Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1547522
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 11 NOVEMBER 2026 NEWS CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 Students who need a long- stay study visa will need to pay €300 for a standard service visa and €400 for an extended ser- vice visa. Before the budget is implemented, the fees stand at €100 and €150 respectively. Residence permits for TCNs coming to Malta to study in- creased from €50 to €500. Stu- dents wishing to renew their permit will then pay €150. Students will also be subject to the yearly €400 infrastruc- ture contribution fee. The new fees mean TCN students coming to Malta will need to pay a minimum of €1,200 in government applica- tion fees, up from around €200. Although the rise in student fees was not specified by the fi- nance minister, Clyde Caruana noted that many of Identita's fees would face a rise. The increase in fees is part of what government claims is the start of a process to address overpopulation. Other fees aimed at non-EU citizens living and working in Malta include an €83 monthly fee for those with a valid Mal- tese driving licence. When it comes to administrative fees for TCNs, Clyde Caruana an- nounced the fee for applica- tions to bring new TCNs to Malta will increase by €200, putting the fee at €800 per ap- plication. Non-EU nationals have also been excluded from free child- care services and free bus fares unless they are long-term res- idents. In an interview with Malta- Today published last Sunday, Finance Minister Clyde Caru- ana explained that the meas- ures impacting third-country nationals are aimed at reducing Malta's dependency on such workers. Caruana claimed that the measures acted as a signal to the market, adding that em- ployers can either cover the new costs for their non-EU workers or risk losing them to competitors. "Increasing the price of some- thing—in this case, work per- mits—will lead to lower de- mand for foreign workers. I expect that, over time, there will be a change in behaviour in the way employers recruit workers from abroad," Carua- na explained. Non-EU students face up to tenfold increase in fees under Budget 2027 Bill 15 The increase in fees is part of what government claims is the start of a process to address overpopulation.