The Government has announced the introduction of the Specialist Employee Initiative (SEI). This is a route which is applicable to those highly specialised employees that are not eligible to the Key Employee Initiative (KEI), but still hold the relevant academic, vocational or technical skills in line with their employment offer in Malta.
The processing time for this kind of application is being said to be of 15 days from when the full batch of required documents are submitted. This is a considerable improvement on the usual processing time of single work permits.
In order to be eligible to apply for an SEI application one would need to:
- Have a signed contract with a Maltese entity;
- Have an annual gross salary of at least €25,000;
- In possession of either (i) an MQF level 6 or higher in an area directly related to the job offer or (ii) skill qualifications together with a minimum of 3 years' experience in a position which is directly related to the job offer.
Some documents which would need to accompany the application are:
- Full copy of passport;
- CV;
- Declaration of Suitability;
- Lease Agreement & Housing Approval;
- Health Screening; and
- Health Insurance.
With the introduction of this program, relief will definitely be felt from the load in relation to the single work permit applications. The ongoing initiatives which are being taken by Identita' are aimed to consistently increasing the efficiency of the department in view of the current increase in demand.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
