Migration systems must adapt to teleworking and digital nomads

The rise of telecommuting, including "digital nomads" who moved to other countries to work remotely, requires adjustments in migration policies, according to a report published this Thursday by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI).

 

Covid-19 forced many people to work from home, but most immigration systems "they are poorly equipped" to deal with telecommuting, the report notes.

 

have not been adapted to "admit foreign workers who may end up working partially or fully remotely for a local employer or to allow digital nomads to visit and work remotely for an employer in another country".

 

Unclear rules around taxes, benefits and labor laws pose obstacles for both digital nomads and those who employ them, he adds.

 

"Failing to address remote work in immigration policies is a missed opportunity"supports the report by Kate Hooper and Meghan Benton.

 

The authors believe that migratory systems should be more flexible, which could generate benefits because it would allow the use of talent and make it easier for those displaced by wars, such as the one waged in Ukraine after the Russian invasion, or by environmental disasters, to obtain income.

 

Some steps have already been taken: more than 25 countries and territories, including Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica or Panama, have launched visas for digital nomads that admit foreign citizens who work for an employer outside the country or, sometimes on their own.

 

Unlike a traditional visa, in these cases it is not assumed that the work will be in person, full time in the same country.

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Digital nomad visas have been successful in countries whose economies rely on tourism to offset lost income by allowing visitors to stay longer.

 

Also among those interested in international remote workers living in small towns and rural communities to contribute to their economic development.

 

There are other ways to adapt immigration systems to telework, such as adjusting existing visas to make residency tests more flexible or allowing remote work with a visitor visa.

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