Monday, July 27, 2020
Barbados has started accepting applications for a 12-month welcome stamp visa. Individuals interested in living like a ‘Bajan’ for a year can now apply for the opportunity to live and work remotely in the Caribbean paradise. The visa offers new opportunities for anyone whose work is location-independent, which now includes entire offices, multi-disciplinary creative professionals, digital nomads and bold entrepreneurs.
Barbados has worked to ensure that the application process is as simple as possible for applicants to complete electronically. Upon approval, interested candidates have to pay the applicable amount set for both for individual applicants and for families. The visa is valid for one year but is open for re-applications. Applicants will not be liable for Barbados income tax. The move comes after the COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges to the tourism-dependent island.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley said in a press statement that the pandemic is part of the impetus for the new visa. She mentioned that COVID-19 has changed the global work culture with a larger number working remotely from home. She said that the visa would give industry professionals a certainty that they can work from Barbados for the next 12 months. She also said that she recognises that part of the challenge relates to short term travel.
She shared that the latest action would allow people to plan out business for a whole year rather than arriving for the usual week, or three weeks or a month. She mentioned that Barbados has a mechanism that allows people who want to take advantage of being in a different part of the world, of the sun, sea and sand, and a stable society. She added that the Barbados side of the world is one that functions well and is a perfect place for people to visit.
Barbados has also been lauded for its effort against the coronavirus disease so far and the effective contact tracing protocols it has in place. The country of more than 280,000 people has had just over 100 cases of the novel coronavirus and seven deaths. Even after reopening its borders, Barbados has established a proper set of travel protocols with safety at the forefront of the measures in place.
Tags: barbados, barbados tourism, Coronavirus
