Iranian software developer Arash was thrilled to be offered a high-paying job in Malta.

The full-time role included a good salary, relocation money, flight tickets, insurance, and all expenses for work and residency permits.

He was confident of being accepted for residency, given that many of his Iranian friends had successfully applied in EU countries, including the Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium.

But two months after moving to Malta, Identity Malta rejected his application.

In a letter dated July, the government agency told him his application was being refused “on public policy grounds” due to not being able to carry out due diligence checks “given the current situation in Iran”.

Arash, who asked for his surname to be withheld, said he and his employer were shocked at the decision, and that neither of them had been asked for any additional documents or feedback by the agency.

In an appeal letter lodged with Identity Malta by his employer, Arash’s lawyer highlighted that the agency had not explained which public policy concerns contributed to its decision, nor specified which Iranian organisations it had tried to contact.

Arash and his employer are still waiting for answers.

The 33-year-old has since moved to Croatia, where he has since been given residency and work permits, a driving licence, a tax number, and a long-stay visa. He has also continued to work remotely for the Malta-based company, though he now pays taxes to Croatia instead. 

“I chose Malta because I love the country... I hope to return some day as I would like to be an asset there”, he said, speaking from Croatia.

A broader problem

Arash is not alone. He is one of around a dozen Iranians reporting similar treatment from Identity Malta. Times of Malta has spoken to two others from the group and reviewed documents for a further two showing the same experience.

They include 30-year-old medical laboratory scientist Shadi, who has a long-term residence permit in Italy, and was offered roles in leading healthcare and pharmaceutical companies in Malta. She too was told she was ineligible on grounds of “public policy”, when she contacted the agency before applying, despite also having a clean conduct police check from the Malta police.

The rejections date back to 2022 and predate the recent unrest in Iran sparked by the death of Mahsa Amina, who was arrested for allegedly breaching mandatory hijab rules.

Some applicants have appealed the rejection and have also filed a complaint with the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE), which is investigating the case.

According to a transcript of one sitting of the investigation, seen by Times of Malta, Identity Malta lawyer Chanel Bantick said the agency had been unable to perform due diligence on Iranian nationals to make sure they are not a “threat to Maltese society”.

“Here we are talking about an Iranian national; a place in which there is political instability and dictatorship,” Bantick said.

She said the political situation means there are limitations on the sharing of information between Maltese police and their Iranian counterparts, “hence why there is the difficulty of carrying out due diligence on Iranian nationals”.

Times of Malta has been shown multiple clean police conduct reports supplied by the Iranian police, however, and in one case a translated document from the Iranian bar association stating that the applicant in question is not subject to any sanctions targeting the ruling Islamic Republic.

When asked during a sitting of the NCPE investigation, Identity Malta was unable to confirm if it had tried to carry out background checks.

Despite informing NCPE representatives that it is not possible to conduct the necessary checks, at the time of writing there are no notices on the Identity Malta website informing prospective applicants of this and advising them not to apply.

How can I be a danger to Malta but an asset to Germany?

For each application, the agency charges a non-refundable €280.50.

On its website, the agency advises Iranian applicants to apply for a visa at the Embassy of Poland in the Iranian capital Tehran and confirms that citizens of Iran are required to present a visa when travelling to Malta or elsewhere in the EU.

An Identity Malta representative told one person, claiming to be a prospective employer, there were no issues with employing people from Iran.

Accepted in Germany

In some cases, applicants were rejected within two days, despite the process usually taking “eight to 10 weeks” as observed by a lawyer representing one applicant.

Mahboobeh, an Iranian software engineer in Malaysia, paid to have her Iranian degree recognised by the education authority on a Friday, only to be informed by Monday morning that her residency application had been rejected.

The 35-year-old had been working in Malaysia for four years and applied to Identity Malta after being offered a position in her company’s Malta branch. 

The software engineer told Times of Malta that her gender had already made things difficult for her growing up in Iran.

“It’s not easy for women in Iran, it’s a very sexist country. Being born there already made it hard for me... I was excited to go to Europe,” she said.

“Unfortunately, I was treated the same in Malta as in my own country… I worked hard for the opportunity and was rejected just because of where I was born.”

Mahboobeh has since moved to Berlin, where she has been granted a residency permit and is now employed full-time.

“How can I be a danger to Malta but an asset to Germany?” she asked in one NCPE meeting.

She described her frustration at Identity Malta and the time and money she wasted applying for a permit.

“At least the United States under Donald Trump was honest — put it on your website if you don’t want Iranians,” she suggested.

When contacted, NCPE commissioner Renee Laiviera told Times of Malta the commission is unable to comment on specific cases in detail due to privacy concerns.

“We are following up the cases and looking to deal with them as soon as possible,” she said.

“We understand their complaints and are doing our best.”

When contacted, Identity Malta said it was unable to comment due to ongoing appeals.