ABSTRACT
Malta has since antiquity received globalisation by virtue of people who visited the island both in peace and war. Malta has always had irregular immigration. Some have entered and outstayed their authorised stay. Some arrive without the requisite documentation. Others arrive in an irregular (illegal) manner. In the past decade most of the latter category once in Malta apply for the status of refugee. The financial or human costs of the arrival of such people invariably from the south have altered the political spectrum of Malta. The most visible representation of the black African migrants are the footballers who arrive mainly legally but whose position once in Malta is somewhat precarious depending on their ability.
