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Stage 2: the Integration Course

Since 15 June 2026 the I Belong programme focuses on the 100-hour Cultural Orientation course. What that means now, the pre-15-June two-course structure that still applies to earlier applications, and how it leads toward Long-Term Residence eligibility.

What Stage 2 is, and who can take it

“Stage 2” was the name for the Integration Course under the older structure. Since 15 June 2026 the programme has been restructured and now centres on a single course — the I Belong 100-hour Cultural Orientation course (previously called Stage 2 Cultural Orientation). It remains the stage officially linked to Long-Term Residence eligibility (more on that below).

Update — the I Belong programme changed on 15 June 2026

The Human Rights Directorate’s I Belong page now states that, “as from 15 June 2026, the I Belong programme will only focus on the provision of I Belong 100-hour Cultural Orientation course (previously called as Stage 2 Cultural Orientation).” Stage 2 applications received before 15 June 2026 keep the opportunity to take both the I Belong Maltese Language (MQF Level 2) course and the 100-hour Cultural Orientation course. New applicants take the 100-hour Cultural Orientation course. The Directorate adds that “further changes may be announced at a later stage.”

The pre-15-June structure: two courses, 170 hours

This structure applies to Stage 2 applications received before 15 June 2026. For those applicants, official information described Stage 2 as consisting of two named courses, delivered by the University of Malta and MCAST:

Maltese Language for Integration

MQF level:
Level 2
Hours:
50 hours
Published pass mark:
minimum 65%

Cultural Orientation

MQF level:
Level 2
Hours:
120 hours (pre-15-June figure; now 100 hours — see below)
Published requirements:
80% attendance and a minimum mark of 75% (no longer published as of 15 June 2026)

Under the pre-15-June wording, the stage “consists of the following courses delivered by the University of Malta and MCAST: Maltese Language for Integration (MQF Level 2) – 50 hours, and Cultural Orientation (MQF Level 2) – 120 hours.” Together that was 170 hours of instruction across the two courses.

What applies now. Since 15 June 2026 the current requirement is the single I Belong 100-hour Cultural Orientation course. The old “120 hours” figure for Cultural Orientation is superseded — the Directorate’s current wording describes the course as 100 hours. Applicants who applied before 15 June 2026 may still take the Maltese Language (MQF Level 2) course alongside the 100-hour Cultural Orientation course.

See a full side-by-side comparison of every course across both stages, including which courses were discontinued on 15 June 2026.

How it connects to Long-Term Residence — and how the figures now line up

Official wording links the course directly to a separate immigration status: “successful completion of I Belong Cultural Orientation at 100-hours is considered one of the requirements for Long-Term Residence Status (LTR) in Malta.” Note the phrase “one of the requirements” — Long-Term Residence has its own separate conditions (including residence duration) that Identità administers, and this certificate is described as a part-requirement within that wider application.

Earlier versions of this guide flagged a figure discrepancy here: Identità’s Long-Term Residence guidance describes the requirement as “completing Malta’s official ‘I Belong’ Integration Course (100 hours) and achieving a minimum score of 75% in the final exam” — 100 hours — while the Directorate’s older wording described a two-course, 170-hour Stage 2 structure. With the 15 June 2026 restructuring that discrepancy is largely resolved: the Directorate’s own description has been updated and now aligns on the 100-hour Cultural Orientation course, converging with Identità’s 100h figure. Two nuances remain, which we state plainly rather than reconcile away: the Directorate no longer publishes a numeric pass mark for the 100-hour course (the 75% figure now comes only from Identità’s LTR guidance), and Identità separately names an MQF Level 2 Maltese-language certificate at 65% while the Directorate now offers the Maltese Language (MQF Level 2) course only to applicants who applied before 15 June 2026.

See the full Long-Term Residence breakdown for every figure side by side and what this means if you’re relying on this certificate for an application.

Frequently asked questions

01Do I need to finish Stage 1 first?

Not necessarily — this changed on 15 June 2026. The Human Rights Directorate now publishes an either/or prerequisite: applicants must hold an "I Belong Stage 1 Cultural Orientation certificate or New Course on Maltese Language and Culture certificate", alongside a valid Residence Permit, Asylum Seeker Document or CIO Document issued by the Maltese authorities. So the certificate from the New Course on Maltese Language and Culture — the course the Directorate now directs new applicants to, since Stage 1 Cultural Orientation is discontinued — is an accepted route in its own right. Before 15 June 2026 the rule was narrower: only Stage 1 graduates could apply. If you were told that earlier, that is what changed.

02What mark do I need to pass the Cultural Orientation course?

As of the 15 June 2026 restructuring, the Human Rights Directorate no longer publishes a numeric pass mark for the 100-hour Cultural Orientation course on its I Belong page, so we do not state one as current. The only place a figure still appears is Identità's separate Long-Term Residence guidance, which describes the certificate as requiring "a minimum score of 75% in the final exam" — we attribute that 75% to Identità, not to the Directorate. Before 15 June 2026 the Directorate did publish two thresholds for the older two-course Stage 2 structure (65% for the 50-hour Maltese course; 80% attendance and 75% for the 120-hour Cultural Orientation course); those no longer appear on the page.

03Who actually delivers Stage 2?

The Directorate's pre-15-June-2026 wording named the University of Malta and MCAST as the institutions delivering the two Stage 2 courses. Its current page names no delivering institution for the 100-hour Cultural Orientation course, so we present those names as the position published before the restructuring rather than as confirmed current fact. It is still worth knowing, because timetables, venues and enrolment contacts may sit with the delivering institution rather than with the Human Rights Directorate — but confirm who is delivering your course with the Directorate rather than assuming.

04Does passing Stage 2 mean I automatically qualify for Long-Term Residence?

No. Official wording describes successful completion of the I Belong 100-hour Cultural Orientation as "one of the requirements for Long-Term Residence Status (LTR) in Malta" — one requirement among others that Identità's own Long-Term Residence guidance sets out (including residence-duration conditions). See how the certificate fits into the wider Long-Term Residence picture, including how the Directorate's description was updated on 15 June 2026 to align on roughly 100 hours.

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