Coming to Malta from Nigeria: the visa route, the jobs, the offers that are fake

Nigerians come to Malta for care, hospitality, cleaning, security, logistics and, for graduates, IT and finance. Malta has no mission in Nigeria, so the visa step runs by courier. The permit is the same Single Permit as for everyone: the employer applies, the employer pays, and nobody may charge you.

Where the visa comes from

Malta has no embassy or high commission in Nigeria. Identità’s premium process for countries without a Maltese mission applies: email the Central Visa Unit with your approval in principle, receive a token, upload documents, pay €300 covering all fees, send your passport by courier, receive the visa in six to eight weeks. Check VFS Global’s Malta pages in case a centre is listed for your country; we could not confirm one on an official page at the time of writing.

The jobs Nigerians take here

Carers in homes for the elderly, healthcare support, nursing (registration with the Council for Nurses and Midwives first), hotel and restaurant staff, cleaners, security, warehouse and delivery work. Graduates in IT, accounting and compliance can qualify for the Specialist Employee route at €30,000 with a recognised degree, or the Key Employee route at €45,000.

The health screening

If Nigeria is on Malta’s current high-risk tuberculosis list, a chest X-ray in Malta within six weeks of the application is required, and a repeat screening a year later. Carers, nannies and health workers have extra vaccination rules. All tests are done in Malta.

Documents

Degrees go through MQRIC; nursing through the Council; certificates for family reunification are legalised in Nigeria. Passport valid for more than eight months. Everything uploaded is shown in original at biometrics in Malta.

Life here

Nigerian and other West African communities are strongest in Marsa, Ħamrun, Birkirkara, Msida and St Paul’s Bay. Churches with African congregations are active across the island. English is the language of work.

The scam, Nigerian version

Malta is heavily advertised in Nigeria as an easy European destination, and the offers are mostly fake: a company name copied from a real Maltese firm, an “HR” on WhatsApp, fees in stages, a visa that never comes. Nothing in the real process involves a fee to an individual. Read never-pay-an-agent and verify-an-employer; check the company in the Malta Business Registry and the advert on Jobsplus before you send a passport scan.

The money

The minimum wage is €229.44 a week in 2026, about €994 a month. 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: who needs a D visa, where 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/