Digital nomads are being invited to move to Argentina, with a new temporary visa intended to attract those who can work from anywhere they have decent Wi-Fi.
The new remote worker visa falls between a work visa and a tourist visa, with fewer requirements than the former and greater privileges than the latter. It will be valid for six months, and visa holders may renew it once for a total of a year, as opposed to the tourist visa, which has a hard limit of three months. It also comes with benefits like discounted flights aboard Aerolíneas Argentinas, the airline owned by the Argentinian government.
Requirements are soft. Applicants must be citizens of a country that doesn’t require a tourist visa to enter Argentina, and they will have to submit a resume showing a history of employment and a document proving a current working relationship with at least one remote employer.
The hope, according to Interior Minister Wado de Pedro, is that visiting workers will bring in hard currency to bolster the slow Argentinean economy. Digital nomads tend to spend more than tourists, sometimes twice as much, since they’re earning while they play tourist. They also tend to be higher earners.
And, de Pedro hopes, they’ll spread the word.
Remote workers will “live the Argentine experience and return to their countries being the main salespeople of this beautiful country,” he said.
“We want to attract people who after the pandemic changed their mentality and now prioritize their freedom, want to visit new places and enjoy life in a different way,” said Florencia Carignano, the national director for migration. “The pandemic accelerated a trend that was already happening.” She says that approximately 40 million people around the world are digital nomads.
Brazil instituted such a visa last year, and is so far calling it a success. Dozens more countries are waiting to follow suit.
Photo: Shutterstock