Between 2010 and 2014, 7,740 migrants applied for international protection, 5,460 of whom were granted such protection, an EU report shows.
The European Asylum Support Office has released the Annual Report on the Situation of Asylum in the European 2014.
775 applications were also withdrawn during that period. It notes, however, that Malta received a lower number of applications in 2014 when compared with 2013.
The report read that in Malta, The Office of the Refugee and Asylum Commissioner reported that the availability of interpreters in certain languages such as Susu, Punjab, Yoruba, Twi, and Turkish was a concern. "Previously, the office has benefited from the services of UK interpreters when there was an immediate need for more language experts to provide practical assistance. This helped to deal efficiently with cases that could not otherwise be processed due to language difficulties as the interpreters' pool in Malta is very limited".
As of 2014, unaccompanied minors (UAMs) and families with children are no longer detained upon arrival in Malta. Instead they are transferred to an accommodation centre that limits their movement until the necessary medical check-ups are completed, the report read. "After they are medically cleared, all minors are moved to an open centre. However, UNHCR has noted that some challenges remain regarding applicants with special needs".
The report also notes that many refugees in Malta work in unregulated conditions and are paid below minimum wage.
In 2014 there were more than 660,000 applications for international protection in the EU+ - the highest number since the beginning of EU-level data collection in 2008. The highest numbers of asylum applicants recorded were citizens of Syria, the Western Balkan countries combined, and Eritrea.
The main receiving countries were Germany, Sweden, Italy, France and Hungary. At the end of 2014, more than 500,000 people were awaiting a decision on their asylum application in the EU+; the volume of pending applications increased by +37% compared to 2013.
The number of applications from citizens of Western Balkan countries reached 110,000 with a significant share from Serbia and Kosovo. The ongoing crisis in Syria posed a key challenge in the EU+ in 2014 as the number of applications from Syrians reached more than 128 000.
Afghanistan remained one of the main countries of origin of applicants last year; the 42,745 applications for 2014 represented a 53 % increase compared to 2013. It also had the highest share of unaccompanied minors applying for asylum in the EU+ (6,155).
The report also looks into key asylum related developments in 2014 such as the Task Force Mediterranean, reception capacity in the Member States, developments in national asylum systems and EASO support.
Amongst other things, EASO continued to provide operational support to Greece, Italy, Bulgaria and Cyprus and successfully piloted join-processing projects and a project with Malta and Italy on facilitation of irregular migrants. EASO has trained over 2,800 asylum and reception officials.
Latest figures for 2015 show that the number of applications for international protection in the EU continues to rise. In the first 5 months of this year, there was a 68 % rise in the number of applications for international protection in the EU+ compared to the same period last year. This follows the 43 % increase in the number of applications in 2014 compared to 2013.