How foreign workers lost money chasing Malta jobs

A considerable number of third-country nationals say they lost money and were pushed into debt after paying two employers in Malta fees for jobs they were ultimately not given.

At least 42 South Asian nationals paid a couple €450 each in “administrative” fees when applying for housekeeping, maintenance, industrial and hospitality jobs in Malta, only to see their work permit applications rejected by the authorities.

Correspondence sent by immigration and employment authorities to the couple, seen by Times of Malta, shows the pair failed to provide the requested documents to support the recruitment, despite repeated reminders. The applicants were later told the need for their position had “not been justified”, and their work permit applications had been refused.

Times of Malta was able to trace requests for payments for 42 applicants and details for a further 50 prospective workers, suggesting the couple could have netted around €40,000 in fees.

However, sources allege in a letter to the police that over 400 applicants applied for jobs with the same couple between 2022 and 2024, putting potential earnings at about €180,000.

A Times of Malta investigation into the rejected applications revealed fees allegedly being requested in cash, an unregistered company and testimonies of lost savings and debt.

One Indian applicant described the €450 he paid to the couple as a “huge amount of money” that left him saddled with two years of debt. Another said the pair ignored her after she was rejected.

Their experiences came to light when a source familiar with the couple’s business activities contacted Times of Malta with details of the rejected applications, alleging the rejections were a “scam” to defraud applicants out of money.

Meanwhile, one recruitment sector source described loopholes in employment immigration rules at the time of the rejections, saying there was “no system” in place.

The recruiter described the government as being caught unprepared for malicious actors operating in the industry at the time, adding that the situation has since markedly improved with the migration policy reforms introduced last year.

After several warnings and reminders, Identità would refuse to issue the single work permit.

Cash

A source familiar with the couple’s activities said the pair would approach third-country nationals (TCNs) living in Malta, telling them they were looking for workers. The TCNs would then refer to them foreign nationals from countries including India and Nepal.

The pair employed a handful of workers in Malta for positions such as drivers and administrative assistants. These workers were then asked to recommend foreign nationals for further job positions.

Prospective applicants abroad were interviewed online and, subsequently, told they had secured the job on condition that their single work permit is approved by the authorities.

They were then charged a €450 administration fee, in addition to being asked to fork out a €280.50 Identità application fee.

The source claims the €450 was paid in cash, with applicants abroad transferring money to their compatriots’ home country bank accounts.

The Malta-based workers would then withdraw the money in Malta and hand it over to the couple, the source claims.

Despite Identità applications for candidates being registered online, correspondence sent by the agency and Jobsplus to the couple, and seen by Times of Malta, show the pair were repeatedly warned of missing documents needed for the jobs to be approved.

Employers are required to provide the authorities with specific documents when hiring from outside the EU.

The couple was warned that Jobsplus required evidence such as logbooks and rosters for driver positions, licences issued by the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) and establishment details for hospitality work and workplace information for warehouse positions.

They were also repeatedly asked to provide ‘declarations of postings’ for the positions, a document required to confirm an applicant’s place of work.

Applicants later received notification that their applications had been rejected following an objection by Jobsplus: “The need for your position and for your services in Malta have not been justified,” candidates were told, according to rejection letters seen by Times of Malta.

The authorities warned the couple several times about missing documents needed for the jobs to be approved. Applicants’ details have been redacted by Times of Malta.

Ruse

The source claims that the jobs promised never existed and were simply a ruse to siphon fees from the overseas applicants.

The couple appears to have operated through a sole trading account and a purported private company, according to documents provided by the source. No matching company was found on the Malta Business Registry, however.

Records show the pair set up a UK company in January 2023. That company, listed as a human resources provider, was struck off in June the following year without ever filing any returns.

In August 2024, the police, Identità, Jobsplus and the finance and transport ministries were alerted to the rejections, with the complainant alleging the couple had “created duplicate and fraudulent contracts and Identità forms, submitting over 400 applications”.

All entities replied to the complainant, confirming receipt of the allegations and that they were being investigated or referred to the relevant authorities.

The police told Times of Malta it was unable to confirm or deny the allegations or whether an investigation had taken place.

Identità said its compliance unit investigated the allegations, “and all findings were presented to the respective authorities, who have the mandate to conduct further investigations and take any legal action deemed necessary”. It did not say what the findings were.

It also said all applications and documentation are “thoroughly vetted” and “whenever suspicions arise, a report is submitted to the competent authorities”.

One invoice showing the due payments for 11 applicants. Each applicant paid a €450 “administrative” fee.

Improvements

Meanwhile, asked about industry conditions at the time of the rejections, a leading recruiter said there was then weak legislation in place to prevent abuse, with unscrupulous operators able to exploit loopholes in the system.

“The exorbitant fees that rogue individuals and so-called agencies were charging desperate, unprepared individuals were always a bit of a grey area with the authorities,” he said.

At the time, the government was “unprepared; there was no proper system in place... they were caught off guard and didn’t anticipate the number of cowboys out there ready to abuse the system”, the recruiter said.

He said that, since the introduction of the labour migration policy and updates to recruiting agency regulations, the system was now “solid”, however, with abuse of foreign workers drastically reduced.

“Even the quality of workers has improved,” he said, noting that while serious recruiters used to frequently encounter workers in Malta cut loose by rogue employers, the sector was “not seeing desperate people in the same numbers as before”.