Workers from outside the European Union should be given more than 10 days to find a new job before being deported from the country, according to a parliamentary petition lodged earlier this month.

Calling the 10-day window “impractical and unjust”, the petition, which had garnered more than 1,400 signatures at the time of publication, wants lawmakers to give workers up to two months to find a new job instead.

Pointing to “hasty decisions” made by workers desperate to find new employment within the current “restrictive” time limit, the petition says giving workers more time to find a new job would “reduce the risk of exploitation”.

Such a move would also allow non-EU workers to find positions more aligned with their qualifications while alleviating the workload on authorities, the petition argues.

Workers from outside the EU, also known as Third Country Nationals (TCNs), currently have 10 days to find new work and prepare all the necessary documents to stay in Malta after being officially terminated from their employment.

Those who fail to do so risk their residence permit becoming invalid and being told to leave the country.

But finding a job in that time was “unrealistic due to the constraints of the Maltese labour market,” the petition argues.

Highlighting “unique challenges” facing non-EU jobseekers, the petition says the “urgency imposed by this law places TCNs at the mercy of unscrupulous employers who exploit their desperation, compelling them to accept poor working conditions.”

"Numerous cases illustrate this exploitation, highlighting a systemic issue that necessitates legislative reform,” it says.

“We request the House of Representatives to repeal this restrictive 10-day rule and extend the period to 30–60 days, aligning with fair labour practices and Malta’s commitments under international human rights standards.”

'You feel like you don't belong anywhere'

Indian national Dilraj Panakkal Bhasi, who lodged the petition at the start of the month, told Times of Malta “a lot of people are facing this issue".

Stressing that finding employment within the hospitality sector – known to employ a high proportion of TCN workers – during off-peak seasons was “especially difficult”, Bhasi - an administrator and formerly a practising lawyer in his native India - said he received “a lot of calls for advice about this”.

He said he had been motivated to start the petition after being contacted by those facing difficulties finding a job and seeing one of his friends struggle in the same position. “They are trying their best,” he said.

One non-EU worker told Times of Malta his experience of finding a new job within the 10-day window had been "horrible, like being uprooted".

While the worker managed to find a new position in time, he said the "worry of losing a job for any reason" continued: "Living for years in Malta and still having that worry makes you feel like you don't belong anywhere".

This is not the first time there have been calls to extend the time non-EU workers have to find a new job.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, community leaders and employers argued the timeframe should be extended to three months in light of the turbulent economic situation in the country.

Earlier this year, government figures revealed that hospitality sector employers made up a quarter of the businesses irregularly employing workers from outside the EU last year.

The same year, almost half of all non-EU workers in Malta were overqualified for their job, a Eurostat study published earlier this year found.

Have you been affected by the issue raised in this article? Email newsroom@timesofmalta.com to share your experiences.