First Version:
Joining the EU has brought serious immigration problems to Malta
I. Malta
A. General information
Malta is one of the world's smallest and most densely populated countries, with a total population (includes including foreign residents) of 389,769. Malta has always been seen as the home of settlers and conquers such as the Sicilians, Arabs, Spanish and many more. Being a southern country, it is located…. As one of the most southern European countries, it is located close to Tunisia and Libya. After the EU accession in 2004, Malta has become the closest gate to the European Union for immigrants from these northern African countries. This has caused a continuous rise of immigration numbers. In 2009, 4.4% of Malta’s total population were occupied by foreign nationals, which was below the EU average of 6.4%. Of these, 2% were EU citizens (mostly British, but also Italians and others), while 2.4% were from non-EU countries. Since the late 20th century, Malta has become a transit country for migration routes from Africa towards Europe. Between 2008 and 2012, Malta received, on average, the highest number of asylum seekers. This inward movement of foreigners into the Maltese Islands is regulated by (the Chapter 217 of the Laws of Malta:) the Immigration Act.
We would write a topic sentence and a concluding sentence. Sum it up and give the readers (in the topic sentence) an idea what your paper is about.
B. The way to EU membership
There were various opinions on Malta’s EU membership. Many people were looking forward to being a part of the community and underlining Malta’s European identity. Having advantages such as free travelling, choice of residence within EU countries and a hope for more tourists coming to Malta were some reasons to support the Nationalist party. The Labour party on the other hand had other plans for Malta, aiming to lead it to a “Switzerland of the Mediterranean” with closer ties to the EU but no membership. Amongst other arguments they argued that there was a threat of Sicilians taking Maltese jobs. Instead, it is African immigrants flocking to Malta in search for better lives. In the end, 53.6% of the voters had voted yes, forming a narrow majority in favour of accession. It was by far the lowest approval rate in the EU’s enlargement.
II. Immigration
A. Before joining the EU
Before Malta joined the EU in 2004, immigration levels were negligible. With its long history of repelling unwanted invaders like Ottoman Turks in the 1500s and helping Britain to keep Hitler at bay in the Second World War, it finally became independent in 1964. The Maltese needed to form a new identity after centuries of foreign leadership. This achievement is threatened now by thousands of immigrants coming to Malta, bringing unfamiliar habits and culture to the small island.
B. Changes that came with EU-membership
Now Malta receives the most asylum applications in the whole world, in relation to its small size. Alone in 2013 1,079 refugees found shelter in Malta and over the last decade the number adds up to 17,743. The high number of immigrants causes several problems for the small country and it has difficulties to cope with the situation. Its closeness to Africa has made Malta into a gateway for immigrants seeking entry to Europe. These refugees are generally poor and undocumented when they arrive in Malta and have to stay in crowded detention centres for up to 18 months. The conditions in those detentions centers are considered to be in a poor state and inhuman. The government states that resources to deal with boatloads of migrants who arrive at Maltas shores, are not given. Furthermore there is a growing fear of “cultural invasion” and racist assaults have begun to occur. Malta is the smallest country in the EU but has to carry a burden that is much bigger than in any other country and therefore desperately needs help from the EU.
III.Conclusion
Looking towards the futureFeedback:
1. Too many numbers in the first paragraph
2. Cohesion is sometimes missing
3. Rewrite Topic sentence
4. Concluding sentence missing in the second paragraph
5. Habits --> Customs (informal-formal)
6. "Most asylum seeker" --> "The largest number of..."
7. "Looking towards future would be a new aspect, not a conclusion."
Final version:
In 2004 Malta became a member of the EU and with the membership a new problem occurred - exceptionally high immigration numbers. Malta is one of the world's smallest and most densely populated countries, with a total population (including foreign residents) of 389,769 people. It has always been seen as home of settlers and conquerors such as the Sicilians, Arabs, Spanish and many more. As one of the most southern European countries, it is located close to Tunisia and Libya. After EU accession in 2004, Malta has become the closest gate to the European Union and a transit country for migration routes from Africa towards Europe. This has caused a continuous rise of immigration. Between 2008 and 2012, Malta received, on average, the highest number of asylum seekers in the EU, who are causing serious problems in the Maltese society.
When Malta entered the EU admission process there were various opinions on its membership. Many people were looking forward to being a part of the community and underlining Malta’s European identity. Advantages such as free travelling, choice of residence within EU countries and a hope for more tourists coming to Malta were some reasons to support the Nationalist party, who were in favour of the EU membership. The Labour party on the other hand had other plans for Malta, aiming to lead it to a “Switzerland of the Mediterranean” with close ties to the EU but no membership. Amongst other arguments they stated that there was a threat of Sicilians taking Maltese jobs. Instead, now it is African immigrants flocking to Malta in search for better lives. In the end, 53.6% of the voters voted “yes”, forming a narrow majority in favour of accession. It was by far the lowest approval rate in the EU’s enlargement and there are still many voices that consider the EU membership as a poor decision.
Before Malta joined the EU in 2004, immigration levels were negligible. With its long history of repelling unwanted invaders like Ottoman Turks in the 1500s and helping Britain to keep Hitler at bay in the Second World War, it finally became independent in 1964. The Maltese needed to form a new identity after centuries of foreign leadership. This achievement is threatened now by thousands of immigrants coming to Malta, bringing unfamiliar habits and culture to the small island. Although most immigrants want to proceed and go to mainland Europe, they have to return within three months to the country they first came to. As a result of this regulation hundreds are caught each year and forcibly sent back from other Schengen countries. Still the desired destination for most immigrants is another European country and therefore they have no intentions of integrating into Maltese society.
Malta receives the most asylum applications in the whole world, in relation to its small size. Alone in 2013 1,079 refugees found shelter in Malta and over the last decade the number adds up to 17,743. The high number of immigrants causes several problems for the small country and it has difficulties to cope with the situation. Its closeness to Africa has turned Malta into a gateway for immigrants seeking entry to Europe. These refugees are generally poor and undocumented when they arrive in Malta and have to stay in crowded detention centers for up to 18 months. The conditions in those detention centers are considered to be in a poor state and inhuman, but the government states that resources to deal with boatloads of migrants who arrive at Malta's shores, are not given. Furthermore there is a growing fear of “cultural invasion” and racist assaults have begun to occur. Malta is the smallest country in the EU but has to carry a burden that is much bigger than in any other country and therefore desperately needs help from the EU. Unfortunately, so far there have not been any measures taken to enhance the immigration situation in Malta.
The future of Malta remains uncertain. Action has to be taken from different directions. On the one hand the EU needs to support frontier countries like Malta in implementing policies concerning asylum seekers and mandatory burden sharing throughout the EU. Cecilia Malmstrom, the European home affairs commissioner, offered extra emergency funds and assured to get other EU states to take some of Malta’s immigrants. On the other hand the people in Malta - its residents as well as migrants - need to accustom themselves to each other. The Maltese need to adjust to a more multicultural society without segregation of ethnic minorities and rising of racist sentiments. At the same time the migrants who want to stay in Malta need to integrate with the help of a proper system which will assist them when they arrive and process applications faster. This could be a way to solve the immigration problems in Malta. 
