Third-country nationals (TCNs), or non-EU citizens, received resident permits from Malta at a rate higher than previously recorded in 2022. This record was achieved last year.

Recent Eurostat data shows that in 2023, Malta granted 41,927 new resident permits to TCNs, breaking the previous record by more than 4,000. With 76 permits issued per 1,000 persons, Malta issues more than ten times as many licenses as the EU average.

Most new permits were granted for employment, adding around 28,000 foreign workers to Malta’s labour force. The largest groups of new workers came from the destinations as follows:

• India (11,000)
• Nepal (6,515)
• Colombia (3,648)

Malta Hikes Permit Fees as Foreign Worker Numbers Soar

While the local population increased by barely 0.1%, Malta's foreign population increased by 15.3% from the previous year to 158,368 by the end of 2023.

The government stated in January 2024 that the cost of applying for a work permit for non-EU workers will increase to €300. 68,755 non-EU workers worked in Malta as of July 2023; most of them were from Nepal, India, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom, while there were also sizable numbers from Serbia, Albania, and Colombia.

These workers, whose permits need to be renewed yearly, will be directly impacted by the fee hike.

Malta’s total population reached 563,443 by the end of 2023, not including those working irregularly without permits. The growing reliance on foreign workers, often receiving low wages, has kept average Maltese salaries low.

Despite calls from the Opposition and various groups for an economic model revision, the government, led by Robert Abela, has pledged to limit TCNs, focusing on sectors like transport and food delivery.

Identity Malta has been issuing an average of 115 permits a day. In early 2024, Malta introduced the ‘Specialist Employee Initiative,’ a fast-track process for skilled foreign workers to address labour market shortages.