Want to work from the beach? Visas from countries offering cheap living, low Covid-19 rates target digital nomads
- Barbados, Estonia, Bermuda and Georgia have launched schemes aimed at wooing digital nomads to make up for lost tourism
- But applicants are advised to read the fine print first, with the pandemic creating new barriers that could crimp remote-working fantasies
Offering sunny beaches, cheap living and low infection rates, a number of countries are competing for a new generation of remote workers in a bid to ride out the pandemic and make up for lost visitors.
From Estonia to Barbados, nations have launched visa regimes aimed at wooing “digital nomads” to bolster their economy, chasing the sort of people who mix work with travel and can set up shop any place with an internet connection.
“Work from Paradise” boasts the web page of Barbados’ 12-month Welcome Stamp visa, which launched in July allowing remote workers to relocate to the Caribbean island for one year.
“Our new … [visa] allows you to … work from one of the world’s most beloved tourism destinations,” the country’s prime minster, Mia Mottley, wrote in a welcome message on the page.
Numbers of digital nomads were growing even before the pandemic, with more than 7 million people in the US calling themselves such in 2019, up from about 5 million in 2018, according to research from MBO. Countries launching the new visa regimes hope that luring some of them could help stimulate local economies hit by the new coronavirus and make up for some of the lost tourism.
“The main aim of the programme is to promote Estonia,” Annus says, explaining the scheme was one of the first in the world to target remote-working employees, as well as freelancers and contractors.
“The more known Estonia is, the more our companies can export our e-services and more and more people are interested in investing … and of course … the more tourists we shall have.”
“Georgia has an image of a safe country in terms of epidemiological standpoint and we want to use this chance,” she told local media. The former Soviet republic of 3.5 million people has reported 1,197 cases of Covid-19 and 17 deaths.
Most countries require purchase of health insurance [and] require that workers meet criteria for admittance
The virus has also turned health care into a key measure for people choosing a new home, says Karoli Hindriks, head of immigration consultancy Jobbatical, which helped draw up the Estonian visa scheme.
“We will see a lot more … highly skilled people moving from countries with weak health care systems to countries with stronger health care systems,” she said by phone.
“No need to be trapped in your apartment in a densely populated city with the accompanying restrictions and high risk of infection,” Bermuda’s premier David Burt wrote online. “Come spend the year with us working or coding on the water.”
But the pandemic has also created new barriers that could crimp any fantasy of working from the beach, Cassar says, urging dreamers to read the fine print first.
“It is not as simple as packing a suitcase and having a valid passport, particularly in the age of Covid-19. Most countries require purchase of health insurance [and] require that workers meet criteria for admittance,” he said by email.
Estonia, for example, asks that applicants prove they earn at least €3,504 (US$4,100) a month, while those moving to Barbados have to pay a US$2,000 fee.
Travel can also be problematic now. A European Union ban on non-essential travel from most countries means Estonia has had many inquiries but zero applications for its scheme since its launch on August 1, Annus says.
“No one has applied for it yet, because we consider [relocating here] non-essential travel,” she says.
