Identity Malta would shave off weeks from the work permit process by allowing foreign workers to start working as soon as their application was approved, Parliamentary Secretary Julia Farrugia Portelli said on Thursday.

The applicant will be allowed to work as soon as he or she has submitted all the required documents and had the biometrics taken. The employer also has to notify JobsPlus about the appointment.

Police checks and JobsPlus have to be carried out before the applicant comes to Malta. In the event that the applicant fails to meet the requirements, then the process is stopped immediately. The temporary permits are not valid for travel.

Ms Farrugia Portelli said that this measure, which will come into force as from Monday July 16, would take the pressure off the labour market, but would also reduce the possibility that applicants would start to work without authorisation.

Identity Malta will also be introducing an online application tool in the coming week which would allow employers to apply on behalf on third-country nationals before they head to Malta. The tool would inform the user what stage the permit has reached.

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