Immergration

Summary

The requester asked for statistics on illegal immigration to the Isle of Man via boats and planes from 2023 to the present, but the Treasury refused the request stating the information is not held.

Key Facts

• The Isle of Man Immigration Service does not hold data on the number of immigrants arriving via boats or planes.
• The Isle of Man is part of the Common Travel Area (CTA), allowing free movement without routine immigration controls.
• No systematic border checks or immigration records are maintained for individuals arriving from other CTA jurisdictions.
• The request was refused under section 11(3)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 because the information is not held.
• Related public data on immigration route applications is available in 'Isle of Man in Numbers' reports and previous FOI responses.

Data Disclosed

• 2023
• 2024
• 2025
• 7 November 2025
• 25 November 2025
• 5067593
• 4792034
• 4792035
• 4968029

Exemptions Cited

• Section 11(3)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (Information not held)

Original Request

Hi I'm after a report of how many immigrants came over from year 2023-current from boats and planes ie the illegal migration of uk have if possible And also any information you have about the coach loads and plane loads that have been coming in every week I want a total number of migrants that have come over so far

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Freedom of Information
Seyrsnys Fysseree

The Treasury Government Office,
Douglas Isle of Man, IM1 3PU

Telephone: (01624) 685605 Email: FOI.Treasury@gov.im

Government Website: www.gov.im

Our ref: 5067593 25 November 2025

Dear ###,

We write further to your request received 7 November 2025, which states:

"Hi I'm after a report of how many immigrants came over from year 2023-current from boats and planes ie the illegal migration of uk have if possible

And also any information you have about the coach loads and plane loads that have been coming in every week

I want a total number of migrants that have come over so far"

Our response to your request is as follows:

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the public authority does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, find the information that you have requested. Therefore as previously advised, we need to apply a practical refusal reason to your request under section 11(3)(a) of the Act (information not held).

The reason for this is because the Isle of Man Immigration Service does not hold the specific data requested regarding the number of immigrants arriving via boats, planes, or other means. The Isle of Man is part of the Common Travel Area (CTA), which allows for the free movement of people between the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man without routine immigration controls. As such, there are no systematic border checks or immigration records maintained for individuals arriving from other CTA jurisdictions. This means we do not collect or hold data on the number of migrants arriving in the manner described in your request.

It may be of interest for you to note that whilst we do not hold the specific information you are interested in, there is some related information already in the public domain which can be found using the following web links:

https://www.gov.im/about-the-government/departments/cabinet-office/statistics-isle- of-man/isle-of-man-in-numbers/ - the downloadable documents titled 'Isle of Man in Number 2023, 2024, & 2025' contains information on a summary of applications received by immigration route (table 15).

https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/search# - previous FOI responses contain information on applications by Immigration route for 2024 and 2025. You can find these by searching for the Case ID's 4792034, 4792035 and 4968029.

Please quote the reference number 5067593 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.