‘Work from home’ for a year… from BARBADOS: Caribbean island considers giving 12-month visas to any remote workers
- Barbados’ PM is looking to introduce a ’12-month Barbados welcome stamp’
- This would allow visitors to work remotely on the island for a year at a time
- Barbados sees 40 percent of it s GDP come from the tourism industry
- The island nation is one of 59 countries on the UK’s no-quarantine list, with the first direct flight to Barbados from the UK restarting on July 18 from Gatwick
People working remotely could be given the chance to relocate to Barbados under new proposals being considered by the Caribbean island.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley is looking at plans to introduce a ’12-month Barbados welcome stamp’ that would allow visitors the option to work remotely from the Caribbean island for a year at a time.
The scheme is being considered because short-term travel has become more difficult due to testing restrictions.
Barbados, picture above (file photo), sees 40 percent of its GDP come from tourism, and is eager to see tourists return to the island. Flights to the island will restart on July 12, with British Airways offering the first direct flights to the country from the UK on July 18
With airlines grounded and cruise ships docked, British holidaymakers’ favorite Caribbean island tourism industry ground to a halt because of the global pandemic.
Tourism makes up around 40 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, while around 30 percent of its workforce is reportedly employed by the industry.
While the impact of virus itself has been limited on the island, the lack of international travel has severely dented Barbados’ economy.
The country hopes that by offering people the chance to come to the island for longer periods of time, it can attract visitors again and revive its industry.
Ms Mottley said: ‘You don’t need to work in Europe, or the US or Latin America if you can come here and work for a couple of months at a time; go back and come back.’
People could ‘come and work from here overseas, digitally, so that persons don’t need to remain in the countries in which they are,’ she said.
Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, pictured above during the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019, is looking to encourage people back to Barbados by offering a ’12-month Barbados welcome stamp’ that would allow people to ‘work from home’ on the island
Currently, British passport holders don’t need a visa to visit Barbados but are granted a period of time to stay.
Barbados plans to officially reopen its borders to international travel on July 12, with Canada being the first country to be able to travel to the Caribbean island.
The island nation is included on the British government’s list of travel destinations exempt from UK quarantine for those arriving from the country. It is also not on the Foreign Office’s list warning against all but essential travel overseas.
British Airways will offer direct flights once-a-week to the country on July 18, with Virgin Atlantic set to offer direct flights from Heathrow on August 18 – also initially once a week.
However, current guidance states people travelling to the country must have had a PCR anitgen Covid-19 test within 72 hours prior to leaving, and will be required to present a certificate that confirms they are coronavirus negative.
They must also submit a form 24 hours before travelling.
Barbados is on the list of the UK’s air bridge countries – 59 nations that people entering the UK from are not required to quarantine. However, to enter Barbados, holidaymakers are required to have taken a Covid-19 test 72 hours before travelling
Anyone who hasn’t taken a test will be tested upon arrival to the country and placed in isolation if necessary.
Barbados has largely been able to keep Covid-19 from spreading on the island, with 98 confirmed cases and seven deaths relating to the disease, placing it among the 40 least affected countries in the world.
The island has reopened hotels, restaurants, bars and shops, and lifted its remaining curfew restrictions on July 1.
It is not yet known when the measures could be introduced or what the costs might be.