Citizenship junior minister Alex Muscat has pushed back against claims that Identity Malta red tape is to blame for repatriation issues faced by foreign nurses.

However, he said he wants bureaucracy for third-country nationals simplified.

Last month, Times of Malta reported that the country is bracing itself for an exodus of foreign nurses – mostly Indian, Pakistani and Filipino – who are being poached by the UK as part of its efforts to control its spiralling COVID-19 situation.

Problems with spouses not being able to join nurses here, delays in issuing residence permits as well as demanding and expensive requirements to the annual renewal of work permits, are among the issues discouraging foreign nurses from remaining in Malta.

Among others, Josè Joseph and his wife, Jossy, both Indian nurses, said the “lack of family sensitivity” was the main reason why they decided to leave the island for a job in the United Kingdom, where the family can finally be reunited without facing unnecessary bureaucracy and heartache.

The couple explained that their one-year-old son, Maxson Josè, has never met his three-year-old sister, Miya.

Similarly, Ajay Tomy and his wife Bibina Merin Baby – both nurses – came to Malta in 2017 and initially worked for a private contractor before getting employed at Mount Carmel Hospital last year with an indefinite contract.

Their son, Alexander Thomas, was born in December 2019. That was when they started feeling “trapped in Malta” as their son did not yet have a residence permit which they applied for a year ago.

Addressing Parliament on Monday, Muscat said that the nurse shortage in Malta prevailed despite several calls on people to take up nursing.

A group of nurses, including six who left Malta, arrive in the UK this month for their jobs with the NHS. Photo: Envertiz Consultancy/Facebook

Referring to “media reports” he said Identity Malta could not be blamed for travelling issues. 

Mobility issues during a pandemic was not a problem created by the agency. Right now, he said, travelling between Malta and countries such as India and the Philippines was not a straightforward process.

Muscat said that the renewal of documents was taking a few days, and applications could also be submitted online. 

He added that he has however called for the reduction of bureaucracy.