Is a VISA and, or work permit needed to live in Malta?

Hi Keana,

senior carer or health care assistant ? They seem to exclude each other!

I'm not aware of an online site for hiring here in Malta.

THe rate for the job will most certainly be near minimal wage here in Malta. That is around 5 €/hour before taxes and social security. You will have to find an employer willing to apply for a work permit for you.

It seems that most carers from the Phillipines go through agents who do the formalities for them.

Cheers
Ricky

Hi ricky,

Thanks for the info..

Me,
Keana

Hi all,

My apologies if this has been answered elsewhere but I am a little confused still.

I am a UK citizen from birth with British passport. My wife is a non-EU citizen living with me in Malta. She had to get a Schengen Visa to enter (naturally) and we are in the process of getting our ID cards. Currently we have our clean police conduct certificate which was easy.

The questions are:

Do I or my wife require a work permit or employment licence to take up employment in Malta? My understanding is that we both have EU citizen rights as my wife (is my wife) and has the same rights as me, as in, upto 3 months etc. The reason I ask this is that a lot or employers and even recruitment agencies here are asking my wife if she has a work permit. We naturally turn round and say she doesn't need one as she is married to an EU citizen (British national in Malta). We both moved here a few weeks ago and live together.

What do we say to these people asking for a work permit (for my wife)? What kind of statement can we say or show to prove that EU rights exist and a work permit is not required?

Any advise and help would be amazing. I tried looking on the ETC site and sure enough it does have this exact question of work permits of TCN (third country nationals) married to EU citizens, but no answer to this question.

Please help!!

Many thanks,

Chris

why do you need police conduct certificate ? not needed for eResidence card application (its not an ID card any more), but is for some jobs

no work permit required - your wife is a dependent of an EU citizen

Hi,

Some companies here require that you have a police conduct certificate and as this was only 2.50EUR we decided to get this to save any hassle for later.

So, for companies who ask my wife for a work permit she should say she does not require this as she is a spouse/dependent of EU citizen? The companies do not seem to be aware of this which is surprising.

chrisc58 wrote:

Hi,



So, for companies who ask my wife for a work permit she should say she does not require this as she is a spouse/dependent of EU citizen?

yes :-)

Thank you so much. This was exactly what I have read and understand. It's just with companies here asking for it, it had confused us slightly. However, a few companies were a little shocked and a bit lost when my wife mentioned she doesn't need it as married to myself.

Many thanks,

Hi Chris,

to be exact your wife does not require a work permit as soon as you have gained residency for yourself and her as your family member- but not before. So, technically, until then she does require a work permit.

THe document you show is her residence document when she receives it finally.

As said by others it is not an ID card but a residence document.

Cheers
Ricky

Hi,

The thing is we cannot get the residency until we are working. I am confused. According to EU rules under freedom of movement she has the same rights as me, therefore we can both work during the first 3 months. Once working you can apply for residency. From that she can work straight away before or after me and same for me.

Please help confused.

chrisc58 wrote:

Hi,

The thing is we cannot get the residency until we are working..

if you have sufficient capital.income and health cover you can apply for your residence card as self sufficient rather than wait until have a job

you dont apply for residency, you are an EU citizen. You inform them you are resident ie you claim your rights - you can then claim rights for your wife. To inform them you need to satisfy the financial and health care conditions

you can start working immediately, you dont require your eResidence card to do so

I know that part, that part is fine for myself. Under EU rules my wife can work now without a work permit as the rights are derived from myself?

How do we prove capital? we have it in cash at the moment as I need an ID card to open an account, which is being done next week. Once that is all sorted we can prove capital?

Once the above is done my wife can apply for residency?

your wife cannot apply until you have (or at the same time) as her rights are derived from you claiming your rights

capital -  23000 odd in money in bank accounts anywhere in the world

But in the meantime my wife can work? or I have to be working first?

you have to apply for your eResidence card first before she can work - if your circumstances are such you cant apply until you are working, then she cant work until you are

Hi chrisc,

please don't get things wrong! The Rights of Free Movement for yourself within the EU are connected to the actual move and residency of yourself to another EU country ie in this case Malta. If you yourself do not move and become resident your wife has no right to stay and work in Malta. When her 3 months visa expires she will even have to leave!

When you apply for her residency ( she cannot apply herself) she has to be legally in Malta. If her visa has expired in the meantime you will have a major problem.

First you come as resident , then she gets added on on!  Whether you work or not is your problem - but she cannot work until you become resident.

Cheers
Ricky

Hi,

That makes a little more sense. So how do I become resident? I have to be working first? or not?

Full time or part time?

By applying for for eResidence card, you are informing the authorities that you consider yourself resident. To do so, you have to show sufficient income/capital and health cover.

Having a job is one way, another is money and health insurance. If employment, the hours are irrelevant merely that it pays at least the minimum (about  500 a month), and you are paying social security contributions.

Thank you so much for your help and the information. Thank you!!!!

Yes thanks GeorgeinGozo and Ricky for your patience in explaining things, in this case to chrisc58, but often to me 

having a consistent. level headed, knowledgeable group of people that are "on the ground" is such a major boon to those of us getting ready to come over and settling in. You are appreciated! 

Hi all,

I thought I better share this for the benefit of others who may be or will be in a similar position.

We have been down to the ID cards office in Valletta today and they have confirmed that myself or my wife who is a non-EU national can work independently of each other. This means she can also find work whether I am working already or not. She also does not need a work permit as she just needs to show our marriage certificate to proof she has rights from myself. This are the same rights which involve myself being allowed to stay for upto 3 months and I can work, study etc during this time.

Thanks to this information coming straight from the horses mouth, we can continue our path of job searching. We do not need to worry who finds a job first. If my wife finds a job before I do we can still apply for residency, it's just a little more complicated but possible.

In short, the ID card system has basically been put together with the residency system. So basically ID card is residency.

Hope the above information helps. This is correct information from the authorities for out situation. It may be different for others.

Many thanks to those who have assisted us so far.

just to clarify - its an eResidence card not an ID card, and is no longer the ID card office - thats moved out of Valletta, but is only of interest to Maltese citizens


good to know your wife can start work first :-)

Hi chrisc58,

after all you said about how simple the process and that your wife just has to show her marriage certificate to work why is the application ( should really read registration) for residency a little for complicated but possible if she finds work before you?

I went through the process myself a few years ago and it was not that easy ! My experience at the department which was still at Castille then was that the left does not neccessarily know what the right does and says.

Thanks for the updated information though.

Cheers
Ricky

Lots of people want a work parmit visa for Malta.

Process is basically the same as for Saudi Arabia except the criteria are different.

You could also take an English language course and get a visa for the duration of the course.

Cheers
Ricky

What work do you wont to do to get a visa salim?

Hi salim,

that is not the way it works ! Nobody can 'give' you a work permit and visa. You have to find a job and apply foir a work permit.

For 'any work' you wont get a work permit. Malta is not Saudi Arabia. Why Malta anyway? Because it is part of the EU ? Saudi Arabia is a very rich country , much richer than Malta ! Your chances there are probably better than in Malta.

Labourers and many qualified academics come to Malta by boat as irregular immigrants without a visa so there is a lot of competition for work permits.

If ' I wont ....' is all you can put to paper you had better stay  in Saudi Arabia!

Read the previous replies and come up with a reasonable response.

ricky wrote:

If ' I wont ....' is all you can put to paper you had better stay  in Saudi Arabia!
Read the previous replies and come up with a reasonable response.

salim hossain wrote:

I wont any hotel houskeepar work

Without any qualifications and an attitude like you have then you will never get a job anywhere.

We could be kind and say this is a language problem but if his English is so poor, then not a chance of work here.

Interestingly there is a political background to his wish or 'wont' to work elsewhere!

Bangladesh has fallen out of favour with Saudi Arabia although it still has the largest number of expatriate workers. The number is estimated to be around 2.5 million , dwarfing the 500.00 or so in the UK ! Bangladesh 'got rid' of some of the leaders of the islamic movement in Bangladesh that belonged to the one favoured by Saudi Arabia. So now they are feeling the 'revenge'.

So I guess Bangladeshis are not very popular  in Saudi Arabia and are being replaced by Pakistanis. So his wish to work elsewhere is understandable and he could well be followed by a few  million more soon !

Cheers
Ricky

Interesting and you are as always very well informed. Still no chance of work for him here though. He could always go home.

salim hossain wrote:

I wont work in malta.i would like hotel rom sarvis coz i hav expireanc 10years.

Well you get 10 points for persistence....  

You really need to find out if you qualify for a visa first. Read through other posts on this forum for information.

I hav all documen 4work

Salim, pay attention, read this slowly and understand.

You do NOT have all the documents to work on Malta.

You have no visa.
You have no employer.
No employer = No Employment Licence.

In your case and as you are not are not a citizen of an EU country, you need an employment licence in order to be able to work in Malta.
Employment licences must be applied for by the employer and not by the jobseeker.

Now please, go in peace.

salim hossain wrote:

I tel  i hav document 4work in saudi arabia but need2 applay work 4malta

Having work documents for Saudi Arabia will not get you a job in Malta. 

Read and try to understand the information that redmik gave you.

No visa
No employer
No employer means no Employment licence. 

Surely you can understand that.

Hi salim,

nobody in Malta has a work permit for you. And you only get a visa if you have signed a work contract. Please note that Malta and the EU is not Saudi Arabia. All your documents for Saudi Arabia are worth nothing in Malta.

And your English is really so bad that you will not find work here.

I don't have a work permit visa for you . Once again, you have to find a job and get your future employer to sign the residency application. Is that so difficult to understand ? We are all being very patient with you.

Cheers
Ricky

Whow !!!!!

You know how to add a Smiley -))) Now we are making progress .

Do you have more undiscovered talents salim?

Maybe this one would have been more appropriate 

Hey Ricky, don't encourage him as we will now get bombarded with smileys....

For Salim.