Processing of Maltese Citizenship applications should not take years

BLOG  BY Victor Borg, MCCV President
We have been approached by many of our community members complaining of the inordinate delays they are experiencing in the processing of their Maltese citizenship application by the government agency Identity Malta.
Recent media reports from Malta have confirmed that delays can extend beyond a two-year period with no acknowledgement or contact from the Maltese government agency on the status and progress of their application in the meantime. Not providing status updates periodically is unacceptable in today’s age of best practice customer service.
It is understood that Identity Malta is severely understaffed to the extent that it is unable to meet with the demand.
It seems quite contradictory that we should be encouraging younger generations of Maltese background living in Australia to be proud of their ancestral heritage, to apply for Maltese citizenship and passports as a sign of their commitment and to travel to Malta to experience Maltese culture, when the citizenship application process takes years.
Unfortunately, the inordinate delay in processing applications takes off the shine and excitement for them and does not leave them with a good impression of the respect that Malta’s Government shows towards its potential citizens. 
We, therefore, strongly urge the Government in Malta to review its current processes and procedures and to adequately resource Identity Malta to enable them to process the huge backlog of outstanding citizenship applications with due haste.