The Customs and Immigration Division of the Treasury provided testimony on 28^th October 2024 to the Economic Policy Review Committee, explaining operational aspects of the immigration system. The Committee heard from Sandra Simpson, Head of Customs and Immigration Division, and Annie Taylor, Head of Passport, Immigration and Nationality Services.

Below are the Committee’s key findings from the evidence session:

• To support the Island’s economic strategy, there has to be an efficient immigration system that supports the needs of employers and employees. A lot of things can be done to improve the efficiency of the system, in terms of both improving processing times and preventing abuse.
• The combined Customs and Immigration Division was formed in January 2024. Bringing Customs and Immigration together has improved the Island’s ability to service the Common Travel Area and Customs Agreement. More could be achieved by bringing the two teams together in one building.
• Visa processing times have improved in the past three to four months with the aim being to achieve a processing time of 45 days by the end of the year. With only four or five people processing visas at any one time, delivery times are directly affected by staff sickness and training. They have recently been as high as 83 days but this is expected to fall.

• Visa fees are increased in line with the UK to avoid the Island becoming a lower cost back door to the Common Travel Area.
• A digitisation programme is underway in co-operation with the UK and the other Crown Dependencies. Digitisation will improve speed and resilience but some manual intervention will always be needed. Timelines for this programme are not yet available.
• With more resources more could be done to provide guidance to people wishing to move to, or stay in, the Island. For example there are no resources at the moment to create a welcome pack or to translate it into different languages.
• There are 12 officers in the customs & immigration law enforcement team. This team meets all planes and boats arriving from outside the Common Travel Area and other arrivals on a risk basis.
• Budget bids have been submitted for a new team of four immigration officers who would be dedicated to in-country compliance work.
• The Island’s legislation does not support immigration enforcement visits to employers.
• Where a migrant applies to extend a visa, the team checks that the migrant has been properly paid.  Apart from that, the team does not have the staff to check on migrants’ welfare. Legislation regarding employment in violation of visa conditions needs to be updated, as does the law relating to those providing immigration advice. Differences between UK and Isle of Man legislation can risk the Island being abused as a way of entering the Common Travel Area. The Island has drifted to some extent in that it has not kept up with all immigration changes the UK has made.

For further information contact:

Clerk to the Committee
Legislative Buildings
Finch Road, Douglas
IM1 3PW
Tel: 01624 685500
Email: committees@tynwald.org.im