Coming to Malta from the Philippines: VFS, the DMW rules, the jobs and the recruiters

Filipinos run a large share of Malta’s hotels, restaurants, care homes and households, and they are also the most systematically overcharged workers on the way here. Two things protect you: Malta’s rule that nobody may charge you for a job, and the Department of Migrant Workers’ list of who is allowed to recruit you at all. Use both.

Where the visa comes from

Malta has no embassy in the Philippines. VFS Global runs a Malta service there; its page lists the long-stay visa categories of work permit, student and family reunification and says a national D visa is issued for a maximum of one year. The decision is made by the Central Visa Unit at Identità. Count six to eight weeks after the approval in principle.

Before you leave the Philippines

• The Department of Migrant Workers publishes licensed recruitment agencies and approved job orders on its website. An agency not on it, or a job not on it, is not a legal route.
• Whether an agency may charge a placement fee at all depends on the job category and destination, and the rules change. Ask the DMW directly, hotline 1348, before paying anyone anything. On the Maltese side the answer is already no.
• Keep your own copies of every document and every receipt.

The jobs Filipinos take here

Hotel housekeeping and front desk, waiting and bar staff, chefs and kitchen staff, carers in homes for the elderly and in private households, nannies, cleaners, retail, and nursing. Nurses must register with Malta’s Council for Nurses and Midwives before they can work as nurses; many start as carers while registration runs. Customer service for Philippine-market or English-language accounts in gaming is a growing route.

Hospitality workers need the Tourism and Hospitality Skills Pass (€230) on top of the pre-departure course.

The scam, Philippine version

Maltese reporting has covered an illegal Philippine recruitment scheme charging €2,000 to €6,000 for guaranteed jobs in Malta, and a recruiter charging €7,600 to send workers here. The pattern is the same everywhere: a Facebook post, an “HR” on Messenger, an offer without an interview, fees in stages for “visa processing”, “medical” and “accommodation deposit”. Workers who arrive have sometimes been sacked within weeks so the next batch can be charged.

Life here

Filipino communities are everywhere in Malta, strongest in the central and harbour towns. Catholic parishes, Filipino shops and remittance counters are easy to find. English is the language of work; Tagalog is heard on every bus and in every hotel corridor.

Bringing family

Family reunification needs two years on a permit under the law route, or twelve months under Identità’s policy, plus income of the average or median wage plus 20% per dependant and a flat big enough for the family. See the family guide. Most people come alone first.

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/
• VFS Global, Malta services in the Philippines. https://www.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/malta-extended-services/philippines/english/index.html
• Department of Migrant Workers: licensed agencies, job orders, hotline 1348. https://dmw.gov.ph/