Digital nomads rejoice. Countries around the world are falling over
themselves to attract remote workers to their shores with incentives
ranging from special airfares to accommodation.
It’s not just Bali that is trying to tempt digital nomads to work and
play in Canggu or Ubud and, in the process, boost a local tourism
economy devastated by the Covid pandemic.
How
about Curaçao in the Caribbean, part of the Leeward Antilles? Digital
nomads can set up base in the Dutch colonial town of Willemstad, relax
between work sessions on beautiful beaches and stay six months with the
possibility of an extension for another six months.
A new report from the Migration Policy Institute reveals that more
than 25 countries offer visa programmes for digital nomads, allowing
them to work legally with few constraints.
Curaçao too far away? Prefer Spain? Nearly 30 small municipalities in
Spain have come together to form the National Network of Host Villages
for Teleworking to encourage remote workers to stay in their rural towns
and villages.
For those seeking islands in the sun, Greece offers digital nomads an
income tax reduction of 50% for a period of seven years to certain
nationalities who commit to staying a minimum period of two years.
Another example? Argentina plans to offer digital nomads differential
rates on accommodation, co-working spaces and internal flights with
Aerolíneas Argentinas.
Requirements for digital nomad visas vary from country to country,
but most are configured to ensure visa holders can support themselves
without taking local jobs.
Kate Hooper and Meghan Benton, authors of the Migration Policy
Institute, say that governments failing to address remote work in
immigration policies is “a missed opportunity”.
“Growing remote work practices and norms could help revive declining
regions if firms recruit workers living away from company headquarters
or individuals move to less expensive areas to stretch their salaries
further and access more plentiful housing,” the authors added.