Author
The Reception Regulations specify a time limit for the detention of asylum applicants, which is limited to nine months. According to the Regulations ‘any person detained in accordance with these regulations shall, on the lapse of nine months, be released from detention if he is still an applicant’.[1]
The PIO indicated that the average duration of detention for persons under a Detention Order was 48 days in 2024.[2] As previously mentioned, this figure does not portray a comprehensive picture of detention duration. It only takes into account individuals issued with a Detention Order. As such, people detained under the public health legislation are not accounted for by the PIO.
[1] Regulation 6(7) of the Reception Regulations, S.L. 420.06
[2] Information provided by the Immigration Office of the Malta Police Force.