The revisions announced on Tuesday by the Parliamentary Secretariat for Citizenship and Communities came as a shock to us all. New applicants are now given one-month ultimatum to file their applications, persons seeking renewal run the risk of permanently reverting to an irregular immigration status and the policy’s original family-oriented measures are being se- verely restricted. The revisions are also unclear on several important aspects and, in our experience, such uncertainty often results in arbitrariness in the assessment of applications.
In 2018, the policy on Specific Residence Authorisation was the result of a tense but re- warding process of dialogue between the Government and over twenty non-governmental organisations. We truly regret that the 2020 revisions fail to build on the lessons learnt since the policy’s adoption. They are a retrogressive step that will undoubtedly increase poverty and social exclusion, at a time when the pandemic is already have a terrible impact on mi- grant communities.
We strongly urge the Parliamentary Secretariat to, once again, engage with us on the policy revisions in furtherance of its original aims.
Statement by:
aditus foundation, African Media Association Malta, Allied Rainbow Communities, Anti-Pov- erty Forum Malta, Azzjoni Kattolika Maltija, Blue Door English, Christian Life Communities in Malta, Dean of the Faculty of Education, Drachma, Great Oak Malta Association, Integra Foundation, Jesuit Refugee Service (Malta), KOPIN, Malta Emigrants’ Commission, Malta Humanist Association, Migrant Women Association Malta, Millennium Chapel, MOAS, Moviment Graffitti, People for Change Foundation, Repubblika, SOS Malta, SPARK15, Women’s Rights Foundation.