The expatriate department will be relocating to Evans Building in Valletta in the coming two weeks as more staff is being deployed to deal with a backlog of more than 3,000 applications from foreign residents for new identity cards.
An office will also be set up in Gozo so that residents can submit their application and collect their residence document without having to go to Valletta.
The news comes after months of exasperation as residents were left in the dark about the procedure.
Appointments currently given from Monday to Friday on a first come, first served basiss
The Department for Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs is in the process of replacing ID cards for non-Maltese nationals with e-residence cards.
When the system was launched in January, the department said applications for the new card had to be submitted in person after seeking an appointment via e-mail.
But those who did so did not receive an acknowledgment and when they tried calling the department they found “permanently engaged lines”.
Others gave up and went to the office in Valletta, where, after waiting for hours, they got appointments dating as far as August.
Expats had also expressed concern about the validity of their current documents because the department had explained that residence documents issued before January would remain valid for identification purposes until the end of June.
A legal notice has now been issued as a temporary solution to automatically extend all ID cards till the end of November.
A spokesman for the Home Affairs Ministry said that, although appointments were issued beyond June, this will not jeopardise foreigners’ immigration positions, provided they were residing legally in Malta when given the appointment.
Another point raised by foreigners who have to apply for the new card is that those living in Gozo have to travel to Malta and wait for hours until someone sees to their request to set an appointment. They will then have to return with the application forms and the necessary documents.
The ministry spokesman said plans were in the pipeline to open an office in Gozo to process applications for those living there.
Asked why e-mails and calls were being ignored, the spokesman said the department was understaffed and the ministry was addressing the problem by sourcing more staff and organising the new building.
In the meantime, the department is giving appointments from Monday to Friday on a first come, first served basis with special consideration being given to the urgency of the application in view of the immigration position of the applicant. It was reviewing the process to increase the efficiency, and the number of processed applications is being increased to 75 from 60 per day. At the moment there is a backlog of more than 3,000 applications.
Meanwhile, some expats have voiced concern that the new ID card and the temporary receipt provided until it is issued were not being recognised by certain bus drivers or entities such as the VAT Department.
The ministry spokesman said it has already discussed the matter with Transport Malta and the billing company ARMS, and will be holding discussions with other entities.
Ministerial responsibilities
The Foreign Affairs Ministry yesterday said it was no longer responsible for running the Department of Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs.
Following the general election, the remit of the department was assigned to the Home Affairs and Security Ministry.
It made the clarification in connection with the new identity cards for non-Maltese nationals resident in Malta, which process was initiated by the previous administration.
Issues pertaining to identity e-cards should be referred to the appropriate ministry or department for necessary action and follow-up, said the Foreign Affairs Ministry, appreciating the inconvenience that the changes may have caused to certain individuals.