Malta Residence Permits For Highly Qualified Individuals – Employee Rights/ Labour Relations

Malta offers several special residence permits for third country nationals
who are considered as highly qualified individuals. These types of
permits aim to facilitate the attraction and retention of highly
skilled professionals from outside the EU, contributing to the
competitiveness of the Maltese labour market and addressing skill
shortages in certain sectors. In this article you can find the
necessary information about these types of permits and the
eligibility criteria.

Through Identità, the official government entity in Malta
responsible for citizenship, passports, identity documents, and
residence permits, a highly qualified individual can apply for
employment through three different work permits, mainly being:

• Specialist Employee Initiative (SEI) Single Work Permit




• Key Employee Initiative (KEI) Single Work Permit




• EU Blue Card – Malta

It is important to note that the Key Employee Initiative (KEI)
and the Specialist Employee Initiative (SEI) are residence and work
permit issued for highly qualified purposes under Maltese policies,
whilst the EU Blue Card work permit is issued in accordance with
the provisions of the relative EU directive.

Specialist Employee Initiative (SEI) Single Work Permit

Provides a fast-tracked service to highly skilled third country
nationals, who may not be eligible for the Key Employee Initiative,
but who hold the relevant academic, vocational or technical skills
in line with their employment offer in Malta. The scheme will
facilitate the issuing of work/residence permits if they hold the
necessary qualifications and will be offered an annual gross salary
of at least €25,000 per annum.

In summary:

• A minimum gross basic salary of €25,000




• The position offered in Malta is professional or technical




• Minimum MQF Level 6 or equivalent qualifications directly
  related to the job




• In case of an MQF lower than level 6, proof of a minimum of
  three years’ experience in a position directly related to the
  one being offered in Malta




• Processing time – fifteen working days

Key Employee Initiative (KEI) Single Work Permit

Provides a fast-tracked service to highly specialised Third
Country Nationals who are looking to be employed in Malta. The
scheme that holds an accelerated service will facilitate the
issuing of work/residence permits if they hold the necessary
qualifications and will be offered an annual gross salary of at
least €35,000 per annum.

In summary:

• A minimum gross basic salary of €35,000




• The position offered in Malta is either managerial or highly
  technical




• Duly certified and recognised qualifications of the applicant
  by (MQRIC)




• Processing time – five working days

EU Blue Card – Malta

The EU Blue Card is a work and residence permit for highly
skilled non-EU/EEA nationals which allows one to work and live in
25 out of 27 countries (except Denmark and Ireland) within the
European Union. The European Blue Card provides rights and a path
towards permanent residence in the EU.

An EU Blue Card gives highly qualified workers from outside the
EU the right to live and work in an EU country, provided they have
higher professional qualifications, such as a university degree,
and an employment contract or a binding job offer for at least one
year with a high salary compared to the average salary in Malta
(1.5 x the average gross annual salary). A third country national
must be in possession of professional qualifications and have a
work contract that covers at least a period of one year, together
with travel documents and health insurance. The EU Blue Card does
not apply to self-employed individuals.

Following the first renewal, one can apply for a residence
permit for a validity period of two years if the Blue Card holder
is in possession of a work contract for a period exceeding two
years. During the first two years as a Blue Card holder, if there
is a change in employment, one would be required to submit a new
application, however after having been employed as a Blue Card
holder for more than two years, if one changes employment, all that
is required is to present the new work contract to Identità.
If a Blue Card holder loses employment, one has three months to
find a new job. Following these three months, the EU Blue Card will
be withdrawn completely. One of the advantages of the EU Blue Card
is that it allows holders to move and work within other EU member
states under certain conditions.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.