Should a satellite office be set up in the Isle of Man for foreign nationals living here who require a Schengen visa?

If you have a British or European passport you don’t need a visa to travel to the 29 European countries in the Schengen area for short visits of less than 90 days.

But it can be quite an issue if you want to visit the EU and are one of the thousands living in the Isle of Man who are from South Africa or Asia or anywhere else in the world that needs a Schengen visa.

It means going in person to a company which handles Schengen visa applications - and the nearest office is in London or Manchester.

That can be a costly, time-consuming and stressful experience.

E-gaming journalist Frank Schuengel said he approached the Manx government around two years ago with the idea of their helping him approach a company to set up a satellite office here - but was ‘fobbed off’ and told there wasn’t the demand.

He said: ‘You have to book an appointment weeks and sometimes months in advance. The visit is mainly for biometrics. Having to go to the UK every time adds considerable cost and stress.

‘Just a small satellite office here would make the place more desirable to live. There’s got to be thousands of people here now who would use it.’

Responses to his Facebook post suggests there is support for the idea.

One said: ‘It would be amazing to have on the island. It would save so much time, money and leave days not to need to travel to the UK for those visa appointments.’

Another posted: ‘I never in a million years thought that applying for a visa would be, by a landslide, easier to get in South Africa, than one over this side of the world.’