A Maltese nurse was turned away by the Irish nursing board over English language proficiency rules, despite having been taught in the language at the University of Malta.
Emanuel Zammit has been trying to register with the Nursing Midwifery Board Ireland (NMBI) for the past two years.
But the board continues to refuse documents issued by the university as proof of English proficiency required to work in the Irish health system.
He has now turned to the European Parliament for assistance through a petition backed by the European Commission, which has described Ireland’s rules as “disproportionate”.
Zammit must be registered with the NMBI before being able to even apply for work in Ireland.
According to a 2005 directive by the European Commission, he is eligible for automatic recognition by the Irish board because he completed his nursing education in Malta in 2006, where the course is taught in English.
To further prove his proficiency in the language, Zammit has also submitted an official letter from the University of Malta (UM) stating that all textbooks used in the nursing course are in English, that the language of instruction is also English, and all subjects studied are taught and assessed in the language.
Zammit has a diploma and a bachelor’s degree with honours in nursing from the Faculty of Health Sciences, as well as a Master of Arts from the Faculty of Theology, all from the UM. The nurse also went a step further and presented the English language Secondary Education Certificate, also issued by UM.
Board continues to refuse documents by the university
Still, Zammit was asked to present an English Language test and it later emerged that the NMBI does not acknowledge English as one of Malta’s official languages.
Zammit said his situation remains unchanged, although he has been told Ireland is in the process of making the required changes.
“I initiated the petition because I believe the rules to be unfair, disproportionate and limit the freedom of movement we’re entitled to as EU citizens,” he told Times of Malta.
He said he remains interested in working in Ireland, citing better pay and experience as the main reasons behind his move.
Ireland tells EU it is willing to amend rules
In its reply as part of Zammit’s petition, the European Commission said the administrative practice seemed “disproportionately restrictive”.
It said the board did not provide for the possibility for a migrant to prove their knowledge of English by any other means than study or professional practice in five specifically listed English-speaking countries or by passing specifically listed examinations. The countries, as listed on the NMBI website, are Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the US and the UK.
“It should be noted that although the examination centres for the tests listed on the NMBI website were also located outside Ireland, passing a specific test against a relatively high fee represents a disproportionate requirement having in mind that the applicants might already be in possession of other proof of language knowledge that could be sufficient to attest their level necessary for practising the profession in Ireland,” the commission said.
In September, the Irish authorities informed the commission they are willing to change the rules to ensure the language requirements are proportionate and to include “exemptions from the language test for any applicant that has taken an undergraduate programme, in line with the EU directive, where the theory and placement have been conducted principally through English, in a country that recognises English as a primary language”.
The new laws, however, have yet to be introduced and in a hearing on Thursday, the Commission said it believed the problem is broader than Zammit’s case and only adding Malta to the list of accepted countries would not be sufficient.
The Commission said that as of last week, the NBIM said its reply was being finalised but provided no further details.