Japan-Malta visa to attract more, higher-quality Japanese students – FELTOM CEO

The new working holiday visa agreement between Malta and Japan is “a fantastic opportunity” for local English schools, according to industry representative Jessica Rees-Jones.

Speaking to MaltaCEOs.mt, she notes that “Japanese students are widely regarded as high-quality tourists [who] tend to stay longer and contribute more to the local economy, without the challenges sometimes associated with lower-spending or short-stay visitors.”

The CEO of the Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations in Malta (FELTOM) says that the Japanese market represents a key segment for Malta’s English language teaching (ELT) sector, describing it as “a significantly growing market.”

There were 3,600 Japanese students attending English language courses in Malta in 2024, the third-highest number among non-EU nationalities after Brazil and Columbia. The number of Japanese students has been increasing steadily, from 3,029 in 2022 to 3,407 in 2023, before reaching 3,600 last year, although it remains below the 4,106 recorded in 2019.

The number of student weeks spent in Malta by Japanese students has tended to increase on average, with 2023 seeing them spend 21,337 weeks in Malta – 11 per cent more than they did in 2019, despite having 17 per cent fewer students. This indicates the growing length of time the average Japanese student spends in Malta, and which is likely to continue increasing with the new working visa agreement.

Ms Rees-Jones adds that Japanese students represent the largest share of the 18 to 25 age group attending ELT courses in Malta, even surpassing European countries.

The new scheme allows Maltese and Japanese nationals aged 18 to 30 to live, work and explore each other’s countries for up to a year.

Ms Rees-Jones explains that the new visa significantly makes it easier for Japanese students to visit the island.

“In the past, obtaining a visa to visit Malta was a lengthy and bureaucratic process,” she explains, noting that recent policy revisions have made the procedure more accessible.

“This new agreement adds even more value, thanks to the growing relationship between Malta and Japan,” she concludes, noting that the visa will become available starting in July 2026.

The visa agreement was announced as Malta and Japan marked 60 years of diplomatic relations.

Established in 1989, the Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations in Malta (FELTOM) aims to promote and uphold high standards in English language education. Today, it represents 14 independent English language teaching (ELT) schools across Malta and Gozo.