New Immigration Act due by February 2027. What employers and Third-Country Nationals need to know.

Author: Sharon Sammut

Malta’s immigration law is set for a complete overhaul, with a new Immigration Act expected to go to Parliament by February at the latest, Home Affairs Minister Glenn Bedingfield told The Malta Independent on Sunday. The new Act would replace the Immigration Act of 1974 (Cap. 217), which has been amended many times through legal notices, with one consolidated Act.

Key points from the interview:

• Losing or changing jobs on a Single Permit: Third-country nationals who don’t regularise their position won’t be deported automatically, but their Single Permit can be withdrawn.
• How third-country nationals become irregular: Letting a Single Permit expire without renewing it, overstaying a visa, or living in Malta on a work permit issued by another EU Member State.
• Deportations from Malta: About 600 people living in Malta illegally were deported over the past four months.
• Worker protection: Reporting abuse does not put a worker’s Single Permit at risk. Arriving for one job and being made to do another could count as human trafficking.
• New labour exploitation rules: A new legal notice on labour exploitation is being prepared and hasn’t gone to Cabinet yet.

What employers in Malta should do now

The draft Immigration Act has not been published yet. In the meantime, employers in Malta should check that Single Permit renewals, job changes and each worker’s actual duties all match their permits.