Iranians Complain of Malta Rejecting Their Residency Applications Without Proper Explanation

Those affected have said that their residency application has been refused ‘on public grounds’, with the Maltese authorities saying that they have been unable to carry out checks on applicants due to the current situation in Iran, AtoZSerwisPlus.mt reports.

According to the Times of Malta, an Iranian national working as a software developer was among many people who got refused a residency permit, leaving his employer shocked about the decision too.

As soon as this Iranian national got his residency permit refused, he lodged an appeal requiring the authorities to provide a more in-depth explanation. However, the authorities did not make any further explanations or share what contributed to their decision.

While the employer was still waiting for an answer and expecting the Maltese authorities to review their decision, the Iranian national moved to Croatia. There, he got a residency as well as a work permit and has been paying taxes to Croatia instead, a thing which has been criticized by Maltese employers, and thus, they have asked the government to ease the rules for Iranians.

“I chose Malta because I love the country. I hope to return someday as I would like to be an asset there,” the Iranian national said, suggesting that he is willing to move to Malta if the authorities chose to review their decision and grant him a residence permit.

Times of Malta explains that there are dozens of other nationals of Iran who have reported of similar treatment from the Maltese authorities.

Data has shown that rejections for residency permits for Iranians started to significantly increase last year due to the tense situation in Iran. Due to such practices that Malta has been applying against nationals of Iran, some of them have already appealed the rejection and they have also filed a complaint with the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality.

According to a transcript that has been seen by Times of Malta, the lawyer of Identity Malta (responsible for issuing residency permits to foreigners) Chanel Bantick, said that the authorities have been unable to make sure that specific nationals of Iran do not pose a threat to the public security of Malta, and for his reason, they have refused their application.

Bantick further mentioned that due to the political situation in Iran, there are limitations to the data that can be shared between the two countries, suggesting that the Maltese authorities have refused applications due to a lack of information on applicants.