The issue whereby expatriates were having problems enrolling their children in school has been resolved as they would only need to present receipt that they have applied for their Residence Permit, an Education Ministry spokesperson said.

In reply to questions made by The Malta Independent, he explained that meetings took place between the Education and Home Affairs ministries so as to simplify procedures.

Confirming this, a Home Affairs ministry spokesperson explained the issue was mainly about government employees having lack of information on the laws that apply. Consequently, the ministry, in collaboration with the EU Secretariat and MEUSAC is in the process of providing information sessions to all entities concerned regarding the implementation of EU legislation and particularly access of EU nationals to rights in the same way as Maltese nationals, as stated in Article 25 of Directive 2004/38.

Identity cards are no longer being issued to expatriates and consequently, they were being asked to present their new e-residency cards to the Education Department. These take time to be issued and as a result, parents were stuck in a bureaucratic process.

The possibility of presenting their residence card application receipt ensures children are registered for school on time. Checks and balances by the Education Department would then follow.

The situation resulted when government schools were not accepting the old “A” ID cards as proof of residency even though they remain valid, a situation which could prevent foreign children resident in Malta from enrolling in time for the new scholastic year.

The Up in Arms action group reported that parents attempting to enroll their children in school were being informed that procedures have been changed and that they must take all necessary documents – including the new e-residency cards – to the Department of Education in Valletta.

Alternattiva Demokratika too said last week the issue of electronic ID cards was becoming a nightmare for the expatriate community in Malta. Mario Mallia, Alternattiva Demokratika spokesperson on Education, said: "People have been waiting for over six months to get an appointment for the issuing of their Maltese electronic ID card. Now, Maltese government schools - and even schools like the Verdala School - are not accepting enrolment of expatriate children in Maltese schools if the parents are not in possession of the electronic ID. This is totally unacceptable and goes against the basic right to schooling of children."

The Education Department does not accept the old ID cards, and parents were being made liable for fees without the new e-residency permit.

But obtaining e-residency cards is easier said than done: at present, applications can only be made between 8am and noon, Monday to Thursday, and the process has been characterised by lengthy queues as thousands of expatriates seeking to obtain their permit.

With regard to delays in issuing residence permits, the government has engaged more resources to counteract for the back-log which is of 5,042 applications from non-EU nationals. There are 4,937 pending applications from EU nationals.

These problems have actually led the government to extend the validity of the “A” ID cards expatriates previously used until November.

The Up in Arms group originally focused on claims that utilities billing company ARMS Ltd discriminated against foreign residents by making it difficult to benefit from residential rates, but which has since expanded its focus on other issues affecting expatriate families in Malta.