The Manx government has confirmed it has been approached by UK contractors looking to house asylum seekers in the island.

It was forced to issue a denial after posts circulated on social media claiming that the top floor of a seafront hotel in Douglas was housing illegal migrants at the taxpayers’ expense.

Under the Isle of Man’s immigration rules, asylum seekers cannot be received or processed here.

An Isle of Man Government spokesperson said: ‘The Isle of Man Government wishes to dismiss rumours circulating online suggesting people awaiting the outcome of UK immigration cases are being held at particular Isle of Man hotels for long-term stays pending processing in the UK.

‘The Isle of Man has its own Immigration Rules and, due to its relationship with the UK, cannot process asylum applications, nor can it house those who are in the UK awaiting a decision on their refugee status.’

But he added: ‘The Isle of Man Government is aware that at least one approach has been made by a UK contracting firm looking for availability for these types of services. They were duly informed of the rules outlined above, and that the Isle of Man should be removed from any of their contact lists.’

The Isle of Man Immigration Rules are closely aligned to those in the UK. as part of the requirements of the Common Travel Area. But they are not identical, and changes can be made to meet the island’s specific needs. More changes were brought in from April 9 this year.

In a reply to a Tynwald question last August, Chief Minister Alfred Cannan said the Manx government had not discussed the possibility of asylum seekers being offered accommodation in the island with the UK government or with other bodies.

Visas are required for anyone seeking to reside in the Isle of Man who do not already have permission to live in the Common Travel Area.

There has been a sharp rise in the number of visa applications, rising from 2,671 In 2021-22 to 4,056 in 2022-23 , and with similar numbers in the following years. The most widest represented nationalities are Chinese, Filipino, South African, Indian and Ghanaian.

But it is not known how many of these people actually arrive or stay in the Isle of Man.

At the Government Conference last September, head of Customs and the Immigration Division, Sandra Simpson, acknowledged there was evidence of ‘widespread’ abuse of the island’s immigration system.

There were cases of workers offered visas under fraudulent pretences, travelling thousands of miles and great personal expense, for jobs that simply did not exist, or were not what they thought they were coming here to do and at the salary levels they were expecting.

Some immigrants were also being charged fees to recruitment firms for obtaining visas, which they had to pay back from their salaries, which led to cramped housing conditions to save on costs and use of foodbanks to make ends meet.

There was also the potential for the Isle of Man’s visa system being used as a back door to the UK, and the use of false documents to obtain a visa.

Ms Simpson said the Immigration division was undertaking a review of historic visa applications to look for ‘patterns and trends’ to establish the extent of the abuse within the system.

She said the Isle of Man’s immigration rules had for a number of reasons ‘drifted’ away from the UK which in itself has presented loopholes and other areas of risk for the island and the UK.

There are arrangements for some B&Bs to house homeless people on a short-term basis as part of a pathway run by Manx Care since the closure of the Graih shelter in 2022.