English language students from outside the EU are facing huge delays to get their visas renewed – a growing problem which industry insiders say could hurt the sector.

Sources who work in the English language industry said some students who came to Malta for long-term courses were giving up. Rather than chasing paperwork to extend their stay beyond their 90-day visas, they were leaving before they completed their course.

“We’ve had students give up. If nothing is done about the situation we might start losing students to other countries,” according to a man who works in the English language industry.

He added that Maltese language schools could lose credibility with agents abroad who could start picking other destinations where students did not have to wait for more than eight weeks to be granted a residence permit

The root of the problem is a backlog at Identity Malta, which runs the Department of Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs at Evan’s building in Valletta.

This backlog is leading to a situation where applications for a temporary residence permit – required by students who want to stay beyond 90 days – are taking longer than the standard eight weeks. Students affected include those from Colombia, Brazil, Libya and South Korea.

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