Malta: New Highly Skilled Work Permit Option for Non-EU Nationals

• Eligibility requirements:
  • Applicants must have a signed employment contract with a Maltese-registered company.
  • The applicant’s position must have an annual gross salary of at least EUR 25,000, and be professional or technical in nature.
  • Applicants must either have a) a relevant bachelor’s degree or higher; or b) relevant educational qualifications (even if such qualifications are lower than a bachelor’s degree) and at least three years relevant professional experience.
  • There must not be any Maltese or EU workers available that could perform the applicant’s role (it is not clear how the government would determine this – further regulations are expected to be published).
• Processing. The standard government processing time for eligible applications is 15 business days from the date of submission.
• Validity. Residence permits issued under the SEI will be valid for one year, and renewable for a further three years.
• Application fee. The administrative cost of the application is EUR 300.

The SEI provides employers with a new pathway to bring in highly skilled foreign talent, ensuring employers can choose from a wider pool of global talent – especially important given current global labor shortages.

• Alternate pathway. The SEI serves as an alternate pathway to the older ‘Key Employee Initiative’, which has quicker standard government processing time (five business days) but tougher eligibility requirements (including a higher minimum gross annual salary of EU 35,000).
• Increasing attractiveness to employers and businesses. This policy development comes amid earlier Maltese efforts to increase the country’s attractiveness to employers and businesses, including the 2022 Start-Up Residence Program.

This policy development suggests Malta will continue its trend of making the country more attractive to employers and businesses, including through relaxing visa and permit pathways for highly skilled foreign talent.