The introduction of a medical fee for people moving to the Isle of Man on a visa is still under consideration, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has said.
This follows a report on immigration incentives and disincentives that Mr Tynwald discussed last week, with recommendations resulting from that document expected to be submitted in May.
Alex Allinson MHK told Kagiin that a decision on whether to introduce a health surcharge to mirror the UK would be included in these proposals.
A recent report said the island’s lack of taxation was an “unintended incentive for potential immigrants with greater medical needs.”
He said the Isle of Man Government would consider the possibility of emulating the UK and work with partner countries to consider “how we can deliver a fair immigration system that is responsive to the needs of the Isle of Man”. .
Mr Allinson told MHK that the potential introduction of a levy was “not straightforward” and that UK law would need to be extended to the island.
He said if a surcharge is introduced, the goal is for the payment to be made directly to the island, but operational and digital mechanisms need to be developed to make this possible.
David Ashford questioned whether the debate over introducing a levy would cover systems that needed to be developed and whether the UK system could be used on the island.
In response, Mr Allinson said there was a “huge amount” of work involved in digitizing the immigration process, and that a large amount of money was being spent “to align our system with the UK so that Isle of Man residents are not disadvantaged when traveling.” He said that investments are being made.
He said if the policy mirrored the UK, it would be paid annually for the life of an individual’s visa, which is currently £1,035 a year.
