This year, on the 112th World Day for Migrants and Refugees, Pope Leo XIV calls on us all to remember the suffering of migrant and refugee children, especially those travelling alone. At JRS, the cornerstone of our work with young people is that these children are...
On Friday, 11th September, we invite you to gather with us at St Aloysius College, B’Kara, for our annual fundraising celebration, Under the Stars. Doors open at 7pm. This event is our yearly event celebrating community, an effort to raise funds for our cause, and an...
We are extremely disappointed that the Equality Minister’s first decision was to wholly ignore human rights NGOs. The Bill to strengthen Malta’s human rights regime and establish a much-needed human rights institution was rushed through Parliament, despite our...
ILGA-Europe have drafted a letter to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola following last week’s shameful scenes at the European Parliament on the occasion of the adoption of the Return Regulation, calling on her to publicly condemn the chanting of the MEPs,...
For a couple of weeks in June the JRS offices had the pleasure of welcoming a group of volunteers from the Boston University. The students participated in job shadowing, received training and joined in on different activities with staff members. As part of our ongoing...
The government of Malta was ordered to pay €5,000 to a teenage asylum seeker for breaching his fundamental rights. Judge Giovanni Grixti ruled that Ayoubah Fona was unlawfully detained as a minor in poor conditions. Lawyer Neil Falzon from aditus foundation, together...
As 2025 draws to a close, we want to thank you for continuing to walk this journey with us, a journey alongside countless refugees and displaced families who long for safety, peace, and a place to belong. Unfortunately, just when the needs are greatest, devastating...
We are deeply concerned at Malta’s statement urging the Council of Europe to explore how to restrict the fundamental human rights of migrants. Packaged as national security measures, the proposals will result in a dramatic lowering of human rights standards in over...
JRS Malta is launching a Call for a Service Contract for the provision of research studies into the lived experiences of asylum seekers and the legal and policy framework regulating access to healthcare for different categories of migrants. This task is part of the...
JRS Malta is teaming up with Jesuits & Friends to launch the latest in a series of our fundraising efforts. This time, we are calling on all running enthusiasts to join the Jesuits & Friends Team at the LifeStar Malta Marathon and help raise funds for JRS in...
A new policy that will lead to increased social exclusion and poverty
NGO reaction to the revisions to the Specific Residence Authorisation policy
We are extremely disappointed to read the revisions made by the Government to the 2018 Specific Residence Authorisation policy. Instead of “reducing social exclusion among mi- grant communities and recognising the efforts of those migrants who are actively contrib- uting to our society” the revisions will destroy the hard-earned integration efforts of hundreds of migrants. The revised policy will result in people in Malta remaining undocumented and being denied access to the most basic rights. This will exacerbate the pain of so many men, women and children.
Two years ago, we welcomed the policy on Specific Residence Authorisation (SRA) as a unique opportunity to integrate migrants who have lived and worked in Malta for many years, granting them stability and security. We had commented “that the SRA policy is a clear acknowledgement by the relevant authorities of the personal, social, financial and other con- tributions made by so many migrants in Malta. In doing so, Malta is taking a bold step to- wards fostering a truly inclusive society.”
The one-off scheme rewarded their contributions and active steps towards making Malta home. It provided the hundreds of eligible candidates with a regularised status and the peace of mind that comes with the knowledge that their futures were settled, that they were welcome.
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.
This year, on the 112th World Day for Migrants and Refugees, Pope Leo XIV calls on us all to remember the suffering of migrant and refugee children, especially those travelling alone. At JRS, the cornerstone of our work with young people is that these children are...
On Friday, 11th September, we invite you to gather with us at St Aloysius College, B’Kara, for our annual fundraising celebration, Under the Stars. Doors open at 7pm. This event is our yearly event celebrating community, an effort to raise funds for our cause, and an...
We are extremely disappointed that the Equality Minister’s first decision was to wholly ignore human rights NGOs. The Bill to strengthen Malta’s human rights regime and establish a much-needed human rights institution was rushed through Parliament, despite our...
ILGA-Europe have drafted a letter to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola following last week’s shameful scenes at the European Parliament on the occasion of the adoption of the Return Regulation, calling on her to publicly condemn the chanting of the MEPs,...
For a couple of weeks in June the JRS offices had the pleasure of welcoming a group of volunteers from the Boston University. The students participated in job shadowing, received training and joined in on different activities with staff members. As part of our ongoing...
The government of Malta was ordered to pay €5,000 to a teenage asylum seeker for breaching his fundamental rights. Judge Giovanni Grixti ruled that Ayoubah Fona was unlawfully detained as a minor in poor conditions. Lawyer Neil Falzon from aditus foundation, together...
As 2025 draws to a close, we want to thank you for continuing to walk this journey with us, a journey alongside countless refugees and displaced families who long for safety, peace, and a place to belong. Unfortunately, just when the needs are greatest, devastating...
We are deeply concerned at Malta’s statement urging the Council of Europe to explore how to restrict the fundamental human rights of migrants. Packaged as national security measures, the proposals will result in a dramatic lowering of human rights standards in over...
JRS Malta is launching a Call for a Service Contract for the provision of research studies into the lived experiences of asylum seekers and the legal and policy framework regulating access to healthcare for different categories of migrants. This task is part of the...
JRS Malta is teaming up with Jesuits & Friends to launch the latest in a series of our fundraising efforts. This time, we are calling on all running enthusiasts to join the Jesuits & Friends Team at the LifeStar Malta Marathon and help raise funds for JRS in...
This year, on the 112th World Day for Migrants and Refugees, Pope Leo XIV calls on us all to remember the suffering of migrant and refugee children, especially those travelling alone. At JRS, the...
On Friday, 11th September, we invite you to gather with us at St Aloysius College, B’Kara, for our annual fundraising celebration, Under the Stars. Doors open at 7pm. This event is our yearly event...
