Hundreds of asylum seekers who have been in Malta for years are being told their protection will not be terminated at the end of this month, nearly a year after they were threatened with deportation.
The government is discussing the way forward for the Temporary Humanitarian Protection – New status, or THPN.
However, the asylum seekers are being informed that the rights they enjoyed will not be lost.
The Home Affairs Ministry abruptly announced last year that the system would be terminated.
The system is a form of regularisation granted to those who cannot be returned to their home country and who fulfil certain criteria, such as employment, independent housing and fiscal contributions.
According to NGOs, over 1,000 people had THPN status.
They were told their status would only be renewed to this October and that they were ex-pected to procure documentation from their country of origin allowing them to apply for a residence permit for their stay in Malta.
As a result, hundreds of mig-rants would have reverted to an undocumented status.
In reaction, a large and active advocacy coalition was formed demanding a revision of the revocation decision and, eventually, the government backtracked.
Tension is growing among migrants
In February, the Cabinet decided that migrants having the status would continue to enjoy the same benefits even after October, irrespective of whether they managed to get the identity documents. But this left concerned people in limbo, and, as October 31 got closer, several expressed their worry.
When contacted, Aditus Foundation director Neil Falzon said that, over the past couple of weeks, the NGO’s office has been swamped with migrants on the verge of a nervous break-down because nobody had “the decency” to tell them what was going on.
This unease was confirmed by others contacted by this newspaper, including Colin Calleja, head of the Unit for Inclusion and Access to Learning at the University of Malta.
He noted that tension was growing among migrants because although the government had noted that their rights would not be halted, there had been nothing confirming this in writing.
Ahmed Bugri, chairman of the Foundation for Shelter and Support to Migrants, noted that many felt they were left hanging in mid-air and were still asking what was going to happen to their status.
Then, some days ago, Refugee Commissioner Martine Cassar sent a letter to NGOs that work with refugees, noting that the THPN status would not be terminated on October 31 and that, for the time being, it would continue to be issued by her office.
“Inter-ministerial talks are ongoing to find the best way forward while keeping the same rights, as a minimum.
“THPN will still be valid for one year and will be renewed to beneficiaries who meet the current eligibility criteria and present the necessary documentation,” Dr Cassar said.
Until inter-ministerial talks were finalised, THPN would continue to be renewed on a yearly basis, as long as the applicant presented the necessary documentation, she added.
Dr Falzon of Aditus welcomed the confirmation that the status was not being revoked but also called for one that was more stable and brought greater peace of mind to migrants.