The Isle of Man and Australia have basically diametrically opposed migration policies.

It is very hard to migrate to Australia as an elderly migrant, and relatively easy if you are a young, qualified and willing to work. Here in the Isle of Man, there are essentially no migration restrictions on elderly non-workers moving from the UK or Ireland, but significant restrictions on most people who want to come here and work from UK and Ireland.

Australia welcomes people who want to work. The Isle of Man puts its toughest barriers and restrictions on people who want to work.

If we’re going to restrict people who come to IOM to work, it is unlikely to be sustainable to continue to have no restrictions on people coming to IOM to not work from UK/Ireland.

Obviously, the Isle of Man Government is always a step-behind, but one relatively easy opportunity to improve our rules in the right direction would be to welcome high performance people to the island. It costs us nothing, the people are already vetted, and would benefit the people of the IOM substantially to have such people migrating to here.

Michael Josem is a long-term consumer advocate, most prominently as a global leader in combating fraud in the online gambling industry. He was in part the inspiration for the 20th Century Fox Movie, Runner Runner, starring Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake.

Josem has over a decade of experience as a senior business leader working across various high-tech and online industries, and takes action to build a better community. His primary volunteer roles include service for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and Graih, the homelessness charity.