Can my wife join me in Malta?

Hi there guys.

I just have a couple of questions regarding the possibility of living in Malta with my wife. She is South Korean and has a South Korean passport. We were married in the UK, I am a British citizen and we are currently in the UK too (she is on a tourist VISA)...

1. As I am from the UK, does this give my wife the right to join me in Malta? Can she gain a residency permit as the wife of a UK citizen? Would this residency permit give her the right to work in Malta?

2. What documents do we need for her to attain residency? What conditions do we have to meet? For instance: I gather I will have to prove self sufficiency and that I must have a job. Do we need insurance? Do we need a place of residence?

3. Can my wife apply for this permit directly from Malta or must she do so from abroad? She is entitled to stay for 90 days, but if she applies for the permit whilst in Malta and it takes longer to issue than her permitted stay, may she remain in the country until the decision has been reached?

These questions are quite specific and I thank you for taking the time to help me out.

Cheers,

Stew.

Hi Stew - basically, she has the same rights as you as she is your dependent. The only issue I see is that she is on a tourist visa in the UK - are you sorting that out now you are married ?

"I gather I will have to prove self sufficiency and that I must have a job"

its actually

"I gather I will have to prove self sufficiency OR that I must have a job"

That's great. Cheers for the advice. She is on the tourist VISA actually because we got married here in the UK whilst she was on the tourist VISA. Believe it or not, it's very difficult for her to get residency here in the UK, even though I am a UK citizen. It is our choice to come to Malta and I am hoping to find employment English teaching. I've been offered a few interviews and I'm currently checking out whether or not I can attain the teaching permit.

If your wife cant live permanently in the UK, I'm not sure if she can in Malta - I suggest contacting the Immigration Dept in Malta on that - they are very helpful

ps I've messaged you some stuff

Hi stewy88,

I would also recommend sorting out your residency issues in the UK before moving to Malta.

It will not be easier here , probably even more difficult as the UK does not belong to the Schengen area.

Her UK visa might not even allow her to travel to Malta.

If you need more info about teaching English please PM me as my wife teaches English at a language school in Sliema.

Cheers
Ricky