33,455 first time residence permits were issued to TCNs in 2024

A total of 33,455 first-time residence permits were issued to third-country nationals (TCNs) in 2024, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said.

Camilleri was replying to a parliamentary question made by PN MP Beppe Fenech Adami.

The minister said that in 2024, Malta’s population, specifically the number of residence permits issued to foreign nationals, including those from the European Union and those from outside the EU have stabilized.

Camilleri said that according to the latest data provided by Identità, a total of 33,455 first-time residence permits were issued to third-country nationals in 2024.

Of these, 4,073 were linked to the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP), the Malta Residency and Visa Programme (MRVP), and the NOMAD scheme.

The number of net valid residence documents issued to EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals in 2024 decreased by 2,227, he said.

Camilleri said that comparing figures from 31 December 2023, to 31 December 2024, there was a net increase of 668 valid residence permits issued by Identità to TCNs in 2024.

Additionally, during the same period, there was an increase of 4,073 residence permits issued by Identità through the Malta Residency Agency under the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP), the Malta Residency and Visa Programme (MRVP), and the NOMAD scheme.

25,433 TCN residence permits expired or were revoked, while 52,661 were renewed. This does not include cases where the permit type changed or where the permit had a validity period of more than one year, Camilleri said.

Regarding individuals from EU countries, a total of 5,811 new residence documents were issued last year, while 6,662 permits expired or were revoked, and 4,310 were renewed, Camilleri said.

Camilleri said that Malta Residency offers a migration pathway for third-country nationals of good conduct to invest in Malta or work remotely from Malta for companies or clients registered outside the country. In 2024, the agency generated more than €132 million for the Maltese economy.

The investment-based residence programme, the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP), received 1,500 applications last year and generated €46 million for the Consolidated Fund, €50 million in five-year lease contracts, and €36 million in property purchases.

Camilleri said that the Nomad Residence Permit received 1,031 applications in 2024.

“With an average annual salary of €76,000, these digital nomads have significant spending potential, with a conservative estimate of €5 million spent in Malta by around 542 nomads last year,” he said.

“One of the measures proposed in the Malta Labour Migration Policy is that any job vacancy must first be advertised on the Jobsplus website for Maltese workers and on the EURES website for EU citizens,” Camilleri continued.

He said it is important to clarify that the Free Movement Directive requires EU citizens to obtain a registration certificate if they intend to stay in a Member State for more than three months and does not require them to cancel their registration certificate if they leave Malta.

“This means that the actual number of EU citizens residing in Malta is lower than what is indicated in the residence document statistics,” Camilleri said.

He said that this data is considered preliminary and may be revised in the future as more information becomes available.