Third country nationals wishing to enrol in higher education in Malta may do so In line with Subsidiary Legislation 217.22 Conditions of Entry and Residence of Third-Country Nationals for the Purposes of Research, Studies, Training and Voluntary Service in the Mobility Project for Young People: Voluntary Projects Regulations

A third-country national who has been accepted by a higher education institution and is admitted to Malta to pursue as a main activity a full-time course of study leading to a higher education qualification recognised by the Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre, which serves to obtain a national qualification classified at level 5 of Malta Qualifications Framework may submit an application for a residence permit on the basis of their studies.

A third country national wishing to submit an application for a residence permit on this basis must do so via the online portal Non-EU IMA (identitymalta.com) and must select Form N.

The application shall be submitted, along with the fee of 27.50 for each year that the document will cover, by the third country national and endorsed by the higher education institution.

Conditions

The pertinent authorities may either consider an application for authorisation to be inadmissible, or rejected, if it is considered that students are or will be in an employment relationship.

The period of validity of an authorisation for students shall be at least one year, or for the duration of studies, where this is shorter and the authorisation shall be subject to a renewal.

The duration of the authorisation  for students who are covered by Union or multilateral programmes that comprise mobility measures or by an agreement between two or more higher education institutions shall be at least two years, or for theduration of their studies, where this is shorter.

Identity Malta Agency shall adopt a decision on the application for an authorisation or a renewal of it and notify the decision to the applicant in writing, within 90 days from the date on which the complete application was submitted

Documents

If you are applying for a resident permit on the basis of your enrolment in a higher institution in Malta, you must provide the following documents:

• a valid  travel  document  and,  if  required,  an application for a visa or a valid visa or, where applicable, a valid residence permit or a valid long-stay visa; the period of validity of the travel document shall cover at least the duration of the planned stay;

(b)  if the applicant is a minor, a parental authorisation or an equivalent document for the planned stay;

(c)  evidence  that  you have  applied  for  sickness insurance for all risks normally covered for Maltese nationals which shall be valid for the duration of the planned stay;

(d)  evidence that any fee that may be applicable has been paid;

(e)  evidence  that  during  the  planned  stay,  the applicant  will have sufficient resources  to  cover  subsistence costs without having recourse to the national social assistance system in Malta as well as return travel costs;

(f) evidence that you have  been  accepted  by  a  higher  education institution to follow a course of study;

(g)  the  fees  charged  by  the  higher  education institution have been paid;

(h) you have sufficient knowledge of the language of the course to be followed;

(i) you will have sufficient resources to cover the study costs;

Third-country  nationals  who  automatically  qualify  for sickness insurance in for all risks normally covered for Maltese nationals, as  a  result  of  enrolment  at  the University of Malta, the Malta College of  Arts,  Science  &  Technology  and  the  Institute  of Tourism Studies, in line with Subsidiary Legislation 35.28 Healthcare (Fees) Regulations will not need to provide proof of sickness insurance.

If you are applying for a residence permit on the basis of your valid authorisation issued by an other Member State and you are covered by a Union multilateral programme that comprises mobility measures or by an agreement between two or more higher education institutions, you must submit the following documents:

(a) evidence that you carry out part of the studies in Malta in the framework of a Union or multilateral programme that comprises mobility measures or of an agreement between two or more higher education institutions and evidence that you have been accepted by a higher education institution in Malta;

(b) where not specified under paragraph (a), the planned duration and dates of the mobility;

(c) evidence that you have sickness insurance;

(d) evidence that during the stay you will have sufficient resources to cover subsistence costs without having recourse to the social assistance system in Malta, study costs, as well as the travel costs to the other Member State in the cases referred to in regulation 30(2) and (3);

(e) evidence that the fees charged by the higher education institution have been paid, where applicable.

Rights

Outside your study time, a student shall be entitled to  be  employed  and  may  be  entitled  to  exercise  self-employed economic activity, subject to the rules and conditions applicable to the relevant activity in Malta for a total of 20 hours per week, provided  that  such  student  is  in  possession  of  an employment licence from Jobsplus.

After the completion of the studies, students shall have the possibility to stay in Malta, on application, for a period of at least nine months in order to seek employment or set up a business.

Procedural Safeguards

Any  decision  declaring  inadmissible  or  rejecting  an application, refusing renewal, or withdrawing an authorisation shall be subject to an appeal before the Immigration Appeals Board, which must be submitted within three working days from the date of the decision of the Agency.