On Wednesday, the Aquarius, an NGO rescue boat stuck at sea with 141 migrants aboard, is expected to dock on Maltese shores. These migrants will be distributed to different countries in the European Union, to France, Germany, Portugal, Luxembourg and Spain. Malta had refused to let the ship dock until an agreement had been found.

The Maltese government has taken a hard stance against migrant NGO rescue ships, but in recent months Malta's location in the Mediterranean sea has made it ever more important in dealing with migrants setting off the coast of Africa towards Europe.

According to The Times of Malta, the country has received 17,646 migrants by boat in total since 2003. The country also has received a total of 23,443 asylum applications since 2003, for a number of 1,650 per year. In 2017, The Maltese National Statistics Office recorded 1,839 applications for asylum. 

In 2016, The Times of Malta reported that there were 19 refugees for every 1,000 inhabitants. Other than the NGO boats being allowed to dock in Malta this year, it is unclear if any informal migrant boats landed on Maltese shores this year. This was criticized by Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini.    

Illegal work, lack in accommodations

Many of those who end up staying on the island are engaging in illegal work. Malta faces a drastic labor shortage, and migrants often end up engaged in under the table work such as farming or construction. This has caused even migrants who arrived in southern Italy, where the unemployment rate is high, to come to nearby Malta where the prospects for under the table work are better, as the information platform Refugees Deeply reported in a feature story.    

Malta's accommodations for migrants have been criticized by the UNHCR as lacking in quality. In the organization's periodic review of Maltese refugee policy, the organization said that the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers (AWAS) had a "weak capacity" in regards to providing adequate conditions for asylum seekers. The UNHCR said Malta needs to "take immediate measures to improve material conditions in closed and open centers dedicated to asylum-seekers."  

The ORC and AWAS: The two main institutions of Maltese migration policy                                      

Those who seek asylum in Malta go through The Office of the Refugee Commissioner (ORC). According to its website, The Office's "fundamental objective is to ensure a totally independent, fair, efficient and swift eligibility determination process," for migrants seeking asylum. Refugee status is granted based on the 1951 Refugee Convention.

In Malta, the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers (AWAS) assists asylum seekers in the asylum process and provides advice to the Maltese government and its policy making-bodies on the asylum issue. The AWAS manages migrant reception centers in Malta. The Agency also provides information on language training, health care, counseling and school and in other areas to the asylum seeker.