It would seem to be a no-brainer: as the world reopens following the Covid-19 shutdowns, countries that saw their tourism industries devastated by the lack of visitors are laying out the red carpet for digital nomads.
Furthermore, the ranks of the no-fixed-abode should continue to swell; the benefits of remote work for health, well-being and productivity are now well understood – by employer as well as employee – after months of work-from-home orders, and those who like to travel are realising that staying put for a significant period of time is better for the environment than rushing hither and thither in bursts of activity.
Digital nomads are one of the types of worker being targeted by Lisbon as “Portugal is speeding up the issuance of immigrant visas […] to help tackle a labour shortage and revive the economy”, Reuters reported on June 15. In South Africa, “Industry leaders […] are convinced that the antidote to the ailing tourism sector is the fast-tracking of digital nomad visas,” reported Euronews in April. “This ambitious visa regime would allow international remote workers to stay in the country for longer than 90 days and up to a year in total.”
The closest thing available is the US$375 Smart Visa, which was created to attract skilled labour, investors and entrepreneurs in selected industries. It appears this might be tweaked to apply to digital nomads who are in possession of a work contract of six months or more.