A group of Bangladeshi nationals have described how they had to pay hundreds of euros in rent in Malta as they wait for their visas to be approved, despite never having set foot in the country.

When applying for a work visa, an applicant from a country outside the EU must prove that they have accommodation, often in the form of a rental agreement.

But because of lengthy delays in processing the visas, people on low incomes are spending hundreds of euros a month renting rooms here they have never slept in.

And despite having a so-called 'approval in principle’, their visas are still often rejected, leaving them severely out of pocket.

Times of Malta interviewed seven prospective Bangladeshi workers via video call who have been trying to migrate to Malta for work for years but have been denied a visa.

Two had found jobs as chefs, two as waiters, one as a plumber, one as an electrician and one as a bricklayer before ultimately being denied entry. 

After waiting up to six months for an initial appointment, they then had to pay rent in Malta while they waited for their visa to be approved.

One paid a total of 12 months’ rent having had his visa rejected a total of three times, twice because of COVID-19 travel restrictions and a third for no explicit reason. He first applied in 2019 and his last attempt was in January.

He paid €200 each month for a shared room he would never sleep in. 

Three others each paid €158 per month for seven months as they expected to share rooms and join three others in a three-bedroom flat in Marsa.  

They started paying rent in January, a few weeks after receiving their blue paper. They then waited five months for their appointment date and then another five months for processing, only to be rejected.  

The interviewees said they paid the rent every month as they waited and hoped for an approved visa.

Immigration lawyer Adrian Sciberras says the issue is also causing problems for employers.

“If an employer needs a person now it makes no sense for them to first wait for six months for an approval-in-principle document and then another six months for them to finally arrive,” he said.  

“The whole process is taking more than a year.”   

Sciberras said some applicants have been able to avoid the rent problem by paying a deposit, a month’s rent and then suspending their payments until they await visa approval.

Another visa requirement for would-be immigrant workers is a travel booking to Malta.

One man described how he missed a flight from Delhi to Malta that had cost €1,000 because he did not have his visa in hand.

He was only refunded €500.

Interviewees also paid work permit fees of €280.50, visa fees of €100 and a service fee of €76.20 to VFS Global, the company subcontracted by the Maltese government to handle the allocation of visa appointments and the collection of visa documents in India and Bangladesh.  

“I sold my land and lost my job to work in Malta,” one said, who applied three times since 2020 said.  

Some said they borrowed money to cover their expenses, hoping to be able to pay back the money through their earnings in Malta.  

Applicants hand in their passports when applying for their visas, which means that if they have to travel to a country that provides a visa service they have to pay rent charges there too as they wait. 

All those who spoke to Times of Malta recounted how they took accommodation in hostels as they waited in India, paying 1,000 Indian rupees a day (around €12).  

This particular issue has been resolved for Bangladeshi applicants who can now apply for their visa in Dhaka, through a VFS Global office in the country’s capital. However, for those that do not have visa services in their country the issue persists. 

Asked why they continue to apply, despite the issues, the men said they want to work in Malta to send money to their families. The fact that Malta is an English-speaking country and has opportunities in the hospitality sector are also pull factors for them. 

Identity Malta did not reply to questions.

What is the process to apply for a visa?

• Prospective employers apply for an approval-in-principle document.

• He or she is vetted by immigration police.

• JobsPlus clarifies the work cannot be carried out by a local or EU worker.

• Identity Malta issues the document or ‘blue paper’ to the prospective employee.

• The person books an appointment, usually with a six-month wait.

• The employee then uses the ‘blue paper’ to apply for a visa, after submitting proof of rent and a travel booking, among other documents.

• After this process, the prospective employee can still be rejected for a visa.