Malta has issued a total of 33,455 first-time residence permits to third-country nationals in 2024.
Such figures have been confirmed by Malta’s Home Affairs Minister, Byron Camilleri, citing the latest data provided by Identita, Schengen.News reports.
Responding to a parliamentary question, the Minister said that last year the number of residence permits issued to internationals including those from the European Union and those from outside the EU have stabilised.
Of the total 4,073 were linked to the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP), the Residency and Visa Programme (MRVP) and the Nomad visa scheme.
The minister noted that the number of net valid residence documents granted to nationals from the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland declined by 2,227 in 2024.
At the same time, there was a surge in the number of residence permits issued through the Malta Permanent Residence Program (MPRP) and the Malta Residency and Visa Programme (MRVP) as well as the Nomad scheme, according to New News.
Over 1,500 Applications Through MPRP in 2024
Camilleri said that a total of 1,500 requests for Malta’s Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP) were received in 2024 and generated a total of €46 million for the Consolidated Fund, as well as €50 million in five-year lease contracts, and €36 million in the purchase of properties.
The minister also said that the country received a total of 1,031 applications last year for the Nomad Residence Program.
With an average annual salary of €76,000, these digital nomads have significant spending potential, with a conservative estimate of €5 million spent in Malta by around 542 nomads last year.
He emphasised that among the measures proposed by the Labour Migration Policy of Malta is that any job vacancy should be advertised on the Jobplus website for workers of Malta and on the EURES website for European Union citizens.
Increased Number of Foreign Workers
Authorities in Malta previously revealed that the country is facing significant labour shortages in various occupations, according to the report of 2023 of EURES, on shortages as well as surpluses.
The report showed that some of the most affected industries were manufacturing, healthcare, construction and food service hospitality as well as transportation.
In addition, the same report noted that foreign workers interested in living and working in Malta have a higher chance of securing employment in this country if they meet the needed requirements to fill in any of the vacancies.
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