The Forum: YOUR Questions, Answers,Comments

Wanted: Questions, Answers,Comments

Dear Readers,

This section is for you to write back and forth to each other. Address the post to me—Ilene—if you want me to specifically answer something.  But, mostly this is for you to talk to each other. I will eliminate anything that I deem is inappropriate—except for my stuff, of course, because that would mean eliminating the whole blog.  Enjoy…

Comments

[Sennuwy (an ancient Egyptian name)]

Hi Wenwen,

Thanks for your question.  It usually takes three months for the ETC to process the application. The first question is this:

Did you bring the application to the ETC yourself--or did your employer say they were going to submit it for you?  If you brought it yourself and paid the fee directly to the ETC, then it should have been processed within three months.  Shortly after submitting the application, you or your employer should have received a letter of acknowledgement with your case number on it.  Rejections usually happen within a month--and you get a letter.

If your employer said they would do it for you, they probably didnt, Im sorry to say.  Or your application got rejected and they dont care.

Heres what you should do:  If you have the letter with the number, go the the ETC in person or call in the afternoon on weekdays to find out what happened.  If you dont have the case number, ask your employer for the letter they should have received. If they didnt get it, then they didnt apply for you.

Then, find yourself another employer who wants to hire you--and then bring in the application yourself to the ETC after the employer signs all the papers.

I wish you the very best. I know what youre going through.

ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY THOUGHTS?

[Ilene]

Hi Everyone-I got this question from Wenwen:

My name is Wenwen, I'm Chinese, I want to work in Malta as a chef in a Chinese restaurant,

My employer helped me to submit an employment license for working in Malta.

My application has stayed in ETC for 5 clear months already, and there is no any information back.

I wonder how long you normally need to wait for the employment licesce? six months or even longer?

Another question, if my application was rejected by ETC, how long they will give me the notice?

Please give me some advice, thanks.

Sincerely,

Wenwen

[Mr.S.]

Hi Kerry,

Even if the daily amount you quote includes 5 star hotel accommodation you will be OK !
Just check out other parts of this website for costs of meals and drinks.
If you have that budget , don't worry, you won't have to count your pennies. You'll have a great time in Malta.

Ricky

[Sennuwy (an ancient Egyptian name)]

Here is a question from Kerry:

Hi Ilene

I’m not moving to Malta, but hopefully, will be visiting as a tourist with my daughter to meet family for the first time, and I’d like to get an idea of how much things cost, i.e., a cup of coffee, soft drink, dinner, movie, tourist places etc, to see if I’ll have enough money. I’ve surfed the web and can’t find anything.

I’m budgeting 300 Euros for the day, 150 Euros each – do you think this will be enough?

Thanks.

Regards

Kerry
(from Australia)

[Mr.S.]

Hi Sandra,

To apply for residency (renewable every year) as a Non-EU national being economically self-sufficient, you have to prove to the Maltese authority that you have an income of 13.976 €/year($16.303 for a married company) exclusive of rental costs .You also need to have health insurance coverage.

1.000 USD is the equivalent of 733 €.

So on the basis of these figures you would not qualify for retirement/residency and , to be honest,it would not be affordable either.

I'm sorry I have no better news.
Ricky

[Sennuwy (an ancient Egyptian name)]

Sandra--Im in the same boat as you.  Thats how much Ill be getting--if Im lucky--and I dont know what to tell you.  I dont know if youll have any other income from investments.  But $1000/month just wont do it. First,  you have to consider the exchange rate of the dollar which is very bad. So if you start with 1000 USD, you would end up with 700 Euros at this time.  Rent--at the very least--would be 400 Euros and that would be more likely out on the island away from the water--places other than Sliema, Valletta and St. Julians. The second problem is health insurance. You will need private health insurance and no pre-existing conditions will be covered.  At this point, you would be able to stay for three months at a time--unless you can work here and get an extended VISA--and then leave and come back as a visitor.  There are different resident schemes you can apply for, but they all require a minimum amount of income which I think is above 12,000 USD/year. I know this sounds bleak, but see if you can generate any other income that would bring your monthly income up.  Best of luck--Ilene

[Sandra]

Ilene, I was just wondering if it would be possible to retire on $1000.00 USD in Malta? Which city would be the best? I'm a baby boomer and unfortunately we did not have options other than social security.

Thanks,
Sandy

[Mr.S.]

Hi Kenneth,

Holding an EU passport does not entitle you to free health care in Malta either.

You need to have health insurance in your EU home country-either by being entitled to national health system coverage(i.e., GB) or by paying for private or public health insurance(like Germany).Then your insurance company or national authority will issue the Europ.Health Insurance Card that can be presented in Malta for free treatment.

When you work in Malta and pay National Insurance fees you are also entitled to free health treatment but that will not include coverage for your US wife.

Crohn's disease would definitely count as a pre-existing condition and not be covered by private health insurance.

The European price for Remicade (Infiximab) is around 2800,-€/100mg.So the cost would be somewhere between 5000-6000 € every 8 weeks if used on standard schedule plus doctors fees and accompanying medication.

I'm sorry I can't report anything more positive in your situation. But maybe there is a loophole somewhere that I'm not aware of.

IS THERE ANYONE READING THIS WHO CAN HELP?

Ricky

[Sennuwy (an ancient Egyptian name)]

Hi Kenneth--thanks for your kind words and I wish you the best in your plans.  Before I or anyone answers these questions, I must always say that these are only guesses based on what info I know for my situation. The best is always to call official authorities yourself.  But here's a start:

1. No, your wife can't automatically work here; she could stay here based on the fact you're an EU member.

2. With all your great qualifications, I think you would still need the CELTA that is the most recognized training program for teaching English in Malta.

3. No, very sorry, I don't believe your wife would be covered for her condition.  Its pre-exisitng and no private insurance will cover it. Your wife is not entitled to the National Health Insurance in Malta unless she is working and contributing to the NI (or social security)  in Malta.

Ken, I know this doesn't sound very promising, but this is why you must get in touch directly with Maltese authorities--they are listed on the blog--to get answers yourself.  All situations are different--and I wish you and your wife the best of luck----Ilene

[Kenneth Wise]

Hello,
I just want to tell you that I love your site. I am an American residing in Arizona who has an EU passport (by dint of having an Irish-born mother) ,and my American wife and I are thinking about relocating to Malta. I have a few questions.
1. I know that I am entitled to residency/work permit automatically as I am an EU citizen, but do you know if my wife would receive that authorisation right away?
2. I have a B.A. in English literature, a M.Ed. in teaching English as a foreign language to adults, a second B.A. in Spanish (with a minor in French), and am working on a master's degree in Spanish literature. Would a language school take me on, do you think? I am also looking at other work using my language skills, i.e., editing, proofreading, technical writing, translation, research assistant. Do you think that it's feasible?
3. My wife has a condition called Crohn's Disease. She will be 37 this year, and undergoes Remicade treatments every two months. Would she be covered and treated in Malta as the wife of an EU national?
I am sorry for the long post. I have read through your site, and absolutely love it and applaud you for moving to such a wonderful nation. I wish you the absolute best, and hope that you can stay there and enjoy the Maltese way of life.
Kenneth Wise

[Mr.S.]

Hi Diane,

Calling the USA from a landline is quite cheap! You can even call US mobile numbers, as they have the same rate. Melita charges 0.03 €(3 cents) a minute which is the same rate as calling EU landline numbers.

Calling an EU mobile phone costs 0.24 €/minute - nearly 10 times as much.

For calls from the US to Malta please check your US phone company.

[Sennuwy (an ancient Egyptian name)]

Here's a question from Diane:

I have a question for you about how much using a landline for calls to and from the US.I may visit Malta for about 3 months and I work online but need to make some calls to the US as well. Do you have any info about how much doing that would cost?

[Sennuwy (an ancient Egyptian name)]

Hi Lindsey--No, I never used any lawyers. In fact, I dont feel like I severed any ties with the US--and I will never have to.  You need a lawyer here in Malta more often to establish permanent residency and extend visas--but even that isnt absolutely necessary.  You can do a lot of the stuff yourself--but its faster with a lawyer--but a lot more expensive.  If you start your own business or company, then its important to hire a lawyer.  Good luck!  Ilene

[Lindsey B.]

Hello Ilene,
I was curious to know if you found it essential to have two attorneys to handle both severing ties with the US and immigration procedures with Malta. This would be my situation, as I live and work in Indianapolis, Indiana and wish to retire to Malta in 12 to 15 years with my wife.
Your story is quite inspirational to me and I will consider myself the caretaker of "The ember" until I arrive in Malta..!!
All the best to you, Ilene...
Lindsey

[Mr.S.]

Hi Monique,

Home schooling is not usual in Europe and not allowed in Malta.In fact, some German parents were just granted asylum in the US because they didn't want their children to attend regular school in Germany.

If you become a resident (you have to after being here for more than 3 months), then your children have to attend public, church or private schools. Hiring a private teacher would not work.

The only way around the rule is to not become a resident--that is, come and go every three months! But I don't think I can recommend that for the kids' sake, as they would not get any officially-recognized school education-- apart from other problems.

How about a good private school? I can recommend San Anton.

Regards
Ricky

[monique]

Thankyou to those who helped to answer my questions, this is my first time posting on a blog, so I had no idea there were reply's waiting for me.
Another question I have if anyone knows, is I homeschool here in the states, and I heard that this is not possible in Malta, If we hire a teacher will this work? or is there another way around it?

[Mr.S.]

Hi Ana,
Romania is a member of the EU since 1.1.2007 with a transitional period of 7 years so following rules should apply in your case:

Work permits will be granted for positions that require qualified and/or experienced workers and for those occupations for which there is a shortage of workers in the Maltese labour market.

What is the procedure for a job seeker to obtain a work permit?

A job seeker coming from this country needs to find an employer willing to offer a job to the prospective applicant. The employer needs to submit all the following documents.
1. Application form (http://etc.gov.mt/docs/EUIssBlue.pdf)
2. 1 passport photo
3. Copy of passport (details)
4. CV (http://etc.gov.mt/docs/CV_Template.doc)
5. Job description (http://etc.gov.mt/docs/position_description_employmentlicences.doc)
6. Covering Letter from employer
7. Certificates & references from past employment
A fee of Lm 25 has to be paid when work permit is issued.

It is not advisable to start working before getting the permit and it might take some time to process the application.

What are you going to do in Malta while receiving the Erasmus grant?

[Sennuwy (an ancient Egyptian name)]

Hello,
my name is Ana, I am from Romania. I just found out that I got my Erasmus grant for practice in Malta three months during summer time.

For students, is there any chance of getting a part time job? So the grant doesn`t cover all expenses and if I could earn some money for next year`s study it would be great. Only that from what I hear it`s hard.

[Sennuwy (an ancient Egyptian name)]

Thanks, Mr. S., for your very helpful and thorough information  xxx Ilene

[Mr.S.]

Hi Monique,

I talked today to a local pharmacist about foreign prescriptions in Malta.In general they have no problem filling EU or US/Canadian prescriptions and refills.The question of how long a refill will be accepted depends on the medicine involved.More'sensitive' prescriptions like certain antidepressants, strong painkillers etc might need a Maltese prescription after say 6 months , other medicine like against high blood pressure would be handled more casually.
It is certainly better to use the same pharmacist in these cases so that he knows you and your case.
The main question is the availability of specific medicines in Malta. Maltese drugs are regulated by the EMEA (EU version of FDA) but not all drugs are imported into Malta.In many cases generic versions are available.
So if you need to know about a specific drug label please let me know and I can research it individually.
The same goes for bio-identical hormones.They are theoretically available if imported from the EU.
Importing drugs from outside the EU is possible for personal use but difficult and expensive.