March 2, 2022

Russian and Belarusian Applications Suspended by Malta’s Government Agencies

Earlier today, the Parliamentary Secretariat for Citizenship and Communities issued a Press Release in relation to the processing of applications by the three Government Agencies that are responsible for immigration matters. These are Community Malta Agency, Identity Malta Agency, and the Residency Malta Agency.

The key points from the press release are as follows:

No Russian or Belarusian individuals that are beneficiaries of a status under Malta’s residence or citizenship regulations are on the EU Sanctions list;
No Russian or Belarusian individuals that have submitted an application that is still in process to obtain of a status under Malta’s residence or citizenship regulations are on the EU Sanctions list;
Community Malta Agency and Residency Malta Agency have suspended, until further notice, the applications from nationals of the Russian Federation and Belarus.
Renewals of status of existing beneficiaries that are nationals of the Russian Federation and Belarus shall be processed on a case-by-case basis.

At Attard Baldacchino, we are closely monitoring the situation and shall continue to share key updates as soon as they are communicated.

Should you or anybody you know require any guidance or assistance due to displacement, free advice and guidance on any available solutions is being offered by Dr Russell Attard Baldacchino and his team. You can reach out directly on +356 79284155 or russell@attardbaldacchino.com.

The publication of the official press release may be viewed here, whilst the text of the press release follows:

PR220287

02/03/2022

PRESS RELEASE BY THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIAT FOR CITIZENSHIP AND COMMUNITIES

Community Malta Agency, Identity Malta Agency, and Residency Malta Agency have been closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.

It is to be noted that following thorough checks, no beneficiaries of any status, related to the grant of citizenship or residence, are on the EU Sanctions List. Similarly, no applications from individuals on the EU Sanctions List are currently in process. The ongoing due diligence process ensures flagging of individuals who feature on sanctions lists from time to time. In such cases, the agencies shall apply all the processes provided by law to revoke any status granted to them.

As a result of recent developments, the existent due diligence checks cannot be carried out effectively in the current scenario. Consequently, Community Malta Agency and Residency Malta Agency have suspended, until further notice, the processing of applications for the above-mentioned statuses from nationals of the Russian Federation and Belarus.

Notwithstanding the fact that no beneficiaries of any citizenship or residence status are on the EU Sanctions List, renewals of status of beneficiaries will be processed on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the existing standard procedures. These entail fresh compliance checks to ensure beneficiaries continue to remain eligible.

Source: https://www.gov.mt/en/Government/DOI/Press%20Releases/Pages/2022/03/02/pr220287.aspx

This blogpost is being published strictly for informational and educational purposes, and should be correct and accurate at the time of publication. The content of this publication should not be considered as formal legal, immigration, or tax advice.