Civil society organisation Repubblika has strongly condemned the government’s decision to increase family reunification residence permit application fees from €50 to €800, warning that the move could force low-income foreign workers to spend years separated from their loved ones.The sixteenfold increase, set to come into effect on 1st January 2027, will affect non-EU nationals seeking to bring family members to Malta.In a statement issued on Friday, Repubblika accused the government of welcoming foreign workers for their labour while making it increasingly difficult for them to live with their families.“It cannot benefit from their labour and then treat them and their families as a burden it wants to get rid of,” the organisation said.Repubblika highlighted that the €800 fee applies to each family member, meaning a worker hoping to reunite with their spouse and two children would face €2,400 in initial application fees alone.Additional expenses, including visas and annual infrastructure contributions for adults, would further increase the financial burden.“For a worker on a low income, they could mean months or years more away from their children,” the organisation warned.The NGO also questioned whether the measure contradicts Prime Minister Robert Abela’s own commitment to equal opportunities for families, pointing to his foreword in the Social Plan for the Family 2025–2030.It warned that policies creating different opportunities for families based on their income and country of origin risk deepening divisions within Maltese society, even drawing comparisons to the logic of apartheid.Repubblika further argued that the right to family life is protected under Malta’s Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights, while EU legislation recognises family reunification as an important part of integration.The organisation has now called on the government to withdraw the increase and ensure that family reunification remains affordable for workers on lower incomes.“The government that opened the door to their labour must accept responsibility for treating them with dignity,” Repubblika concluded.What do you make of Repubblika’s statement?•