Online applications and renewal extensions are among changes to work permit legislation that will come into effect on October 1 this year.

Economic Development Minister Laurence Skelly says the changes balance the interests and needs of local employers, Isle of Man workers and prospective workers, and their families.

Work permits will be issued for a period of five years, instead of requiring annual renewal; the government will have more flexibility to grant or remove exemptions for work permits, incuding the power to exempt if it considers the employment of a person to be in the national interest; and it will be easier for the spouses or civil partners of permit holders or people who are exempt from work permits to work on the Isle of Man.

From December this year, applications for a work permit can be made online in a bid to reduce the overall time the process takes, making it more efficient for employers.

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