Author
| Name in English | Number of staff as of March 2024 | Ministry responsible | Is there any political interference possible by the responsible Minister with the decision making in individual cases by the determining authority? |
| International Protection Agency (IPA) | 14 | Ministry for Home Affairs, Security and Employment | Yes |
The International Protection Agency (IPA) is the authority responsible for examining and determining applications for international protection at first instance.[1] The IPA is a specialised authority in the field of asylum. It falls under the Home Affairs Ministry, also responsible for Police, Immigration, Correctional Services and National Security.
According to the IPA, at the end of 2024, the Agency had 14 officials responsible for examining applications, of which nine were also responsible for taking decisions. This is less than previous years: in 2020, the IPA employed 28 staff, among them 19 were caseworkers. Out of these, 5 were in charge of drafting decisions on asylum applications. At the end of 2022, IPA had a total staff of 21 persons: 2 conducing first instance interviews and 4 taking decisions or making final recommendations.[2] According to the Home Affairs Ministry, by the end of 2023, the IPA was in the process of recruiting 25 new protection officers, with several already in place by December 2023.[3] No data was made available for 2025.
In 2025 IPA engaged in a recruitment drive to strengthen its capacity by way of preparation for the implementation of the EU Pact.
Malta has received operational support by the EASO/EUAA since 2019. The 2022-2024 operational plan was amended twice in April 2022 and April 2023 to take into account the changes in the operational context, in light of the invasion of Ukraine and the decreased pressure to the Maltese asylum and reception systems.[4] In December 2024, the EUAA and Malta agreed on an operational plan for 2025-2026, with continued support for relocation.[5]
In 2025, the EUAA deployed of 4 EUAA experts in Malta operations in the following roles: three flow management support officers, three flow management support officers – interim support, 3 interim support operations officer/field coordination.[6]
As of 15 December 2025, there were a total of 4 EUAA experts in Malta operations: three flow management support officers and one interim support operations officer/field coordination.[7]
In 2025, the EUAA trained one local staff within the framework for Permanent Support sessions.[8]
[1] Article 4 International Protection Act.
[2] Information provided by the Ministry for Home Affairs via a Freedom of Information Request, on 24 March 2023.
[3] Information provided by Home Affairs Ministry in January 2024.
[4] EUAA, Operational Plan 2022-2024 agreed by the European Union Agency for Asylum and Malta, April 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3uVutb7.
[5] EUAA, Operational Plan 2025-2026 agreed by the European Union Agency for Asylum and Malta, December 2024, available here.
[6] Information provided by the EUAA, 05 March 2026. In the figures above, 4 persons were included under different profiles, as a change of profile took place in the course of 2024.
[7] Information provided by the EUAA, 05 March 2026.
[8] Information provided by the EUAA, 05 March 2026.