Pink sand beaches, pastel buildings, snorkelling; some weird triangle. Bermuda is known for many things but digital nomads is not one of them.
However, though the remote workers of the world have typically eschewed the Caribbean for cheaper paradises, a new offer from Bermuda, designed to entice tourism while times are bleak, may be set to change that.
At the very least: it’s causing cooped up employees to ask their employers some uncomfortable questions.
So is there a new remote work policy coming for our office?
— Roy Berman (@Mutantfroginc) July 25, 2020
Introduced as the country has fallen upon mass unemployment, The Bermuda Government is now offering year-long residencies to “people who wish to base themselves there for remote work or study purposes,” The Lonely Planet reports.
“It hopes the scheme will stimulate economic activity as the new temporary residents will spend money on hospitality and accommodation, without displacing Bermudians in the workforce.”
Aspiring candidates must be over 18, of “good character,” and able to supply proof of employment and health insurance. If going for the student program, they must be able to show they are enrolled in a research, undergraduate, graduate or doctorate program.
They also need to demonstrate sufficient means and/or a continuous source of annual income, without the need to find a job in Bermuda.
Judging by Twitter, the digital nomads (and jealous office workers) of the world are all – to say the least – keen.
Bermuda and Barbados are allowing people to move their for a year to work remotely. If i worked remote I’d be O U T.https://t.co/sHJz5lukyC
— TYLER (@TheBigDog77) July 27, 2020
“There are persons who are location-independent, using technology to perform their job no matter where they are,” Bermuda’s minister of labor, Jason Hayward, said in a statement.
“Such persons work remotely, telecommuting rather than being physically present at a company’s headquarters or office. Remote working has been a growing trend for some time and is something the Bermuda Government has been examining as part of its technology-focused economic diversification strategy.”
Hurricane or Covid-19, I would risk the hurricane. Nice if you have the time and money. Once again the have and the have nots
— GG (@Gwengg1111) July 25, 2020
The residency certificates cost US $263 ($AU 373) and applications should be submitted via the Bermuda government website by the 1st of August 2020. It has also been announced, Royal Gazette reports, that the maximum stay period for all visitors is to be extended from 90 days to 180 days.
Let the countdown begin.