possession of either an MQF Level 6 or higher in an area directly related to the employment position being offered in Malta; or, other academic, vocational or other certified qualified skill qualifications, which equate to an MQF level lower than MQF Level 6, but which are directly related to the position being offered by the Maltese employer, together with, a minimum of three years’ experience in a position directly related to the one being offered in Malta.

Proof of experience must be presented in the form of either or a combination of the below:

• previous employment contracts (signed by both employer and employee);
• employment history issued and officially certified (stamped or legalised) by the official employment authority in the country where employment was held; or
• reference letters by former employer/s. Reference letters must show the start and end dates and details of the work carried out. The letters should contain clear contact details of the referee including a valid email address, postal address and contact number.

Identità may request additional documentation to ascertain eligibility, should the documentation submitted not be deemed sufficient for further processing.

Applicable fee: €300

Application Procedure

• The employer submits a duly filled application via e-mail, attaching all the required documents as per the applicable checklist. E-mail should be sent on address sei.identita@gov.mt and the applicant (third country national) on whose behalf application is being submitted must be in copy at all times. Identitá will request the approval of the applicant for the documents and application submitted.
• Once this approval is received, the application will be processed in line with established procedures. An acknowledgment and informative email is sent to both the applicant and the employer including further guidance on how to settle the application fee during biometrics stage.
• If the application is missing any required documentation, the application will not be processed and should such documentation remain unsubmitted, application will be rejected.
• Once application has undergone through the established processing, both the applicant and the employer are informed with the outcome via e-mail. If the outcome is positive, an Approval in Principle letter is sent to both applicant and employer with details on finalising the Single permit process,vIf the outcome is negative, a refusal letter will be sent to both applicant and employer.

Validity: Applicants whose applications are approved will be issued with a residence permit which will be valid for a period of one year in its initial year. This permit may be renewed for a longer period (up to three years), provided that the employee continues to satisfy the eligibility criteria and his employment contract covers all the validity period.

Moving around: Malta is in the Schengen area which is a group of countries that have got rid of passport and immigration controls at their common borders.

Tax: If you become a permanent resident in Malta, you will need to pay 15% tax on the income you bring into the country. However, Malta has double tax treaties with various countries, and you might not need to pay any tax to your country of origin.