The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown Dependency with its own parliament, government and laws. Although the Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom is responsible for the Isle of Man in the context of international law. 

The Isle of Man is subject to the following key international instruments (by virtue of the United Kingdom being party to these treaties and extending their application to the territory of the Isle of Man):

• 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, which provides the internationally recognised definition of a refugee and outlines the legal protection, rights, and assistance a refugee is entitled to receive. The United Kingdom has made the following specific reservations for the Isle of Man:
  • The restricted measures in Article 8 of the 1951 Convention (which prevents states from applying exceptional measures to a refugee, their property or interests solely on account of their nationality) and Article 9 of the 1951 Convention (which prevents states from applying provisional measures to a refugee pending a determination that such person is a refugee), may be taken in the Isle of Man if such measure is in the interest of national security during time of war or other grave and exceptional circumstances. Further, the exceptional measures in Article 8 of the 1951 Convention may be taken in the Isle of Man over property or interests of a refugee which the United Kingdom acquired as a result of war.
  • The United Kingdom accepts the application of Article 17(2) of the 1951 Convention (which provides that rules imposed on refugees for the protection of the national labour market will not be applied to refugees who meet certain conditions). However, the conditions have been changed for the Isle of Man: the condition exempting refugees with three years’ residence in the country is increased to four years’ residence, and the condition exempting refugees with children with British citizenship is removed.
  • The Isle of Man only applies Article 24(1)(b) of the 1951 Convention (which requires states to give refugees the same treatment as to nationals in the case of social security matters) and Article 24(2) of the 1951 Convention (which provides that the right to compensation for the death of a refugee resulting from employment injury or occupational disease is not affected by their residency) ‘so far as the law allows’. 
  • The Isle of Man does not have to give effect to Articles 25(1) and 25(2) of the 1951 Convention (which provides that in certain circumstances, the state would provide administrative assistance to a refugee if they do not have recourse against the relevant foreign state and that the legal effect of the delivery of documents set out in Article 25(3) of the 1951 Convention will only be applied ‘so far as the law allows’. 
• 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, which expands the Convention to apply universally and protect all persons fleeing conflict and persecution.
• 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, which establishes a framework for the international protection of stateless persons. The United Kingdom has made the same reservations for the Isle of Man as it made for the 1951 Convention.
• 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, which sets rules for the conferral and non-withdrawal of citizenship to prevent cases of statelessness from arising.

The Isle of Man is not subject to the 1997 European Convention on Nationality, which establishes principles and rules on nationality, nor the 2006 European Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in Relation to State Succession, which sets out rules and principles to prevent people from becoming stateless when a state changes sovereignty and undergoes succession.

The Isle of Man is subject to the 1949 ILO Migration for Employment Convention (No. 97), which ensures equal treatment and decent working and living conditions for migrant workers. However, the Isle of Man has excluded the provisions of Annex I and Annex II, which set out minimum standards for the employment of migrant workers.

The Isle of Man is not subject to the 1975 ILO Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Convention (No. 143), which promotes equal treatment for migrant workers, expanding the scope of the 1949 ILO Migration for Employment Convention.

Additionally, the Isle of Man is subject to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR, formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms), which is a supranational convention to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe. While not a refugee-specific treaty, the ECHR provides a set of fundamental human rights and freedoms that apply to everyone within its jurisdiction, including refugees and asylum seekers. These rights serve as important legal protections for refugees, especially when national asylum or immigration decisions are challenged. The Isle of Man has incorporated the fundamental rights and freedoms of the ECHR into its domestic law through the Human Rights Act 2001.

In addition to its obligations under the aforementioned international instruments, the Isle of Man is obligated to respect the international customary legal principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits any country from deporting any person to a country where they face the threat of persecution.

The United Kingdom has ratified several other international legal instruments that also relate to treatment of refugees, which have been extended to apply to the Isle of Man, as listed below. The reservations and declarations made by the United Kingdom apply equally to the Isle of Man.  

• • International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which sets out protections for a wide range of human rights, including freedom from torture and other cruel or unusual punishment, fair trial rights, equality, and non-discrimination. The United Kingdom has a specific reservation regarding the application of Article 25(c) of the ICCPR to the Isle of Man, which means that the right of every citizen to have access on general terms of quality to public service, does not apply to jury service in the Isle of Man.
  • International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which ensures the enjoyment of economic, social, and cultural rights to education, fair and just working conditions, adequate standards of living, social security, and the highest attainable standard of health. The United Kingdom has a specific reservation regarding the application of Article 7(a)(i) of the ICESCR to the Isle of Man, which means the right to equal pay for equal work in the private sector is not currently enforced in the Isle of Man. 
  • Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which protects children’s rights and obliges public bodies to consider children’s best interests. The Isle of Man has its own policy based on the CRC, the Child First Policy, which establishes a cross-government framework that places children at the heart of policy-making, service delivery, and community life. 
  • Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which sets out provisions to ensure women’s full enjoyment of human rights on an equal basis with men. The general reservations and declarations made by the United Kingdom apply equally to the Isle of Man, except that reference is made to the laws of the territories (laws of the Isle of Man) and not to the laws of the United Kingdom. 
  • International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), which obliges signatories to take action to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.
  • Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which seeks to eliminate disability discrimination and safeguard the rights of disabled people. 
• Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), which requires signatories to take effective measures to prevent, protect against and remedy acts of torture. 

The Isle of Man is not subject to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, which protects the human rights of migrant workers and their families, nor the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED), which aims to prevent and punish enforced disappearances.

The Isle of Man has its own immigration laws which are closely aligned with the UK’s immigration laws as these are extended to the Isle of Man through Orders in Council with the necessary modifications for local application. An Order in Council is a form of legislation made by the King or Queen of England (as applicable) acting on the advice of the Privy Council in London. In this context, it acts as a mechanism for extending UK legislation (such as Immigration Acts) to the Isle of Man. The main Order is the Immigration (Isle of Man) Order 2008, which extends key UK immigration legislation to the Isle of Man, such as the UK Immigration Act 1971 and the UK British Nationality Act 1981. This Order has been subsequently amended many times to reflect developments and changes in UK law. A complete list of the Isle of Man’s immigration and nationality legislation, including the Amendment Orders can be found on the Isle of Man’s official government website. A consolidated text of the UK immigration primary legislation that has been extended to the Isle of Man can be found here. This document has been created by the Isle of Man Passport, Immigration and Nationality Office to assist persons wishing to come to the Isle of Man and other readers.  

The Isle of Man Immigration Rules are made by the Minister for Isle of Man Treasury and outline the practice to be followed in the administration of the UK Immigration Act 1971 for regulating the entry into and the stay of persons in the Isle of Man. The Isle of Man Immigration Rules are updated frequently (multiple times a year) by a Statement of Changes which is laid before the parliament of the Isle of Man, Tynwald.

The Refugee Status Determination (RSD) process for the Isle of Man is managed by the United Kingdom. The Isle of Man is part of the Common Travel Area (CTA) of the United Kingdom, which means that the Isle of Man does not have its own constitutionally enshrined asylum system. The Isle of Man cannot process asylum applications or grant refugee status. RSD remains a UK responsibility under the CTA arrangements. In the Isle of Man’s Government Refugee Policy Statement (2023), the Isle of Man Government confirmed that it will maintain its close ties with the United Kingdom and uphold its role as a Crown Dependency within the UK asylum process. 

The Isle of Man can participate in UK resettlement schemes on a voluntary basis, such as the UK Resettlement Scheme, the Community Sponsorship Scheme, and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. In March 2022 for example, the Isle of Man launched the Homes for Ukraine Scheme (modelled on the UK’s Homes for Ukraine Scheme), which provided accommodation for Ukrainians and their close family members fleeing the Russo-Ukrainian War. The Isle of Man Government remains open to the possibility of supporting refugees by way of future schemes.