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I am also looking to move to malta, and I'll share what research I've done but I'm not there yet so I may be wrong

- working- the online gaming industry is going nuts, so if you work in that industry, lucky you. The way work permits go, youre EMPLOYER applies, not you, so you need to have an employer lined up first, rather than the work permit.

- housing - I wanted to buy a house too, but after researching the market it seems like a terrible idea financially. check out this link, which i in no way can vouch for accuracy, but it seems useful
(since when is malta in africa?) Basically with the costs of purchasing and selling, you can expect to lose 25% of the purchase value. I compared renting and purchasing a property of equivalent value, and renting wins all the time, even before you calculate the cost of your mortgage interest.

- maltese/expat mingling - we were pleasantly surprised when we visited that there is significant crossover between the communites, unlike some vacation destinations (if you've ever been to cancun, mexico, you know that mexicans are actively excluded from home ownership, patronizing bars and restaurants in the tourist zone). Not so in Malta, as far as we can tell. It seems perfectly normal for Maltese to patronize the super touristy Paceville/St. Julians. Of course there is some resentment towards foreigners, but it doesn't seem as bad as in Norway, where we currently are.

I hope this helps. If I'm terribly wrong, I'm sorry and I hope someone corrects me :-)

Looking forward to hearing your research.

Thanks Sarafima for the information.

When were you last in Malta?

November 2009

hi. is it true that application for work permit at etc costs 150 euros? and 80 euros once approved?

Hi ,

you can check it out at



For non-eu work permit applications the fee is 150,- due when you apply and 80,- when you collect the permit .These fees are since 1 st. October 2009.

Try getting someone to drive you to Hal Far .The open centre is nearby so the bus back ( bus stop in front of ETC)can be very full and difficult to board.