Caribbean Island Montserrat Launches Year-long Visa Program for Remote Workers

If your workplace isn't headed back to the office any time soon and you're growing sick of staring at your living-room-turned-office all day, consider a change of scenery in Montserrat.

The picturesque Caribbean island is offering yearlong visas to remote workers through its new program, the Montserrat Remote Workers Stamp. The program hopes to lure visitors to Montserrat — and strike a more than perfect work/life balance — in the process.

"There are people currently in metropolitan areas and various parts of the world, who now have the ability to work from home," Deputy Premier of Montserrat Dr. The Hon. Samuel Joseph said in a statement. "So the remote worker programme is basically telling people to come to Montserrat to work and you can do the same work that you would have produced for your company, from Montserrat".

Montserrat is not open to short-term tourists at this time, only those with valid visas. Upon arrival in Montserrat, travelers are required to produce negative COVID-19 test results and quarantine for 14 days. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have placed Montserrat under a Level 3 Travel Advisory.

Montserrat has had zero active cases of COVID-19 on the island since July 2020 and throughout the pandemic, Montserrat only reported 13 cases of the virus and one death. Face masks and social distancing are required when in a place of business, but there are no curfews currently in place in Montserrat.

Applications for the program are now open and available online. Candidates must be able to provide proof of full-time employment, an annual income of at least $70,000 and health insurance coverage.

The stamp costs $500 for individuals and $750 for families with up to three people, plus $250 for each additional family member. The stamp will remain valid for 12 months.

It takes only about seven business days to process the application so, if all goes well, you could be working beachside by the end of the month.

Montserrat is not the only option for professionals looking for a change of scenery. Aruba, the Cayman Islands and Madeira have all launched similar programs.

Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or at caileyrizzo.com.

Source: Read Full Article