Coming to Malta from India: the High Commission, VFS, the jobs and the scams

Indians are one of the largest non-EU communities working in Malta, in hospitality, care, delivery, retail, construction, and increasingly in IT and finance. Malta is also one of the most-faked destinations in India’s visa-scam trade. This page is the straight version: where the visa is really issued, what the jobs really pay, and why anyone asking for lakhs is lying.

Where the visa comes from

Malta has a High Commission in New Delhi, opened in 2007. Visa applications in India go through VFS Global’s Malta service; its page lists the long-stay employment visa and says the decision is made by the Central Visa Unit at Identità in Malta. The approval in principle from Identità comes first, then the visa appointment. Count six to eight weeks for the visa after a permit decision that can take up to four months.

If you cannot reach a VFS centre, Identità’s premium process runs by email and courier for €300 all-in.

Before you leave India

Check whether your passport is ECR (Emigration Check Required) and what the eMigrate system requires for Malta. The Indian rules change; the Ministry of External Affairs’ own pages are the source, not a consultancy.

The jobs Indians take here

Waiters, kitchen staff, housekeeping, carers in homes for the elderly, delivery riders, shop assistants, drivers, warehouse and construction workers. At the other end, software developers, accountants, compliance and payment staff in gaming and finance, often on the Specialist Employee route at €30,000 or more. Nurses: registration with the Council for Nurses and Midwives is required and takes time; start it before you apply.

The scam, Indian version

Police in Hyderabad arrested consultancy staff in November 2024 who charged five lakh rupees per person for guaranteed Malta jobs through a “study plan”. A Kerala case in 2023 involved about one crore rupees collected from 32 people for Malta job visas. The pattern: a consultancy, a WhatsApp HR, an offer letter in days, fees in stages, a visa that is fake or a job that is not there. Read the never-pay-an-agent guide. A Maltese employer applies for you and pays Identità; a consultancy that charges you is not part of that process.

Life here

Indian communities are strongest in the central towns and around the harbour; ask your employer where colleagues live. Indian groceries are easy to find. Temples and gurdwaras exist; ask in the community. English is enough for work and daily life; Hindi, Malayalam, Punjabi and Tamil are heard on every bus.

The health screening

If you were born in or lived six months in a country on Malta’s high-risk tuberculosis list, a chest X-ray in Malta within six weeks of the application is required. Tests are done in Malta, not in India. Do not pay for a “Malta medical” at home.

The money

The minimum wage is €229.44 a week in 2026, about €994 a month, and many first jobs pay near it. A room costs €450 to €700 a month. Run your own numbers in the salaries guide before you accept. A salary far above the ranges there is a red flag, not a prize.

What never happens

Nobody in Malta charges you for a job. Agencies here are licensed by DIER and commit an offence if they take money from an applicant. Employers may not take money from workers for recruitment. The permit fee is the employer’s. You pay the two official courses, your visa, your health tests and your flight, and nothing else.

Check this at the source

• Identità, long-stay visa policy: where and how to apply, premium process €300, 6 to 8 weeks. https://identita.gov.mt/central-visa-unit-national-visa-long-stay-visa/
• Missions of Malta: embassies and high commissions. https://missions.foreign.gov.mt/embassies/ and https://missions.foreign.gov.mt/high-commissions/
• Identità, working and residing in Malta. https://identita.gov.mt/working-residing-in-malta/
• DIER: agencies may not charge applicants. https://dier.gov.mt/en/faqs/employment-agencies-regulations-and-the-temporary-working-regulations/2/
• Malta High Commission in India. https://foreignandeu.gov.mt/en/embassies/hc_new_delhi/pages/high-commission.aspx
• VFS Global, Malta services in India. https://www.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/malta-extended-services/india/english/index.html