Identity Malta has addressed the crisis of people sleeping outside for a chance to get a work permit by reducing its operating hours.
This Lovin Malta report from a few days ago shows how some expatriates have resorted to protest, not to mention sleeping outside the offices of Identity Malta in Evans Building for the chance of getting a ticket to be served by Identity Malta staff.
Lovin Malta informed at the time that customer service shut down at 2 pm on a daily basis limiting the number of clients that could be served to 120 people seeking new permits and a 100 seeking renewal.
New opening hours have been announced today which mean that service will now be stopping at 11:30 am instead.
These are summer hours that are designed around operational hours for the public service that still gives its staff the afternoons off during the summer months of July, August and September and the second half of June.
A poster outside Identity Malta offices helpfully assured people waiting outside that “Identity Malta officials will be attending to the needs of all those queuing during this window period”.
That promise is vague. How the administrative nightmare of renewal proceedings is going to be handled with shorter operating hours remains to be seen.
Photo: Lovin Malta