The Isle of Man Treasury has published two Statements of Changes to the Immigration Rules — SD 2025/0122 and SD 2025/0190 — both due to come into operation on 31 October 2025. While these represent technical amendments to the worker immigration framework, they continue the Government’s policy of incremental refinement rather than major reform. For legitimate employers with sound HR processes and appropriate immigration law advice, these changes should not pose difficulties. 

Defining “full-time” work 

A welcome clarification is provided by SD 2025/0190, which amends Appendix W of the Rules (covering Worker Migrants and Worker (Intra-Company Transfer) Migrants. For the first time, the term “full-time” is expressly defined as a minimum of 30 hours of paid work per week. This codifies long-standing administrative practice and ensures consistency when assessing vacancies, job offers and compliance with the resident labour market test. For most employers, this will make no practical difference, but it will provide helpful certainty for those recruiting part-time staff or combining several roles. Employers employing Workers on shorter full-time working weeks should seek immigration advice. 

Revised salary thresholds 

The same Statement of Changes also introduces updated salary thresholds for work-related immigration categories. From 31 October 2025, newly sponsored Worker and Worker (Intra-Company Transfer) Migrants must receive the higher of: 

– GBP25,447.50 per annum, or 

– the “appropriate rate” for the specific role set out in Part 7 of Appendix W. 

By contrast, those already granted leave before that date remain subject to the current lower minimum of GBP20,800 per annum (or the appropriate rate, if higher). This transitional approach avoids disruption for existing staff and enables employers to plan future recruitment budgets accordingly. The explanatory note confirms that the change reflects general wage inflation since 2020, rather than any new policy direction. 

Compliance with the Minimum Wage 

A new provision also makes explicit what was previously implicit: all sponsored workers’ pay must comply with the Minimum Wage Act 2001 (of Tynwald). While all reputable employers will already be meeting this standard, the express reference brings the Immigration Rules into alignment with employment law and underscores the Government’s commitment to protecting lawful employment standards. 

Technical updates to Appendix IOM 1 

The second part of the October package, updating Appendix IOM 1, simply consolidates the official record of amendments to the Immigration Rules, adding recent statutory document references and correcting dates laid before Tynwald. This has no practical impact on visa applications or sponsorships but maintains the transparency of the legislative framework. 

Our assessment 

Taken together, these October 2025 changes are evolutionary, not revolutionary. They modernise terminology, bring the Rules into line with employment standards, and provide clearer drafting. Employers who act properly and maintain good compliance systems should find these updates straightforward to accommodate. The increase in the minimum salary level may have cost implications in certain sectors, but it remains moderate compared with wider market pay movements.  

By contrast with some commentary elsewhere in the industry that views the change as burdensome, Kinley Legal’s view is that these updates should present no difficulty for legitimate employers, provided they continue to seek and follow professional advice when sponsoring migrant workers. 

How Kinley Legal can help 

Kinley Legal advises businesses and individuals across all aspects of Isle of Man immigration and nationality law. We can assist with: 

– assessing job offers against the new salary thresholds; 

– confirming compliance with the revised “full-time” definition; and 

– reviewing employment contracts and existing Confirmation of Employment in light of the October 2025 changes. 

If your business employs, or plans to employ, migrant workers in the Isle of Man, please contact Kinley Legal immigration team for tailored advice. Please contact us by email at immigration@kinleylegal.com or complete our simple contact form and we would be pleased to help.