Serbia asks Malta to postpone eviction of 22 Serbian children

The Serbian Foreign Ministry has asked Malta to postpone the eviction of 22 Serbian children whose parents do not earn enough until talks are held next month

The 22 children were denied residence permits because their parents do not earn enough
The 22 children were denied residence permits because their parents do not earn enough

Malta has been asked by the Serbian government to postpone the eviction of 22 children whose parents work on the island but do not earn enough.

The case involves 22 Serbian children who had their residence permit denied by Identity Malta after their parents working on the island do not earn enough money.

Identity Malta, a government agency, said the children's parents do not satisfy the financial requirements of a policy that requires third country nationals to earn €19,000 a year and €3,800 extra for each child. The amounts exclude bonuses and other payments.

Some of the parents’ income has reportedly fallen short by €200.

The story first appeared in The Sunday Times of Malta yesterday and in a Facebook comment on Monday afternoon, Citizenship Parliamentary Secretary Julia Farrugia Portelli said the cases brought up in the media concerned new applications for residence permits for children that were filed recently.

“In the majority of the cases, the parents, some weeks or months before had received a permit to work in Malta… every new application is examined on its own merits and if the requirements are not met, the application is rejected,” she said.

Farrugia Portelli reiterated that the requirements are there to ensure that every member of the family is guaranteed a decent living. 

Since the case came to light, there has been an outcry from various quarters, including Archbishop Charles Scicluna and tenor Joseph Calleja. Others have stepped in to help the children financially so that they can be kept legally in Malta with their parents.

Labour MEP Miriam Dalli also pitched in as she appealed to the authorities to find a solution. “Whilst I understand a minimum earning requirement policy, it should be logical to consider cases of families whose earnings are €200 short of the mark, more so if bonuses are not considered,” Dalli said.

Meanwhile, on Monday the Serbian Foreign Ministry asked for the eviction decision to be postponed until scheduled diplomatic talks take place on 27 January.

The Serbian government has asked the Maltese Foreign Ministry for information about the regulations governing the stay of non-EU nationals in Malta, and the procedure necessary to regulate these issues.

“Given the complexity of the issue, the Foreign Ministry has already previously initiated consular consultations with Malta to consider this and other questions with the Maltese side and find a solution. This initiative has been accepted and consular consultations are scheduled for 27 January, 2020,” the Serbian Foreign Ministry said.

In a statement on Monday, the Children’s Commissioner said that she made representations with the Maltese authorities and urged that policies and practices that affected children should be taken in the best interest of children, fully cognisant of their rights.