European Immigration Lawyers
The European Immigration Lawyers Network or EILN was established in 2000 as an association of European Immigration Lawyers to meet the changing needs of business and economic migrants, their employers and families in an enlarging European Union. As the success of the European Single Market has dramatically reduced obstacles to cross border movement within the Union, the needs of companies and individuals to move to take advantage of the new possibilities has increased. While fewer and fewer problems arise regarding cross border movement of nationals of the Member States, third country nationals and their family members moving to or within the Union continue to be subject to substantial administrative obstacles. It is to find solutions for clients to these obstacles that the Network has been created.
Annual Meeting of European Immigration Lawyers
The venue for the EILN annual meeting of European Immigration Lawyers rotates with the countries represented by EILN. Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates hosted the 2018 European Immigration Lawyers Meeting at its headquarters in Valletta. Immigration Practitioners from various EU states gathered in Malta to share perspectives and hold discussions on post-Brexit residency and citizenship rights. Moderated by Malta immigration lawyer Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti, the conference brought together immigration lawyers, academics and policymakers to reflect on the consequences of Brexit for EU citizens in the UK and British nationals in the EU.
Malta Immigration Law Firm in EILN
EILN is represented in Malta by the European Immigration Lawyers at Chetcuti Cauchi. The firm's senior partner Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti was the original member of EILN in Malta, followed by colleagues Marina Magri, Magdalena Velkovska and Antoine Saliba Haig.
Dr Chetcuti heads the firm's Private Clients practice, specialising in citizenship and residency planning, private client tax planning, personal wealth structuring, family business advisory and family office advisory. Dr Chetcuti is a European Immigration Lawyer advising on a host of European investment migration programmes and collaborates closely with European immigration lawyers within the EILN membership. Dr Chetcuti was a key advisor to the Maltese Government on the design of Malta Citizenship by Investment and was the first to be licenced by the Identity Malta Agency (licence IIP 001) to directly file citizenship by investment applications under the Malta Individual Investor Programme. Dr Chetcuti has represented the first applicants to apply at the pilot phase of the Malta Individual Investor Programme in 2014, benefiting from the first Malta Citizenship approvals issued in November 2014. The MIIP was closed after 7 years, upon reaching the quota of 1,800 families and is not replaced by an investor route to Maltese citizenship.
The firm advises on the Malta Global Residence Programme and buying property in Malta. Within his tax planning and wealth structuring function, he specialises in the use of Malta holding companies and Malta's Participation Exemption, Malta royalty companies, Malta trusts and Malta foundations.
Antoine has been an integral part of our immigration practice since joining in 2014. Specialising in immigration law, particularly residency and citizenship law, he has advised some of our firm's most prominent international clients on different immigration routes by descent and by investment. In his doctoral studies, Antoine wrote his thesis on modes of acquisition of citizenship under Maltese citizenship law. Throughout his career, Antoine has addressed international fora and contributed extensively to industry publications on investment migration.
Magdalena joined the firm's private client practice in 2017, initially within our immigration practice before specialising in personal residency and private client taxation. As Head of our Private Client Tax team, she has been instrumental in advising high-net-worth individuals, investors, and corporate executives on tax residence and special tax status programmes appealing to different client profiles including HNW, investor, entrepreneur, and highly-qualified residence programmes. Magdalena is a member of the International Bar Association, the European Immigration Lawyers Network a frequent speaker at international conferences, showcasing her expertise in private client tax planning and tax compliance.
Marina has been with the firm’s immigration practice since 2015, advising prominent business families and executives on global mobility, residency, and citizenship matters. In 2024, she was appointed co-head of the firm’s immigration and global mobility arm, where she has played a pivotal role in risk management, compliance and immigration. Marina is a well-regarded speaker at international conferences, representing the firm on a global stage.
The listing of our senior Malta immigration lawyers can be found on the EILN Malta website.
