At a Glance
Effective January 1, 2020, the minimum monthly wage in Malta will increase to EUR 761.97, up .6 percent from last year. Foreign workers typically receive salaries well above this threshold.
The situation
Effective January 1, 2020, the minimum monthly wage in Malta will increase to EUR 761.97, up .6 percent from last year. The exchange rate at the time of publication of this alert is 1 EUR to 1.08 USD.
A closer look
- Applicable to all workers. The minimum monthly wage applies to all workers in Malta, regardless of nationality or transfer type.
- Existing employees. Employers of foreign nationals must increase the foreign national’s salary to comply with the new rule.
- Initial and renewal applications. Employers of foreign nationals seeking to obtain or renew a permit on or after January 1, 2020 must increase the foreign national’s salary to comply with the new rule. Immigration applications that do not meet the minimum salary will be refused.
- Pending applications. Employers of foreign nationals with pending permit applications as of January 1, 2020 must increase the foreign national’s salary to comply with the new rule. Immigration applications that do not meet the minimum salary will be refused.
Reminders on other requirements
- Increases and allowances. As before, Malta has detailed requirements on mandatory cost of living increases, statutory bonuses and weekly allowances payable to foreign workers.
- Currency. As before, employers are required to guarantee the salary in EUR regardless of payroll location and/or exchange rate fluctuations.
Background
European countries typically increase minimum salary requirements for foreign workers by 1-5 percent as of January 1, to account for cost of living increases.
Looking ahead
Fragomen expects many more countries to publish updated salary figures in the upcoming weeks.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
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