ELT sector in danger due to visa rejections

According to FELTOM, the Federation of English Language Organisations in Malta, the consistently high visa refusal rate for English language learners from non-EU countries, particularly Turkey, Brazil, Colombia and Japan, is negatively affecting the English language teaching sector now and in the future, and its repercussions will only be felt in a few years.

Jessica Rees Jones, CEO of FELTOM, explained how FELTOM schools have shown remarkable resilience since the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly through major investment to attract pupils from new non-EU countries.

“The ELT sector was the first sector to be hit by the pandemic, but our schools are still struggling to reach pre-pandemic levels. The fact that schools in Malta are experiencing the highest level of visa refusals for non-Schengen students is very discouraging and if the situation is not resolved, the impact on the sector will be very high.

“One of our member schools has already reported a loss of 300 weeks of students worth €100,000 in revenue, while another, smaller school has reported a loss of €27,000 in revenue from three different Turkish agents.”

This year alone, Identità Malta has changed its visa application procedures three times, which FELTOM and other stakeholders say is causing confusion and lost business for everyone.

“The authorities continue to recognise the ELT sector’s ability to attract students and how it continues to support the sustainable development of our tourism industry, evidence supported by our report which shows a contribution of 9.4% to the total number of guest nights in 2023. However, the visa issue still persists and we cannot understand why.”

According to FELTOM’s recently published annual report, spending on English language learning in 2023 will amount to €155 million.

“If the visa problem is not resolved, it is only a matter of time before Ireland, Italy and Cyprus take this potential market away from us,” concluded Rees Jones.

This article was first published in The Corporate Times.